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[Page 116]
1915
were of wood, & were arranged so that they would float & support the crew of the vessel should the ship sink. The object of employing this ruse was to draw an enemy submarine from the main fleet, when an attack was being made, by having the "dummy" ship placed in front & slightly detached. Probably another object was to mislead the enemy as to our real losses. Whenever a "dummy" ship was sunk, it was presumed that he would reckon on us having one capital ship short. This actually happened at the Dardanelles, when the Turks in an official communiqué stated, that "Agamemnon" had been sunk. As a matter of fact, it was a "dummy" "Agamemnon", the whole of the crew being saved by floating clear on the after turret. Volunteers for these ships received, it was said, a bonus of £500 & an increased rate of pay over the ordinary service pay.
July 27
Exercises of various kinds in gunnery & torpedoes occupied our time here, & after a stay of 3 days, we left for the Firth of Forth.
July 28.
However, we were not allowed to rest here for very long, for scarcely had we been in harbour 24 hours & just completed with coal & oil fuel, when we were despatched on an expedition to cover a raid by our light cruisers & destroyers, made on