Night Action Report
I sent the 1/9 and 2/9 DD flotilla's to the area around Emden to see if I coud bag some of the light forces, I got a fight alright, but I came off second best.
when the battle spawned I had FL's Undaunted and Lightfoot leading nine L class DD's, sailing paralell to each other, things got off baley for me with Laverock, and Lassoo both being torpedoed and pounded by gunfire, Lassoo's steering was destroyed, Laverock struggled. Both were doomed.
I ordered both groups to turn 180 degrees and rang up maxamum speed, both German cruiser's continued on course 270, that would put them squarley between my two groups, both continued to fire on Lassoo.
I targeted each cruiser with a single squadron, Hamburg was hit hard and burning, and Berlin was feeling the heat of my gun fire, both cruiser speed was dropping off, Linnet launched two torpedoes at Berlin, one of which hitt her on the starboard side aft damaging her propulsion, Llewellyn launced three more at Berlin, two hitting her in the already damaged stern and wrecking her propulsion completely, she was not going to survive.
Berlin managed to get a torpedoe in to Lysander dooming her as well, Linnet crossed Hamburgs path, with Hamburg doing 22 knots the collision tore open Linnets port side, and sent the bridge crew sprawling. The flooding could not be checked, she too would be joining her sisters at the bottom ofthe sea. On board Hamburg 14 men drowned as the flooding damage increased, and more shells hit her, soon her speed was down to 11 knots.
Then out of the darkenss the HSF emerged, albeit at 13 knots, I immediatley put on speed and headed away, still engaging Hamburg, Lightfoot who had earlier been torpedoed and had heavy steering damage was soon hit by 8cm shells, in a brave attempt to protect the rest of the squadron she turned towards the German line, soon she was being hit hard by 30cm shells, she sank soon after taking her captain and 40 thers with her.
This was a big disapointment to the british having lost 6 DD's and FL to two German CL's.