But _Phoebe_ had not given up hope. She laid out yet another smoke screen and made another attempt to take _North Star_ in tow, going alongside her for the purpose. Helyar and some of his crew had remained on board _North Star_ and passed the wires to _Phoebe_. The _North Star_ was still being hit repeatedly by shell and commenced to list over as a result of the damage. _Phoebe_ then persuaded Helyar to leave his ship and took him on board after embarking the remainder of the crew. On going astern to avoid the searchlights, another man was seen on board _North Star_. _Phoebe_ at once returned alongside and ordered the man to jump across. During all this time _Phoebe_ herself had been repeatedly hit, resulting in several casualties, but Gore-Langton considered that he ought to sink _North Star_ before leaving her. His ship then came in for increased fire from the German batteries, and as a result of the smoke, was unable to locate _North Star_ again--probably she had sunk[1] already as she had certainly been in a sinking condition when Lieutenant-Commander Helyar left her. For forty-five minutes the struggle to save _North Star_ had been carried out within point-blank range of the German batteries, which had kept up an incessant fire almost throughout. _Phoebe_ herself had received considerable damage and it seems almost a miracle that she survived the [1] The wreck of _North Star_ was afterwards located on the bottom to the northeastward of the lighthouse. {224} ordeal. Anything finer than the conduct of the commanders of these two vessels, and of their ships' companies, cannot be conceived. Yet it was only typical of the destroyer service as a whole, this latter observation being perhaps the best commendation of all. The gallant crew of Submarine C3, previously transferred to _Phoebe_ from the picket boat, had seen more than their share of the fighting. The remaining destroyers, _Whirlwind, Myngs, Trident, Mansfield, Felox, Morris, Moorsom, and Melpomene_, all carried out their patrolling duties close to the northward of Zeebrugge without any incidents that require special mention here. Captain R. Collins, R.N., in charge of the motor launches, was on board M.L. 558, commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Chappell, R.N.V.R. This motor launch rendered useful work in assisting the blockships to find the Mole before the latter vessels had penetrated the smoke screen, and also directed the picket boat towards the viaduct _en route_ to rescue the crew of the submarine. Considering the dangerous locality in which M.L. 558 was operating, she was fortunate in being hit by only one shell.