“I have the honor to report as follows concerning the sinking of the Hogue, Aboukir, and Cressy:  Between 6:15 and 6:30 A.M., H.M.S.  Aboukir was struck by a torpedo.  The Hogue closed on the Aboukir and I received orders to hoist out the launch, turn out and prepare all boats, and unlash all timber on the upper deck.

“Two lifeboats were sent to the Aboukir, but before the launch could get away the Hogue was struck on the starboard side amidships by two torpedoes at intervals of ten to twenty seconds.  The ship at once began to heel to starboard.  After ordering the men to provide themselves with wood, hammocks, &c., and to get into the boats on the booms and take off their clothes, I went, by Capt.  Nicholson’s direction, to ascertain the damage done in the engine room.  The artificer engineer informed me that the water was over the engine-room gratings.

“While endeavoring to return to the bridge the water burst open the starboard entry port doors and the ship heeled rapidly.  I told the men in the port battery to jump overboard, as the launch was close alongside, and soon afterward the ship lurched heavily to starboard.

“I clung to a ringbolt for some time, but eventually was dropped on to the deck, and a huge wave washed me away.  I climbed up the ship’s side and again was washed off.  Eventually, after swimming about from various overladen pieces of wreckage, I was picked up by a cutter from the Hogue, Coxswain L.S.  Marks, which pulled about for some hours, picking up men and discharging them to our picket boat and steam pinnace and to the Dutch steamers Flora and Titan, and rescued, in this way, Commander Sells of the Aboukir, Engineer Commander Stokes, (with legs broken,) Fleet Paymaster Eldred, and about 120 others.

“Finally, about 11 A.M., when we could find no more men in the water, we were picked up by the Lucifier, which proceeded to the Titan and took off from her all our men except about twenty who were too ill to be moved.

“A Lowestoft trawler and the two Dutch ships Flora and Titan were extraordinarily kind, clothing and feeding our men.  My boat’s crew, consisting mainly of Royal Navy Reserve men, pulled and behaved remarkably well.  I particularly wish to mention Petty Officer Halton, who, by encouraging the men in the water near me, undoubtedly saved many lives.

“Lieut.  Commander Phillips-Wolley, after hoisting out the launch, asked me if we should try to hoist out another boat, and endeavored to do so.  The last I saw of him was on the after bridge, doing well.

“Lieut.  Commander Tillard was picked up by a launch.  He got up a cutter’s crew and saved many lives, as did Midshipman Cazalet in the Cressy’s gig.  Lieut.  Chichester turned out the whaler very quickly.

“A Dutch sailing trawler sailed close by, but went off without rendering any assistance [Transcriber:  original ’asistance’], although we signaled to her from the Hogue to close after we were struck.