noon
The _ Queen Mary _ and the _ Indefatigable _ steamed after the enemy at full speed . Jack had relinquished his duties in the gun turret to more experienced hands and had joined Frank on deck . To some extent the forward turret had been repaired and was now in condition to hurl more shells after the fleeing enemy . It was well after noon when the Germans fled ; and as the two British ships followed close on the heels of the enemy -- with the main British fleet still some distance back -- one of those deep impenetrable fogs that often impede progress on the North Sea suddenly descended . It was indeed a boon to the fleeing Germans , for without its aid , there is little likelihood that they could have escaped the British fleet , which had the heels of the enemy . But the fog blotted the foe completely from the sight of the main British fleet ; and even from the decks of the _ Queen Mary _ and the _ Indefatigable _ , much closer , it was impossible to make out the whereabouts of the Germans . The British continued to fire ahead into the fog , but with what result it was impossible to tell .