Читать книгу Deeper into the Darkness онлайн

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Most of the crew had been down below decks and most of the hatches were battened down and shored up for the night. The crew began to knock out the wedges and proceed to their stations. The after-hatch to the quarterdeck was open, and as the crew streamed aft away from the explosion, an officer was heard to call out: ‘Make way for Lord Kitchener.’ He passed by, clad in his greatcoat, and went up the after-hatch, just in front of one of the few survivors. He was last seen standing on the quarter deck of the Hampshire.

The cruiser was settling quickly into the water by the bows, heeling to starboard. As all electric power was gone, none of the larger boom boats could be hoisted out. Those smaller boats that were lowered into the water on davits were smashed to pieces against the side of the Hampshire by the force of the gale. No survivor saw any boat get clear away from the ship. The Times of Friday 9 June 1916 reported that Kitchener’s party were put in a boat that was subsequently swamped by the sea.