Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 32
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[Page 32]
forward range finder. In this structure, which had only canvas sides, were the Captain, Gunnery Officer, and his assistant, and several men. The shell passed over the Gunnery lieutenant's shoulder, missed the Captain by inches, and struck the base of the range finder. and though It snapped this off short and severed the operator's leg at its junction with the body. The base of the range finder was solid brass fourteen inches thick, yet curiously enough and providentially the shell did not explode but passed on through the canvas side and so into the sea.
Had it exploded the Sydney would almost surely have lost the Captain and gunnery lieutenant.
Our ship The Sydney almost in the first few minutes almost lost her aft control and the essentials of her fire control, and now was compelled to carry on as best she could without a range finder.
When it is remembered that the Emden was doing 23 knots and the Sydney 27 and both ships turning and twisting like snakes it must be conceded that the Germans were no mean antagonists.
A little later we had our mainmast splintered, but it did not fall and then a salvo got well home in our battery and knocked out a gun's crew killing three one and wounding seven, two of whom subsequently died.
The danger in a ship like the Sydney is on the disengaged side. The ships opposing ships manoeuvre so as to fire one broadside; then over goes the helm and the other is brought to bear. Consequently the guns' crews whose guns are for the moment disengaged have their gun shields trained away from the enemy, and so are left exposed to the shell fire. It was in this fashion that our most serious casualties occurred.
After this our men loaded their guns after firing