Humber-class fire support at the Battle of the Yser

The Battle of the Yser formed the coastal end of the Race to the Sea, as Allied and German forces extended their trench systems toward the Channel. With Ostend and Zeebrugge already lost, the fighting would decide whether Belgium retained any territory and whether German forces reached Nieuwpoort, Dunkirk, and Calais. Hood's force included cruisers and destroyers, but the Humber class could work especially close inshore. Its 6-inch guns supplied mobile heavy fire before tanks existed and while air support remained rudimentary. The bombardment slowed German attacks at critical moments, buying Belgian troops time to fight and flood part of their territory. Accounts differ on whether Royal Navy parties only fired rifles and pistols from their ships or also landed to engage German troops. The paperwork also leaves some dispute over exactly when Hood's command formally became the Dover Patrol.