This incident, however, served to reveal that the aerial scout is
prone to suffer from over-keenness and to collect only a partial
amount of information. Upon this occasion the German watchman
detected the presence of the British torpedo-boat and light
cruiser force. Had he continued his investigations and made a
wider sweep he would have discovered the proximity of the British
battle-cruiser squadron which routed the German force, the latter
having acted on incomplete information.
While the low-lying sea-fog is the navigator's worst enemy, it is
the airman's greatest friend and protection. It not only
preserves him against visual discovery from below, but is an
excellent insulator of sound, so that his whereabouts is not
betrayed by the noise of his motor. It is of in calculable value
in another way. When a fog prevails the sea is generally as
smooth as the pro verbial mirror, enabling the waterplanes to be
brought up under cover to a suitable point from which they may be
dispatched. Upon their release by climbing to a height of a few
hundred feet the airmen are able to reach a clear atmosphere,
where by means of the compass it is possible to advance in
approximately the desired direction, safe from discovery from
below owing to the fog.
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