I was actually congratulating the Navigator on our escape, and I had
just told the gun's crew to cease firing at the blurred outlines on the
port quarter from which the random shells still came, when there was a
sheet of yellow flame and a jar which threw me against the signalman.
The latter had been standing near the conning-tower hatch, and
unfortunately I knocked him off his balance, and he fell with a thud
into the upper conning tower. He had the good fortune to escape with a
couple of ribs broken, but when I recovered myself and got to my feet,
far worse consequences met my eyes.
By the worst of ill-luck, a shell which must have been fired
practically at random had hit the gun just below the port trunnion.
The result of the explosion was very severe. Four of the seven men at
the gun had been blown overboard, the breech worker was uninjured,
though from the way he swayed about it was evident that he was dazed,
and I expected to see him fall over the side at any moment. The
remaining two men were as dead as horse-flesh.
The material damage was even more serious. The gun had been practically
thrown out of its cradle, but in the main the trunnion blocks had held
firm, and the whole pedestal had been carried over to starboard.
The really terrible effects of this injury were not apparent at first
sight, but I soon realized them, for an hour later (we had shaken off
the sloop) I saw red flame on the horizon, which plainly indicated
flaming at the funnel from some destroyer doubtless looking for us at
high speed.
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