The units would proceed independently under the cover of darkness and rendezvous at Ayaks Bank, then proceed to Lapvik. Novik was to mark the position of Ayaks Bank with a searchlight. After the departure of the gunboats from near Moon, the torpedoboats Steregushchi and Donskoi Kazaks laid mines in the area of Kumor buoy and north of there.
The Russian units passed the area of the German U-boat mine barriers and then at 1600hrs, 5 miles north of Stappelbotten, the minesweepers were dismissed. The weather was quiet and hazy. The destroyer Desna observed a submarine and Samson and Leitenant Il’in were sent to investigate but the submarine turned out to be Russian. Towards 1800hrs Novik illuminated her searchlight in fog and the Russian units all passed safely into Lapvik Roads by morning.
The V Division Torpedoboat-Destroyers was ordered to exit the Moon Sound via the Nukko-Worms channel. After the other units had passed, the boats Emir Bucharski, Amurets and Razyashchi laid a mine barrage in the Nukko-Worms channel, while Vsadnik and Finn laid mines in the channel near Odensholm, after which the Division went to Lapvik. After the departure of these last units from Rogekul, Captain 2nd Rank Rogge, together with ten officers and fifteen seamen, began demolishing the base.
While this was going on the German minesweeping work continued in the Kassar Wiek and Irben Straits. In the Moon Sound the sweeping work allowed the heavier German forces to slowly penetrate the Sound and by the afternoon of 19 October Kolberg and Strassburg were lying off Schildau, and König followed on the next day. Kronprinz and Markgraf remained anchored north of Paternoster and west of Werder respectively.
Arensburg had now become the main German base. Early on the morning of 19 October the steamers Buenos Aires and Coralie Hörlock, the hospital ship Titania and the tug Wilhelms Cords entered Arensburg Roads. During the day the steamer Altenburg followed them. Escort was provided by the torpedoboats, which preceded the steamers in the 225 metre-broad swept channel through the minefields of the Irben Straits. Navigation for the large steamers in the narrow channel was not easy. The wind was not inconsiderable and variable, and the current was strong, making the passage of the straits a difficult task. The buoylayers Mellum and Wilhelms, piloted by Blitz, laid a number of light buoys to aid navigation. The small harbour at Mento was quickly used as a base for German minesweepers working in the Irben Straits.
At midday a wireless message from the Russian wireless station at Dagerort lighthouse to Kontreadmiral Razvozov was intercepted: ‘Please dispatch two torpedoboats immediately’. At about 1345hrs the leader of the II AG, Kontreadmiral Reuter, took the cruisers Königsberg, Nürnberg and Danzig to intercept them. The VI Torpedoboat Flotilla provided an anti-submarine screen, whilst, after point White, the 4th Minesweeper Half Flotilla preceded them on the northerly course with broken out sweeper gear. Three torpedoboats were dispatched over points Gamma, Green and Red to intercept a point on longitude 22° east, to cut off the Russian line of retreat. Towards 1500hrs information arrived that two Russian boats had been dispatched, but towards 1700hrs none had been sighted, so Kontreadmiral von Reuter decided to discontinue the advance. The Germans retired over the same course.
During the course of the afternoon, at about 1600hrs, Friedrich der Grosse arrived in Tagga Bay from the Putziger Wiek, with Vizeadmiral Souchon aboard. Kaiserin and König Albert remained in Putzig. Towards 2010hrs Friedrich der Grosse and Moltke, with Vizeadmiral Schmidt aboard, put to sea for Arensburg, where they later anchored. In the meantime the defences of Arensburg harbour had been improved. On 18 October the net layer Eskimo and the minelayer Nautilus, with 120 mines, had arrived there. During the course of 19 October Eskimo laid a series of net barriers off Arensburg Bay to secure it from submarines. A Russian net was also found and was redeployed east of Abro Island. The laying of a second net was entrusted to the newly-arrived net layer Rossal, freeing Eskimo to depart for the Moon Sound the following day.
CHAPTER TEN
20–30 October: Conclusion of the Campaign
After arriving in Lapvik early on 20 October, the commander of the Russian VI Division Torpedoboat-Destroyers, Captain 1st Rank Ekimov, was dispatched to Cape Lekhtma at 1400hrs, with the torpedoboats Voiskovoi, Donskoi Kazak and Moskvityanin, together with guard vessels No 25 and No 27, to evacuate the crew of the Tachkona batteries. As they put to sea, Moskvityanin suffered a failed circulation pump and damage to the helm, which also failed. On the horizon, in the southeast quadrant, submarines were observed in two positions (although they were not clearly distinguishable) and Captain 1st Rank Ekimov therefore dispatched Moskvityanin and a guard vessel back to Lapvik, whilst he turned towards one of the submarine positions and opened fire, prompting it to dive. The Russian unit then resumed its course towards Dago, which was maintained until 2100hrs, then, when 9.5 nautical miles west-northwest of Odensholm, the division chief decided to return to Lapvik.
The operation had been at the request of the batteries at Tachkona. When the position became hopeless the crew of the batteries were ordered to demolish their guns and evacuate to Worms. The guns of the battery were destroyed but the large magazine and one other remained intact, and were complete with shells and cartridges. During the evening Colonel Veselago reported that he, the majority of the gun crews and many of the 427th Regiment had arrived on Worms.
On the morning of 20 October the German 17th Infantry Regiment had continued their advance across Dago Island in two columns: the III Battalion through Grossenhof towards Kertel, the I Battalion in the same direction through Nemba, and the II Battalion moved forwards to Grossenhof.
The vanguard of the II Cyclist Battalion, the 2nd Company, advanced towards Helterma and after a battle lasting only one hour they captured a group of about 450 Russians at the quay.
While the 17 Regt continued to advance through to Kertel, the II Cyclist Battalion advanced towards the batteries at Cape Tachkona and Lekhtma, on the northern extremity of the island. There they found the two batteries at Cape Tachkona and Cape Simperness, four 12-inch and four 6-inch pieces, destroyed.
The III Battalion, 17 Regt, turned to the west from Kertel and, still on 20 October, reached the Manor estate at Hohenholm without meeting the Russians.
The island of Dago was now totally occupied by the Germans. Only 750 Russians were taken prisoner, but much materiel and supplies were captured, including a clothing factory at Kertel.