German cruisers, darting out of the Ems and the Jade, were now entering the fray. At 10.55 the _Fearless_ and the _Arethusa_ with their flotillas were attacked by the _Stralsund_, which under a heavy fire made off toward Heligoland. Then at 11.15 the _Stettin_ engaged once more, and five minutes later the _Mainz_. Just as this last ship was being finished up by destroyer attack, and the _Stettin_ and two fresh cruisers, _Koeln_ and _Ariadne_, were rushing to her assistance, Beatty's five battle cruisers appeared to westward and rose swiftly out of the haze. Admiral Beatty's opportune dash into action at this time, from his position 40 miles away, was in response to an urgent call from Tyrwhitt at 11.15, coupled with the fact that, as the Admiral states in his report, "The flotillas had advanced only 2 miles since 8 a.m., and were only about 25 miles from two enemy bases." "Our high speed," the report continues, "made submarine attack difficult, and the smoothness of the sea made their detection fairly easy. I considered that we were powerful enough to deal with any sortie except by a battle squadron, which was unlikely to come out in time, provided our stroke was sufficiently rapid." The _Stettin_ broke backward just in the nick of time. The _Koeln_ flagship of the German commodore, was soon staggering off in a blaze, and was later sunk with her total complement of 380 officers and men. The _Ariadne_, steaming at high speed across the bows of the British flagship _Lion_, was put out of action by two well-placed salvos. At 1.10 the _Lion_ gave the general signal "Retire." [Illustration: HELIGOLAND BIGHT ACTION, FINAL PHASE, 12:30-1:40 From 20 to 40 miles slightly S. of W. from Heligoland.] Though the German cruisers had fought hard and with remarkable accuracy of fire, their movements had been tardy and not well concerted. The British losses amounted altogether to only 33 killed and 40 wounded; while the enemy lost in killed, wounded, and prisoners over 1000 men. Very satisfactory, from the British standpoint, was the effect of the victory upon their own and upon enemy morale.