known that he suddenly
ordered all ships to cease firing and allowed the German warships to
proceed without further engaging them. By the time that Admiral Beatty
was again on a battle cruiser the action was virtually over. The
_Indomitable_ passed a cable to the crippled _Lion_ and towed the latter
home, the rest of the British fleet keeping to the rearward to be ready
for possible resumption of fighting.

Much criticism was made by the British press and by laymen on account
of the sudden termination of the fight, and there was great complaint in
England because the career of all the raiding German ships had not been
brought to an end. But when the engagement ended the opposing fleets
were within seventy miles of Helgoland, and the German admiralty had
ready a fleet of dreadnoughts and another of battle cruisers to engage
the British ships when they got within striking distance. By ending the
fight when he did the British commander chose not to be led into this
trap. Nor was there dissatisfaction in England alone. In Germany the
complaint was that the ruse had not worked, and not long afterward
Admiral von Ingenohl was replaced as commander of the High Sea Fleet by
Admiral von Pohl. None of the blame for the failure was laid at the door
of the officer who had actually been engaged in the fighting--Admiral
Hipper--which showed that his senior officers had considered the
engagement as part of a larger action.

CHAPTER XL

RESULTS OF SIX MONTHS' NAVAL OPERATIONS

The first six months of naval operations in the Great War came to a
close without battle between the main fleets of the navies of the
warring nations. The British navy had kept open communication with the
Continent, allowing the Expeditionary Force, as well as later military
contingents, to get to the trenches in Flanders and France. It had, in
addition, made possible the transportation of troops from Canada and
Australia. The ports of France were open for commerce with America,
which permitted the importation of arms and munitions, and the same
privilege had been won for the ports in the British Isles.

The northern ports of the Central Powers were closed to commerce with
all but the Scandinavian countries, and the oversea German possessions,
where they were accessible to naval attack, had been taken from her. The
German and Austrian flags had been swept from the seven seas, with the
exception of those on three or four German cruisers that now and