A distant port bow view of the torpedo boat destroyer HMS Landrail (1914) in the North Sea with her bows ripped off after a collision with the light cruiser HMS Undaunted (1914) on 24 March. She was the 3rd ship in 5th Division of the Harwich Force and the number '3' can be seen on her port bow. The photograph was taken from the light cruiser HMS Aurora (1913).

Context: Harwich Force left in the evening of 23 March 1915 for a seaplane raid on the German Coast. By 5am on 24 March they encountered thick fog. During manoeuvres HMS Landrail (1914) collided with the light cruiser HMS Undaunted losing 20-30ft of her bow.

HMS Aurora was sent to search for Landrail at 9am on 25 March. They located her and at 2.35 stopped to take Landrail in two. At 4pm the 3½ inch wire parted and she was taken in tow with a 5½ inch wire. At 6.45pm this wire also parted and Aurora stood by while the light cruiser HMS Arethusa took Landrail in tow, as she drifted towards a lee shore off Tershelling. By 10.50pm they were under way at 5 knots with Aurora keeping station through the night as they made their way to Yarmouth where Aurora parted company at about 3.25pm and proceeded to Harwich to refuel, being alongside the oiler at 7.30pm. [taken from the log TNA, ADM 53/34495 and the details for 24 April 1915 from Naval-history.net, which has the correct details but for the wrong month]


Evidence of some water stains at the top of the negative.