. Nelson's History of the war. British battleships, the Albion, Irresistible,Majestic, Ocean, Swiftsure,* and Vengeance. Asthey steered towards Chanak the four French shipswere withdrawn in order to make room for themin the narrow waters. But in the process of thischange all the forts suddenly began to fire again,which showed that none of them were seriouslydamaged. According to Turkish accounts, onlyone big gun had been dismounted. Then came the first disaster of the day. TheFrench squadron was moving down to the openwater inside the Straits, being still under fire fromthe inner forts. An off
. Nelson's History of the war. British battleships, the Albion, Irresistible,Majestic, Ocean, Swiftsure,* and Vengeance. Asthey steered towards Chanak the four French shipswere withdrawn in order to make room for themin the narrow waters. But in the process of thischange all the forts suddenly began to fire again,which showed that none of them were seriouslydamaged. According to Turkish accounts, onlyone big gun had been dismounted. Then came the first disaster of the day. TheFrench squadron was moving down to the openwater inside the Straits, being still under fire fromthe inner forts. An officer on a British destroyer,who was watching its movements, reported that hesaw three large shells strike the Bouvet almost simul-taneously, and that immediately after there was aloud explosion, and she was hidden in a cloud ofsmoke. The first impression was that she hadbeen seriously damaged by shell-fire, but her real * A sister ship of the Triumph--^xx,g8o tons, four lOinch,fotJrteen guns. if 74 HISTORY OF THE The Attack on the Narrows (2). wound was got from one of the mines which theTurks were now sending down with the currentThey had waited to begin this new attack till the ATTACK ON DARDANELLES BY SEA. 175 narrow waterway was full of ships. As the smokecleared, the Bouvet was seen to be heeling over. Shesank in three minutes, in thirty-six fathoms of water,carrying with her most of her crew. The attack on the forts continued as long asthe light lasted. The mine-sweepers had beenbrought up the Straits in order to clear the passage infront, and to look out for drift-mines. An hour anda half after the Bouvet sank, the Irresistible turnedout of the fighting line with a heavy list. Shealso had been struck by a mine, but she floated formore than an hour, and the destroyers took offnearly all her crew—a dangerous task, for they werethe target all the time for Turkish fire. She sankat ten minutes to six, and a quarter of an hourlater another drift-mine struck th
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectworldwar19141918
