1-217-192 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The crew of HMS 'Vindictive' celebrating the Zeebrugge Raid on 23 April 1918. The Zeebrugge Raid was an attack carried out by the Royal Navy on the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, used by the occupying Germans as a base for their submarines. An ageing cruiser, HMS Vindictive was used to land 200 troops at the entrance to the Bruges Canal, their mission being to neutralise the German shore batteries. The ship was badly damaged by the German guns when the smokescreen generated to conceal her was dispersed by unexpected winds. The raid was presented by Allied propagandists as a success but in reality it only disrupted German operations for a matter of days.