Battle of the River Plate, The Page #4

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I'm going down for a shave and a bath.

Keep an eye on everything.

And two eyes on the commodore.

Snotty, go and work out

the time of moonrise tonight.

Shall I bring those papers

to sign after breakfast?

Yes.

- Torps.

- Sir?

- Let me know immediately you see anything.

- Aye-aye, sir.

- You fellows, keep your eyes skinned.

- Aye-aye, sir.

Well...

You heard.

- Lookouts on the watch closed up, sir.

- Very good.

Smoke!

Bearing red 100.

Smoke. Bearing red 100.

- Captain, sir.

- Yes?

Smoke. Bearing red 100.

Very good.

Commodore, sir. Smoke. Bearing red 100.

- From the northwest?

- Yes, sir.

- Tell Exeter to investigate.

- Aye-aye, sir.

- Chief Yeoman.

- Sir?

Make to Exeter, "Investigate smoke. Red 100."

Aye-aye, sir.

- Alter course to north.

- Chief.

Another signal from flagship, sir.

"Have you dispatched list of spares?

If smoke ours, put list aboard for base."

Very good.

That list of spares again, eh?

That's going to annoy the old man.

Mr Lewin, sir.

Can you see those upper works?

Looks like a pocket battleship.

Oh, don't be so ruddy ridiculous.

That's the third pocket battleship

you've seen since Sunday.

Go on. It's a pocket battleship.

- Captain, sir, will you come on deck?

- Very good.

I can see control tower.

I'm sure I can.

- I've been on big ships.

- So you're always saying.

Penny-Feather, can you make her out?

- A lot of haze, sir.

- Clear as day, sir.

- Get up top. See what you can see from there.

- Aye-aye, sir.

Exeter signalling, sir.

Flag five. "Enemy in sight."

Warn the aircraft crew.

It is! A pocket battleship.

- That's new. I've never heard that before.

- They've bought something this time.

Sound the alarm.

- Warn the engine room. Connect all boilers.

- Connect all boilers.

- Both engines, full speed ahead.

- Both telegraphs, full speed ahead.

Captain, sir.

I think the Scheer is on our port beam.

Very good.

Sound off action stations. Sound the alarm.

Bugler! Sound off action, followed by the double.

- Hoist battle ensigns.

- Aye-aye, sir.

- 28 knots.

- 240 revolutions.

- Port 20.

- Port 20.

Alter course 40 degrees towards her.

Port 20.

- Speed 28 knots.

- George two eight.

210 revolutions.

Flag deck.

Hoist battle ensigns.

Make to Admiralty

from Commodore, South Atlantic,

"I am engaging pocket battleship."

- Give them our reference position.

- Snotty, position?

Unship that damned thing.

- Full speed, Signal Officer.

- Execute.

Guns, open fire as soon as you're ready.

- Pass the word to all parts of the ship.

We're engaging a pocket battleship.

- Right, sir.

- Well, Commander, there she is.

- I'll go round all quarters and ginger them up.

By George! Look at Exeter's battle flags.

- Steady.

- She's dressing ship.

- They're manning the 5.9s.

- They're bringing up shells on the hoists.

- They don't look so cocky now.

- She's up against something her own size.

I hope it's one of our big chaps.

It'll blow this tin can right out of the water.

- Aye, and us with it.

- Yeah.

Yeah, I keep forgetting that.

- Abandon ship!

- Keep calm. We haven't been hit.

- That was the first of the mid's salvo.

- We'd better get down on the deck.

- Steer as near as you company the enemy,

but keep our real are observer.

- Yes, sir.

Time?

6:
18, sir.

- Bearing 359.

- Bearing 359.

We've split her fire, all right.

Their gunner is very accurate.

They've straddled us with their first salvo.

Better put your umbrellas up.

GCT bridge, we are about to open fire.

- Opening fire, sir.

- Good.

What about the depth charges, sir?

If we get a direct hit, they'll blow our stern off.

- May I jettison them?

- By all means.

- Prepare to catapult aircraft.

- Aircraft platform prepare to catapult aircraft.

- Torpedoes ready for firing, sir.

- We will soon be within range.

What? Thanks.

I can't understand what their captain's doing.

If you've got a longer reach than the other fellow,

why get in close?

Broadsides.

Well done, the Royals.

We're opening fire, sir.

At last.

Ajax opened fire, sir.

- Maximum range.

- Not for long, sir.

- Alter course to starboard.

- Aye-aye, sir.

Starboard 20.

- Guns.

- Yes, sir?

I shall always steer towards last fall of shot.

- So be prepared to correct accordingly.

- Yes, sir.

- Understand, Pilot?

- Yes, sir. I hope the enemy doesn't, sir.

Midships.

Open fire as soon as you can, Guns.

We're opening fire now, sir.

Steady.

- OK. Stand by.

- What? Now?

Yes. We're going to stooge off between salvos.

You've only got a ten-second gap.

With a six-inch shell up our tail, we'll do it in six.

That was a near one.

Exeter's straddling.

- Got her range.

- So have we.

They've straddled us.

We'll know when we've been hit, all right.

See what I mean?

Hooray! Hit 'em again!

Have you finished?

Then help me down, will you?

# There's no place like home... #

Very funny.

Give the gentleman a prize.

A bag of nuts or a cigar.

- Hey, what's that smell?

- It's octane spirit.

Put out that cigarette, you fool!

- The spotting plane's been hit.

- It's bang overhead.

They've got the range now.

- If that petrol goes up...

- We'll get burnt to a crisp.

- Like Yorkshire pud.

- What's wrong with Yorkshire pud?

When I'm done this side, will you turn me over?

Enemy altering course towards us, sir.

That suits us.

She's concentrating all her main armament

on the Exeter now, sir.

The devil she is!

We're the main target now, sir.

A direct hit on the paint shop, sir.

First-aid party, forward.

Come on!

- Who's that running on the forecastle?

- Looks like Morse.

Right!

- Pass the word to all parts of the ship that we're

hitting the enemy as hard as they are hitting us.

- Yes, sir.

Pilot.

Direct hit on Exeter, sir.

- Looks like the forward turret.

- Oh, God.

Pilot, alter course.

Pilot!

Chief Yeoman?

Helmsman? Helmsman!

Lower steering position.

Lower steering position.

Morgan?

Petty Officer Jones?

Roper? All right, Roper?

First-aid parties, on the bridge.

Hello, Bobby.

Thank God, you're all right.

Big fire between decks. We're coping.

- "B" turret?

- Out of action. Nearly all killed.

A direct hit ripped off the armour.

You caught most of it.

If the fire spreads, flood the magazines.

- I came as soon as I could, Captain.

- There's plenty of work for you just here, Padre.

Come on. Hurry. Hurry!

I'm going to the after conning position.

Look.

- What the devil...?

- Sorry, Bobby. The captain must have a hat.

Use your Sunday best.

Come on, Roper.

- How's it going, Tom?

- It's all right, Padre.

We'll make you more comfortable in a minute.

The boy... The boy's worse than me, sir.

- If you see the commander, send him to me aft.

- Aye-aye, sir.

Exeter completely disappeared

in smoke and flames!

Oh, for half a dozen destroyers!

That last one was very near the bridge.

- Are you all right, chum?

- Yeah.

- Hello, Smith.

- Sir.

The bridge has had it.

I'm going up to the after conning.

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