d also thought it wiser to conserve ammunition
rather than fire-ineffective shots. Sedd-el-Bahr and Kum Kale were
able to resume firing in a few days, for though the shells of the
allied fleets had damaged the structural parts of these defenses,
they had not landed troops out to occupy them, with the result
that the Turks were enabled to intrench near the ruins and there
reset their guns.

On the morning of March 15, 1915, the small British cruiser _Amethyst_
made a dash into the Narrows, which when reported led the British
and French public to believe that the defense had been forced, but,
as a matter of fact, this exploit was a bit of stratagem, being
only designed to draw the fire of concealed batteries.

On March 18, 1915, "The Great Effort" was made to force the defenses
with naval operations, all previous work having been preliminary.
The battleships _Agamemnon, Prince George, Queen Elizabeth, Lord
Nelson, Triumph_, and _Inflexible_ steamed right up to the Narrows.
Four of them bombarded Chanak and a battery which lay opposite
it, and the forts at Saghandere, Kephez Point, and Dardanos were
kept busy by the _Triumph_ and the _Prince George_. After the fleet
had been at it for an hour and a half they received the support
of the four French ships which steamed in close and attacked the
forts at a shorter range. When the forts ceased firing the six
battleships _Ocean, Swiftsure, Majestic, Albion, Irresistible_,
and _Vengeance_ came in and tried to carry the attack further.
While the French squadron maneuvered to allow freedom of action
for this newer British squadron the Turkish guns resumed fire.
Then came the first of a series of disasters. Three shells struck
the _Bouvet_, and she soon began to keel over. When the underwater
part of her hull came into view it was seen that she had been hit
underneath, probably by one of the mines which the Turks had floated
toward the crowded ships. She sank almost immediately, carrying
the greater part of her crew down with her. Only two hours later
another mine did damage to the _Irresistible_, and she left the
line, listing heavily. While she floated and while she was under
heavy fire from Turkish guns a destroyer took off her crew. She
sank just before six o'clock. Not fifteen minutes later the _Ocean_
became the third victim of a floating mine, and she also went to
the bottom. Destroyers rescued many of her crew from the water.
The guns from the forts were also able to do