Iles war diary, 1914-1919 / G. H. Iles - Page 275
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 275]
unbroken line of mine laying vessels were doing their deadly work, we, our squadron were steaming on the starboard quarter of the minelayers and from early dawn we were kept continually shook from stem to stearn, - the minelayers were blowing up a mine field, or counter mining, - what their action upon the mines were we knew not, but it seemed as though every minelayer at prearranged signals were dropping a mine that was timed fused - the result being that when they exploded they blew up all mines within a certain radius.
the explosions were terrific - we could see vast columns of water being thrown hundreds of feet in the air, of varied colors, black, yellow, white etc, and the effect of the explosion upon our vessel was similar to the muffled rumbling of a vast earthquake shock, - it was a beautiful and wonderful sight and, some thought the mines whether British, or German, were being destroyed by the action of electricity, - the reason that they thought such was because a good way astern of the minelayers was another vessel (minelayer) steaming alone and