About the sinking of the _Hawke_ there was less conjecture. This
vessel had gained notoriety in times of peace by having collided
with the _Olympic_ as the latter left port on her maiden voyage
to New York. On the 15th of October, 1914, while patrolling the
northern British home waters she was made the target of the torpedo
of a German submarine and went down, but the _Theseus_, which had
been attacked at the same time, escaped.
Four German destroyers were to be the next victims of the war in
European waters. On October 17, 1914, the _S-115, S-117, S-118_, and
_S-119_ while doing patrol duty off the coast of the Netherlands,
came up with a British squadron consisting of the cruiser _Undaunted_
and the destroyers _Legion, Lance_, and _Loyal_. An engagement
followed, in which damage was done to the British small boats and
the four German destroyers were sunk. Captain Fox, senior British
officer, had been on the _Amphion_ when she sank the _Koenigin Luise_
and had been rescued after being knocked insensible by the explosion
of the mine that sent the _Amphion_ to the bottom.
The exploit of Lieutenant Commander Horton in the British submarine
_E-9_ when he sank the _Hela_ has already been narrated. The same
commander, with the same craft, during the first week of October,
1914, proceeded to the harbor of the German port of Emden, whence
had sailed many dangerous German submarines and destroyers that
preyed on British ships.
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