There was yet the _Koeln_ with which the _Arethusa_ had to do battle.
But by now the heavy British battle cruisers _Lion_ and _Queen
Mary_ had also come down from the northwest to take part in the
fighting, and letting the _Arethusa_ escape from the range of the
light cruiser _Koeln_, they went for the German, which, overpowered,
fled toward Helgoland. While the chase was on the _Ariadne_ again
made her appearance and came to the aid of the _Koeln_, but the
light cruiser _Ariadne_ carried no gun as effective in destructive
power as the 13.5-inch guns of the _Lion_, and she, too, had to
seek safety in flight. The British ships then finished the _Koeln_;
so badly was she hit that when the British small boats sought the
spot where she quickly sank they found not a man of her crew afloat.
Every man of the 370 of her crew perished.
The afternoon came, and with its advent the mist, which had kept
the guns of Helgoland's forts out of action, had cleared off the
calm waters of the North Sea. By the time the sun had set only
floating wreckage gave evidence that here brave men had fought and
died. By evening the respective forces were in their home ports,
being treated for their hurts. The Germans had lost the _Mainz,
Koeln_, and _Ariadne_, and the _Strassburg_ had limped home. The
loss in destroyers and other small craft in addition to that of
the _V-187_ was not known. The loss on the British side had not
entailed that of a large ship, but the _Arethusa_ when she returned
to her home port was far from being in good condition, and some
of the smaller boats were in the same circumstances.
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