The prolonged search in fog exhausted the aircraft's fuel margins, and only two returned to their carriers. Lurcher rescued one pilot, while submarine E11 took aboard three under the threat of an approaching Zeppelin. E11 abandoned its attempt to tow a seaplane, removed its bombing sights, and completed the rescues before diving just ahead of falling bombs. D6 later checked that the abandoned aircraft had sunk. A Dutch trawler rescued another pilot, who destroyed his aircraft and was eventually released as a shipwrecked mariner. The British supporting force remained in enemy waters from 4 a.m. until noon without German warships coming out, and German aerial attacks scored no hits. The operation demonstrated the need for better weather preparation and more bomb-carrying aircraft while showing how long the supporting fleet could operate near the German coast.
Notable Point · 5:36-8:22
Submarines rescue Cuxhaven pilots under air attack
Fuel shortages forced five Cuxhaven aircraft down, while the supporting ships demonstrated that a British force could remain off the German coast for hours.