mpared to the
giant underwater crafts that were being launched and used at the
outbreak of the war, some of them measuring 800 feet. The _B-11_
carried only sixteen men in all--two officers and fourteen men.

Early in the morning of December 13, 1914, she started through the
straits. Evidently her commander had knowledge of the disposition of
the Turkish mine field, for Lieutenant Holbrook successfully navigated
his ship through it, dived under five rows of mines, any one of which
would have blown his frail craft into a thousand pieces, and came up
under the side of the Turkish battleship _Messudiyeh_. The
_Messudiyeh_, in any other navy, would have been retired long before,
but Turkey had none too many ships and probably had been saving her to
fight against the equally ancient vessels of some other minor power.
Launched as far back as 1874, she had been reconstructed and rearmed
in 1901. She was lying in the Sea of Marmora, guarding the very mine
field under which Holbrook had dived his craft.

Holbrook observed the _Messudiyeh_ through the periscope of the
_B-11_, maneuvered for position, dived, came up again and launched his
torpedo. It struck home and the ancient sides of the _Messudiyeh_
gaped wide. Slowly she sank while Holbrook dived to safety. For nine
and a half hours the latter felt his way out of the straits and when
he returned to the fleet his little vessel and its daring crew
received an enthusiastic demonstration from the soldiers of the larger
warships. Besides the Victoria Cross, received by Holbrook himself,
his second in command, Lieutenant Sydney T. Winn, received the
Distinguished Service Order, and each of the fourteen members of the
crew received the Distinguished Service Medal.

On the next day, December 14, 1914, the British submarine _B-9_
attempted to repeat the feat, but the Turks were prepared. When she
came to the surface mines were exploded all around her, and she had
all she could do to make good her escape.

On January 15, 1915, not content that the British should have all the
danger, or the glory, the French submarine, _Saphir_, entered the
straits. Near Nagara Point she struck the bottom in one of those
shallow spots that abound in the Dardanelles, was compelled to come
to the surface in a disabled condition and was quickly shot to pieces
by the Turkish shore batteries.

The movement against the forts in the Dardanelles was now begun. This
campaign, which was begun with so much c