The Lion at Sea by Max Hennessy

Author:Max Hennessy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: The Lion At Sea
ISBN: 9780755128068
Publisher: House of Stratus
Published: 2012-05-18T04:00:00+00:00

Five

Ringed by bare hills, they seemed to be in the crater of an extinct volcano, and dead dogs and cats, even dead horses and mules, floated among the ships, their legs sticking up like the periscopes of adventurous submarines.

As soon as they made fast alongside Adamant, they realised something was wrong and they soon learned that E15, which had reached Mudros while they had been escorting E11 from Malta, had started for the Sea of Marmara two days before but had run aground near Kephez and been shot up by shore batteries. Casualties were not yet known but a seaplane had seen the boat high and dry and attempts to destroy her before the Turks could salvage her and use her against the Allies had failed.

‘They think she was caught in a flow of fresh water coming down from the Sea of Marmara,’ Lyster informed them as he returned aboard. ‘They lost control and were swept on the rocks. And she’s not the first, it seems, because the French have also lost Saphir, one of their boats. There are other problems, too, I’m told – an old iron bridge dumped off Nagara Point, north of Chanak, for example.’

‘Together, doubtless,’ Bennett observed, ‘with an assortment of rusty perambulators, bedsteads and old Turkish tramcars.’

‘Wouldn’t it be a good idea to make some attempt to find out where exactly this fresh water flows?’ Kelly said. ‘Somebody must have some information. If the differing densities are what caused E15’s troubles, we ought to find out where the currents run.’

‘We can certainly try.’ Lyster smiled. ‘Look it up, Pilot. Roger Keyes is out here as Chief of Staff and he’ll already have thought of it, if I know him. He might even have some information on the subject and he’s the last chap in the world to deny anybody a bit of aggression against the Bashi Bazouks.’ He studied his shoes and smiled. ‘In fact, I heard a funny story aboard Adamant about the currents. It seems some member of the Sultan’s household was once dropped in a weighted sack into the Marmara when he was no longer considered necessary to the smooth functioning of the household – probably been trying to take one of the ladies of the harem for a dirty week-end to Scutari or something – and ten days later, when they all imagined he was well on his way south to the Mediterranean, they heard a great deal of screaming from the ladies of the seraglio and there the old boy was, bursting out of his sack and bumping against the shore under the windows. See if you can find out why.’

It didn’t take long to discover that there was a deep current setting strongly towards Kephez where E15 had run aground and that the submarine B6, an old boat without bow planes, had behaved very oddly during her attempt to salvage her. On the other hand, Holbrook, in B11, had reported an entire absence of anti-submarine nets.

Lyster rubbed his nose as he listened.

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