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[Page 94]
1915
conditions under which they work. The old battleship "Vengeance" was anchored in the harbour, & I had a visit from an old shipmate in her, whom I was very pleased to see. After a long voyage a new face is very welcome. This officer told me a strange tale of an incident in the English Channel, when the "Vengeance" was returning from Ostend, where she had taken a detachment of Marines. One night "Vengeance" sighted several destroyers & gave the recognition signal, which, however, was not acknowledged. The "Vengeance" repeated the challenge, & as it was again not acknowledged she opened fire, apparently hitting one boat several times, after which the strange destroyers disappeared into the darkness. Naturally, everyone assumed that they were German destroyers, but to make certain that they did not belong to the escort for the Belgian Royal Family, who were crossing to England that night, they enquired of the Admiralty. Finally it was made certain that no English destroyers had been damaged on that particular night. However, a few days later the "Vengeance" was again at Ostend, & a French naval officer related a story about how a fleet of French destroyers had lost their bearings in the Channel, & how they had met a large battleship which opened fire on them, & they in return had fired two torpedoes at her. It appeared that one French destroyer sank, and all this