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National Geographic : 1920 Feb
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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE ONCE A MIGHTY UNIT OF GERMANY'S PROUD HIGH SEAS FLEET Kirkwall, the base of the American mine-sweepers, is separated from Scapa Flow by only a narrow neck of land. When it was known that the interned German fleet was being scuttled by the men on board, Admiral Strauss ordered all his fleet then in harbor to pro ceed at full speed to Scapa, hoping that they might succeed in beaching some of the vessels before they had filled and sunk. But the work of destruction was so complete that our vessels were of no assistance. flying; then the course was altered to head across the mine field. The first few explosions were well astern and in the center of the sweep, and although the terrific concussion shook the ships from end to end, the men quickly became used to the novel sensa tion and apparently enjoyed it. Mines, too, kept popping up behind the sweep, having been cut from their moorings be fore the sweep-wire could reach the mines and cause them to explode. A MINE EXPLODES BENEATH THE "PATUXENT" Then suddenly it seemed as if all bed lam had broken loose. Towering col umns of water were belched up on every side! The Patuxent seemed to stop for a moment as if stunned, and then, as the spray and water settled back again, great clouds of black smoke, mingled with flame, poured from her funnel. The lights below decks dimmed and went out; the floor plates in the fire rooms had been hurled from the decks; an ever-widening circle of brown, dis colored water spread out around the ship. The vessel had been countermined. Luckily, the mine which had exploded below her had been planted at the deep est level, and, aside from minor damages, which could be repaired in a few hours. she had not been injured. A mine fired by the sweep-wire had caused these others to explode sympathetically. We had sampled a danger with which we were to be faced constantly in the coming months-a danger that no human effort could avert. Many of the supersensitive mines had exploded prematurely shortly after the barrage was laid, and we had hoped that only those possessing normal stability now were left; but such was not the case. The Electrical Protective Device 112
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