Bombardment of Yarmouth

Discussion in 'World War 1' started by liverpool annie, Jun 5, 2009.

  1. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

    On 2 November 1914, Moltke, Rear Admiral Hipper's flagship Seydlitz, Von der Tann, and Blucher along with four light cruisers left the Jade Estuary and steamed towards the English coast. The flotilla arrived off Great Yarmouth at daybreak the following morning and bombarded the port, while the light cruiser Stralsund laid a minefield. The British submarine D5 responded to the bombardment, but struck one of the mines laid by Stralsund and sank. Shortly thereafter, Hipper ordered his ships to turn back to German waters. However, while Hipper's ships were returning to German waters, a heavy fog covered the Heligoland Bight, so the ships were ordered to halt until visibility improved so they could safely navigate the defensive minefields. The armored cruiser Yorck left the Jade without permission, and while en route to Wilhelmshaven made a navigational error that led the ship into one of the German minefields. Yorck struck two mines and quickly sank; the coastal defense ship Hagen was able to save 127 men of the crew

    http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/germany/battleships/moltke/sms_moltke_page_1.htm

    "SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" in German.
     

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