At about 1240hrs a report arrived from the advancing Markgraf that she had run aground near Kalkgrund, but had since worked free and was still battle-worthy. Apparently, some of the buoys marking the mine-free channel had drifted owing to the strong wind and swell. This constituted an insidious danger.
Meanwhile 3rd MSHF and two boats of the VIII Torpedoboat Flotilla had pushed past the eastern wing of the Paternoster trapezoidal-shaped mine barrier and were advancing to Kuiwast Roads. They confirmed that Slava was sunken to the west of Pappilaid Island and was still burning. Nearby were two sunken freight steamers. To the north of there two Russian destroyers could be seen laying mines.
It was the Russian torpedoboats Zabaikalets and Sil’ny which had been ordered to lay mine barriers along the deep channel after Voiskovoi had discovered the German boats on Kuiwast Roads during the morning. The German boats V180 and V184 rushed ahead at full speed and opened fire on the Russians before they made off to the north. A further Russian destroyer and six small vessels now came in sight north of the Strumpf Channel, whilst further north a large smoke cloud was conspicuous. These were the shallow-draught vessels Admiral Bakhirev had dispatched to evacuate the troops on Moon and the gunboat Chivinetz to the north was supporting them. This unit was already retiring to the north as the German torpedoboats opened fire at a range of 9,500 metres.
As the Germans continued northwards the three Russian gunboats, and destroyers General Kondratenko and Pogranitschnik, weighed anchor and advanced. As the range reduced the Russians opened fire at 1415hrs, so that with medium-calibre shellfire falling accurately about them the Germans made off south at high speed and under the cover of a smoke screen. During the action Chivinetz fired about twenty-five shots, whilst the torpedoboats had also joined in. After that the gunboats moved off to Kumora Bank, and the shallow draught units went to Rogekul.
In addition to the mine barriers, two more blockships were scuttled in the dredged channel. The run-down Artel’shchik and General Zimmerman, which had previously been damaged by bombs, were scuttled near Kumora Reef.
When Vizeadmiral Behncke received the battle report from the two torpedoboats he immediately dispatched Kronprinz and Strassburg forward to their support, but the Russian net barrier still barred the passage into Kuiwast Roads for the larger ships. The channel east of the barrier was only 4 metres deep, whilst the channel west of the barrier, which V180, V184 and the 3 MSHF had utilized to enter the roadstead, was 7 metres deep. Nevertheless, the ships advanced in the swept channel but before long both had grazed the bottom, Kronprinz in 9 metres of water. Luckily, neither ship was damaged.
Towards 1415hrs Kapitänleutnant Doflein, aboard A62 , found a 200 metre-broad ‘gate’ in the Russian net barrier, obviously to allow large ships through: after some skillful manoeuvring the gate, supported by iron barrels, was jerked open by A62. Kapitänleutnant Doflein later wrote:
The commander skillfully manoeuvred his boat close to the barrier. Two brave men were allowed onto the pontoons and working up to their waists in water hooked a steel wire fast to the barrier and quickly climbed back aboard. Slowly A62 went astern with her propellers, the steel grill went tight and then – hurrah – the closed gate came open with a jerk. A group of the 3rd Minesweeper Half Flotilla was waiting nearby and quickly passed through the entrance and once through deployed their gear and found no mines. Then a signal went from A62 to König, ‘Channel is free!’
The water depth here was 14 metres. The other minesweepers had meanwhile continued their work but to their great surprise (and joy) had found no mines in the Kuiwast Roads as far as Schildau Island. The minesweeping work continued until nightfall and then Vizeadmiral Behncke brought his unit to anchor off the southern entrance to Moon Sound.
As the evening of 18 October approached, the situation for the Germans was as follows: Arensburg had been established as a supply base with the II Transport Section already proceeding there; the southern part of Dago was in the hands of the II Cyclist Battalion and the S-Flotilla landing section. The Admiralty Staff had approved the operation to the north, but the Kaiser’s approval was still wanting. Preparations for this operation were still not well advanced and commencement the following day seemed unlikely. The capture of Moon Island was almost complete and it was only to the northeast, where the Russians expected to be evacuated from, that resistance had been encountered. Ösel and Moon were now firmly in German hands.
Meanwhile the Russian fleet commander, Kontre Admiral Razvozov, was having difficulty deciding whether to order the withdrawal of the Riga Gulf forces. It was only after discussion at fleet headquarters, during which the proposed German objective of cutting off the Russians from the north was discussed, that the commander of the fleet finally decided to quit the Moon Sound: ‘The timely removal of ships, in case the aim of the enemy is to cut off Moon Sound from the north, is approved’. He was genuinely concerned about the fate of the ships and crews and he telegraphed Admiral Bakhirev: ‘In the case of necessity preserve all forces until the arrival of the First Battleship Brigade’. Kontre Admiral Razvozov was promising to provide support with the powerful squadron of dreadnought battleships.
CHAPTER NINE
19 October: The Landing on Dago
During the evening of 18 October the commander of the defences on Dago, Colonel Veselago, reported that morale on the island was deteriorating. He reported, ‘The military parts, under the influence of panic, retreated to the piers at Helterma and Kertel. Apparently the enemy consisted of only a few’. There was disorientation amongst the Russian troops and they wandered along the coast between Helterma and Kertel, looking for boats to transport themselves to the mainland. The fleet commander authorized Colonel Veselago to demolish the 12-inch battery, No 39 at Tachkona, and preparations were made. Later these orders were modified to only destroy the batteries in the case of necessity.
On the following morning at 0500hrs Colonel Veselago urgently requested that barges be sent to Helterma and Lekhtma for the evacuation of troops. Accordingly Kontre Admiral Razvozov ordered the steamers On, Pregrada, Tor, Toledo and Elba to proceed from Rogekul to Dago Island. The first three anchored near a torpedoboat division, but did not report that they were acting under the authority of the fleet commander. Therefore, in light of the order to withdraw, On and Pregrada were dispatched to Reval. The latter ran aground near Cape Spithamn and was set afire and abandoned by her crew. Tor was abandoned for scuttling near Rukeraga and the English steamer Toledo grounded on a shoal between Dago and Worms.