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[Page 10]
having joined up astern, and had the Austrians only known it they might have polished us off piece-meal. But apparently they didn't know what they were up against and had no wish to stop and enquire. The moment the "Jackal" and "Hornet" sighted them they fired green rockets which was the signal by night for "enemy in sight". The next moment an unfortunate thing happened. The entire Austrian line consisting of five T.B.D's only as far as we could make out opened fire on the "Jackal" and "Hornet" with the result that the "Jackal" had her main mast shot away putting her wireless for the moment out of action while the "Hornet" experienced the same trouble by having her foremast brought down. This prevented these two ships from getting wireless information through to Brindisi and much valuable time was thus lost. The latter ship suffered most and was badly hit and holed. One H.V. shell burst just abaft her bridge bringing down, as already stated, her fore-mast. This lay across the wires of her steam syrens causing both to blow off, with what stupendous din can be better imagined than described. Naturally no one could hear any orders and every officer and man had to act for himself. The same shell made a shambles of the bridge. One voice pipe operator had his head blown off. A signalman lost half the side of his face. The sub-lieutenant had his chest blown in, and fell on top of the midshipman who was badly wounded in the arm and shoulder. The remaining two occupants of the bridge were the Captain - Lieutenant Perse R.N., and the coxswain who was at the wheel and was the only one on the bridge untouched. The captain had both his arms shattered but remained at his post fighting his ship. The next shell hit the "Hornet" aft and jambed her rudder which at the time had twenty degrees of port helm on it and for some time after she could only steam round in circles and so dropped out of the action. She eventually reached Valona.
One rather curious incident in regard to the "Hornet's" share in this action is worth recording. A fragment of shell the same one that caused all the damage on the bridge pierced the bridge chart table from underneath and lodged in the log-book at the exact day and hour of the action, namely April 22nd, 11.30 p.m.
By midnight the action such as it was was over and future events developed into a stern chase. The "Jackal" on the port quarter of the now fast fleeing Austrians kept his forecastle gun working in the hope of perhaps crippling one of the enemy. To this sporadic fire no reply was made and