They had, however, inflicted some losses on the British cruisers while the battleships were deploying. Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot, who had chased the light cruiser _Wiesbaden_ (with the _Defence_, _Warrior_, and _Black Prince_) and crippled her between the lines, came under fire from two German battle-cruisers, and was blown up with the _Defence_, while the _Warrior_ and the _Black Prince_ were badly hit. Rear-Admiral Hood, too, met his fate; he had been scouting far to the south with the _Invincible_, _Inflexible_, and _Indomitable_, and was returning north to take station at the head of Beatty’s line. He executed this manoeuvre in grand style, and at once engaged the gigantic _Derfflinger_, hitting her repeatedly; but after two minutes of hard pounding a big shell blew up the _Invincible’s_ magazine, and she sank with her admiral. But by this time the action between the main fleets had been virtually lost and won. The German battleships at the head of Admiral Scheer’s line had suffered severely under the fire of the British rear divisions and were turning away south, while their battle-cruisers were in even worse plight. Two minutes after the _Invincible_ sank, the _Lutzow_ was no longer able to keep station, and Admiral Hipper was compelled to transfer his flag. But his difficulty was to find a sound ship; his next astern, the _Derfflinger_, had lost her wireless and was gaping with a hole 20 feet square in her bows; the _Seydlitz_ had also lost her wireless, and had shipped several thousand tons of water. After being some time in a destroyer, the admiral went aboard the _Moltke_, and sent the _Derfflinger_ to lead the line, with only the _Von der Tann_ to follow. Half dead though these three remaining ships were, their hardest task was yet before them. Admiral Scheer was in a desperate position, outmanoeuvred and outfought, with the Grand Fleet in the act of forming line between him and his base; and he is entitled to all credit for the plan which he adopted to secure his escape from total destruction. At 7.12 he ordered Hipper to attack Beatty in hope of breaking his encircling movement, and three minutes afterwards sent his destroyers to hold Jellicoe’s line with a torpedo attack, while he got away his crumpled battle fleet to the westward. These tactics cost him dear, but he was successful in increasing his distance and withdrawing his battleships from the fire which must speedily have overwhelmed them.