Naval fire support on the Belgian coast

The planned offensive called for close fire support against the Belgian coast, a role that anticipated later naval gunfire coordination. On 28 September Gorgon and the Lord Clive-class monitor General Wolfe anchored off De Panne and opened fire on a bridge from about 36,000 yards. Wind, tide, and a broken stern-anchor cable swung Gorgon until only her aft turret could bear. No spotting aircraft was available, so the ship fired only eleven rounds rather than risk civilian casualties with poorly observed fire. German aircraft attacked the monitors, while coastal batteries tried to engage them through smoke laid by supporting motor launches. Gorgon fired thirteen more shells at the bridge on 29 September and claimed one hit, though the hit was never confirmed. The combination of anchoring, observation, communications, air threat, and counter-battery fire shows why naval support was a coordinated operation rather than simply a gunnery exercise.