- Author
- Burness, Peter
- Subjects
- History - WW1
- Tags
- None noted.
- RAN Ships
- HMAS Australia I
- Publication
- December 1975 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
After several frustrating delays the attack was finally launched late on 23rd April 1918. At 11.50 p.m. the action started. While still a few miles off the enemy coast, star shells went up. They had been seen! A smoke screen was laid to cover the attack, but as Vindictive emerged she was sharply silhouetted, and became an excellent target.
As the old ship neared the mole shell after shell crashed into her. One shell put the forward howitzer out of action and killed the crew, another killed the port battery relief crew, and gaping holes appeared all over. Fortunately most of the damage was above the water line.
At one minute past midnight Vindictive came alongside the mole, but out of position. Meanwhile Iris and Daffodil were making their approach, also under intense fire. The badly wounded captain of Daffodil saw Vindictive’s plight and turned his little craft’s bows in to the Vindictive, pushing the larger vessel against the mole.
Soon after, Iris passed down Vindictive’s starboard side and unsuccessfully endeavoured to land her parties of bluejackets and marines, while Vindictive’s raiding parties charged down the two remaining gangways into a storm of fire. The landing groups had been intended to land virtually on top of their objective. In fact, they were over 250 yards out of position and under intense fire. Iris found she was too low in the water and her assaulting parties were unable to climb onto the mole. Daffodil was fully occupied holding Vindictive in position.
Meanwhile the three blockships were approaching the canal entrance, and further off was the British submarine C3 packed with explosive and as yet undetected by the Germans. The C3 was to lodge itself under the viaduct connecting the mole to the shore and once the crew were clear the charges inside were to be detonated. The submarine did well and five tons of Amatol went up just as German reinforcements for the mole were overhead. The mole was effectively isolated and communications cut.
It was now the turn of the blockships, and as they came into close range the Germans opened up on them. Thetis was leading and she took the brunt of the fire. The enemy by now realised they should concentrate on the waterline and Thetis was soon taking water and shuddering under the impact of the shells. Approaching the defence net across the canal entrance she missed the opening and, entangling herself in the net, was dragged off course. Under merciless fire from the mole and the shore, she ran aground.
Intrepid, with a little better luck, reached the canal and began manoeuvring into position. To cover her position she began to discharge smoke, but unfortunately the smoke also blinded Iphigenia. Iphigenia crashed into Intrepid, pushing her out of position. Although it was not possible for him to completely block the channel, Iphigenia’s captain manoeuvered into the best position before he blew the charges. On Thetis a last gallant effort by the engine-room staff got the old cruiser moving again and she slowly limped forward, listing heavily. She got off the sandbank, but it was hopeless, and the captain ordered the charges to be blown and she settled on the bottom.
The surviving crews of the three blockships had now the seemingly impossible task of getting clear in their boats.
The crew of Thetis, including the five Australians, found they had only one boat still intact, the cutter. The wounded, including the captain and number one, and the survivors, now under command of Acting-Lieutenant G.A. Belben, got away and were eventually picked up by the attending ML526. ‘We had to pull about half a mile before we were picked up by a motor boat – one of the submarine chasers’, recalled one of the five Australians later.