Battle of Dover Strait (1917)

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Coordinates: 51°01′N 1°29′E / 51.017°N 1.483°E / 51.017; 1.483 Battle of Dover Strait Part of World War I Date 20–21 April 1917 Location in the Dover Strait Result British loss Belligerents United Kingdom German Empire Commanders Edward Evans Bernd von Arnim Strength 2 destroyers 12 torpedo boats Casualties and losses 2 destroyers damaged 2 torpedo boats sunk

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The Battle of Dover Strait was a naval battle of World War I, fought in the Dover Strait on the night of 20 April 1917, which carried on into early 21 April.^[1]

Contents 1 Background 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 Notes 5 Bibliography

[edit] Background

On 20 April 1917 two groups of torpedo boats of the Kaiserliche Marine raided the Dover Strait to bombard Allied positions on shore and to engage warships patrolling the Dover Barrage —^[2] the field of floating mines that prevented German ships from getting into the English Channel. Six destroyers bombarded Calais and another six bombarded Dover just before midnight.

[edit] Battle

Two flotilla leaders of the Royal Navy, HMS Broke (Commander Edward Evans) and HMS Swift, were on patrol near Dover and engaged the German ships early on 21 April 1917 near the Goodwin Sands.^[3] In a confusing action, Swift torpedoed G85. Broke rammed G42, and the two ships became locked together. For a while there was close-quarters fighting between the crews, as the German sailors tried to board the British ship^[1], before Broke got free and G42 sank.^[4]

[edit] Aftermath

HMS Swift was slightly damaged, but the Broke was heavily damaged and had to be towed back to port.^[1] The other ten German torpedo boats made it back to port without loss.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} British Destroyers of World War I
2. ^ Liddle 149.
3. ^ Baldwin 115.
4. ^ Chatterton 189.

[edit] Bibliography

• Baldwin, H. W. World War I: An Outline History. New York: Harper and Row, 1962.
• Chatterton, E. K. The Auxiliary Patrol. London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1923.
• Liddle, Peter H. The Sailor's War, 1914-1918. New York: Stirling, 1985.