Arethusa commissioned in August 1914 and went straight into the Harwich Force as Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt's flotilla flagship. Within weeks she fought at Heligoland Bight, suffered cruiser gunfire damage, and had to be towed home. Repairs returned her for the Cuxhaven Raid, Dogger Bank, and later patrols that captured four trawlers. Her career ended in February 1916 when she struck a mine off Felixstowe, grounded while under tow, and broke her back. The sequence shows both the operational tempo expected of a destroyer-leading light cruiser and the crew's willingness to rescue German sailors even while their own ship was damaged.
Chapter · 16:12-18:23
Arethusa's intense Harwich Force career
HMS Arethusa moved almost immediately from commissioning into the Heligoland Bight, Cuxhaven, and Dogger Bank operations before a mine ended her career.