The scouting which
had been done by the smaller craft of the German fleets showed their
commanders that there were other British ships in the neighborhood
besides the two they had first engaged, and it was thought wiser
to withdraw in face of possible reenforcement of the British,
consequently the _Strassburg_ and _Ariadne_ turned eastward to seek
the protection of the fortress. The _Arethusa_, a boat that had
been in commission but a week when the battle was fought, was in a
bad way; all but one of her guns were out of action, her water tank
had been punctured and fire was raging on her main deck amidships.
The _Fearless_ passed her a cable at nine o'clock and towed her
westward, away from the scene of action, while her crew made what
repairs they could.
The flotillas of both sides had meanwhile been busy. At the head
of the squadron of German destroyers that came out of the waters
behind Helgoland was the _V-187_. Without slacking speed she steamed
straight for the British destroyers, her small guns spitting rapidly,
but she was outnumbered by British destroyers, which poured such an
amount of steel into her thin sides that she went under, her guns
firing till their muzzles touched the water and her crew cheering as
they went to their deaths. A few managed to keep afloat on wreckage,
and during a lull in the fighting, which lasted from nine o'clock
till ten, boats were lowered from the British destroyers _Goshawk_
and _Defender_ to pick up these stranded German sailors.
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