The Blocking of Zeebrugge

A few seconds before the schedule time for the last alteration of course--designed to take us alongside the outer wall--the smoke screen, which had been drifting northwards befo...

A war operation, such as this, passes through various stages before it can be put into execution. It emanates originally from a suggestion. If the suggestion seems to bear furth...

The main function of a navy in war is that of obtaining the command of the sea. The purpose for which such "command" is desired is the utilisation of the sea-lines of communicat...

Thus far I have only dealt with the local defences of Zeebrugge. But there were many other obstacles in our way--such as the coast batteries, mines, surface patrol vessels, subm...

First and foremost, it is necessary to indulge in comparisons. The enterprise described in this book attracted attention owing to its somewhat unusual type as far as the Navy wa...

No naval or military training is necessary to realise that the success of any war operation is mainly dependent upon the personnel. In these days of machinery and munitions, how...

It had been arranged that the storming parties on the Mole should have twenty minutes' warning of _Vindictive_ leaving the outer wall. A maximum length of stay alongside had als...

At last all constructive preparations were completed; the various ships and small craft were commissioned and concentrated at their respective starting-points. The blockships an...

The village of Zeebrugge stands near the entrance to the Zeebrugge-Bruges canal. At about half a mile inland from the coast at Zeebrugge the canal lock was situated. To seaward...

The first period, during which the tidal and astronomical conditions would be favourable, approached. The period was limited to about half a dozen days for the reasons stated in...

Safe passage across the seas, especially from the navigational point of view, provided much food for thought. The liability of new shoals to form and of old shoals to move their...

The blockships had eased down soon after passing through position G so as to drop astern of _Vindictive_ sufficiently far to enable that vessel and her consorts to create the ne...

The lessons of personal experience and of past history are the chief guides when calculating the probability of success in any operation. He who ignores history acts unwisely. H...

As soon as the two foremost gangways reached the wall a party of seamen led by Lieutenant-Commander Adams had commenced the storming of the Mole. Lieutenant-Commander A. L. Harr...

The author is particularly anxious that each phase of the operation and the work of each class of vessel should be clearly understood, so that the reader may fully appreciate th...

The break of dawn on April 22, 1918, the first of the seven days of our tabulated period, found many anxious individuals on deck discussing the chances. There was an almost enti...

In addition to the special vessels mentioned in the preceding chapter, many other vessels and craft were required to assist in the operation. One can imagine the amateur reckoni...

The immediate purpose in destroying the railway viaduct connecting the Mole to the mainland was twofold: firstly, that of preventing the Germans from sending reënforcements acro...

I will not weary the reader with a repetition of our life at the Swin--the second edition differed little from the first. There were still chances of a new start during the pres...

The moral effect on the enemy was shown, to a certain degree, almost at once. The fact that they thought it necessary to indulge in falsehood to appease their own countrymen, al...

The degree of moral effect cannot usually be assessed until long after an operation has been completed. Recognisable evidence comes to hand very gradually. The actual results of...

The work of drafting, reproducing, and distributing the necessary orders and instructions to the large number of craft concerned was not so simple as it may sound. The amount of...

After zero time the remaining units kept in close company until such times as each, according to their respective instructions, was deputed to proceed independently to carry out...

The periods during which the conditions would be favourable for our enterprise depended upon various factors. The extent to which we could make use of any particular date during...

A brief introduction to Part II of this book may assist the reader. The previous chapters have dealt with the general idea of the operation, the more important details of the pl...

The German torpedo craft, which were available for local duty, used to berth alongside the inner side of the Mole, close to the westward of the barge boom. By virtue of their gu...