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[Page 25]
and bombard it. 2 small craft in the shape of English and Italian ships & American chasers were used as scouts.
All these various naval forces were to be kept in touch with each other by fast Italian flotilla leaders of the "Quarto" class, a very fine type of vessel who would act as connecting links between the several detached forces. In addition to one our surface craft, a strongly reinforced patrol of English, French and Italian submarines were to be lying in wait outside Pola and Cattaro who would at once signal any movement on the part of the main Austrian battle fleet or any of the its units.
Our Aircraft were also out in force, and might be expected to give timely information of any enemy movements. The Eastern sky had barely commenced to illumine the horizon when, without noise or fuss one by one the ships slipped their moorings and proceeded quietly out of Brindisi. Sweeping the channel were four English T.B.D.s, the "Acorn" "Lapwing" "Hydra" and "Martin" the remainder of the T.B.D.s following and then came the light cruisers, with the battleships bringing up the rear. It was quite an imposing force and easily the largest which had ever put out from an Italian port in this War or any other. I can't say that we were all hopeful that the Austrians would be sufficiently attracted thereby to come out and join issue. We had been out so often with never a return call that by that time we had almost given up all hope of ever pitting our ships against their's except in raids, such as I have described in a previous article when there is little satisfaction in a stern chase, shooting at a column of smoke which was about six knots better speed than yourself. Still, there was a chance, so we were all there ready and prepared with the various paraphernalia of naval war.
In the T.B.D.'s, bulkheads were all shored up (a necessary precaution in case a compartment gets blown in by shell or torpedo) each man wore a life belt, and each seaman an antiflash mask and gauntlets (previously described).
As far as the ships detailed to sweep towards Cattaro were concerned nothing need be said because they saw nothing and encountered no opposition in any shape or form. In other words, small as their force was in comparison with the main Austrian battle fleet the latter had probably heard of the "sprat to catch a mackerel" adage and to use a colloquialism "weren't having any".
The main force were kept rather more busy. Arrived at a certain