off North Hinder Lightship in the North Sea on November 6, 1915, and
set her on fire. The French steamer _Harmonie_ was attacked in the
Mediterranean by an Austrian aeroplane, but none of the six bombs
which were dropped struck the vessel. Three German seaplanes attacked
a British cargo boat aground off the coast of Belgium, but before they
could succeed in destroying her with bombs, the attempt was reported
by the Allies' aero scouts, and a squadron of aeroplanes went to the
rescue. The Germans were forced to retire, while French torpedo boats
floated the British freighters.

One of the notable events of the year was the first seaplane battle
between the British and German seaplanes near Dunkirk on November 28,
1915. The British were successful, as they were also in an attack on a
large German seaplane by one of their aeroplanes patrolling off the
Belgian coast. The German machine was hit and fell on the sea,
bursting into flames and exploding on striking the water. No trace of
pilot, passengers, or machine could be found. The British aeroplane,
under command of Lieutenant Graham, was also damaged by gunfire and
fell into the sea, but the officers were picked up and safely landed.

The Allies, and particularly the British, employed aeroplanes chiefly
for patrolling their coasts, naval harbors and subsidiary fleet bases,
as well as the principal shipping lanes, in order to keep them clear
of the insidious action of hostile submarines. Of this silent and
steady coast patrol work, which is deprived of any spectacular side,
little has come to light, except where a reconnaissance also involved
an attack upon forces of the enemy.

It was during such patrol flights, along the Belgian coast, that two
German submarines were put out of action by aviators of the Allies.
The first of these engagements occurred on August 26, 1915, when
Squadron Commander A. W. Bigsworth of the Royal Naval Air Service
destroyed a German submarine off Ostend by dropping several bombs on
the but partly submerged vessel. The second German submarine was
destroyed off Middelkerke, Belgium, on November 28, 1915, by a British
seaplane, piloted by Flight Sub-Lieutenant Viney, and carrying a
French officer, Lieutenant Count de Sincay, as an observer. German
submarines having been reported in the vicinity, the aviators were
ordered to patrol the coast with the object of watching for the enemy.
The aviators rose to an altitude of 3,000 meters, and had been