Uncertain Ostend defenses shape the monitors' approach

Drifters accompanied the monitors to deploy protective nets during the Ostend attack. Because German battery positions and ranges were uncertain, Bacon planned to keep the ships under way during the bombardment, a precaution he later believed saved one or more monitors. He also changed the approach route because the enemy might be watching the one used before. Low mist left only the cathedral spire briefly visible, forcing the force to anchor and wait about an hour before the coast cleared and the nets could be shot. Route security, mobility, visibility, and the drifters all shaped the bombardment before the guns opened fire.