At 6 a.m. on 17 October 1917, Brummer and Bremse approached rigged to resemble British C-class cruisers. Strongbow challenged them three times, but German fire severed a steam pipe, wounded her commander, and left the destroyer unable to manoeuvre before she could fight effectively. Mary Rose initially mistook the attack for a U-boat action, then headed toward the gunfire and tried to draw the cruisers away while the convoy scattered. Speed, surprise, and the mismatch in gunpower allowed the raiders to break the close escort.
Chapter · 28:42-31:00
The attack on Strongbow and Mary Rose
Rigged to resemble British C-class cruisers, Brummer and Bremse disabled Strongbow and overwhelmed Mary Rose before the convoy could be saved.