World War 1 Windows: Scuttled British Naval Vessels Intrepid and Iphigenia on the Mole

Wednesday, 2 March 2016

Scuttled British Naval Vessels Intrepid and Iphigenia on the Mole

This atmospheric photograph shows the scuttled British naval vessels HMS Intrepid and HMS Iphigenia idling against the Zeebrugge Mole following the raid of 23 April 1918. Viewed from the quayside, the two ships appear like relics — their mission complete, their usefulness spent, and their final resting place fixed in the concrete shadow of the Mole.

These vessels were never meant to return home. Instead, they were chosen for a single, high‑risk purpose: to be deliberately sunk in the narrow channel leading to the Bruges–Zeebrugge harbour, blocking German U‑boats and destroyers from reaching the open sea.

The Purpose of the Blockships in the 1918 Raid

HMS Intrepid and HMS Iphigenia were part of a group of “blockships” — older, expendable vessels selected for scuttling. Their role was central to the British plan to hinder German naval operations along the Belgian coast.

To prepare them for this mission:

The ships were stripped of unneeded equipment
Their hulls were strengthened and filled with cement
Explosive charges were placed for controlled sinking
Crews were selected for the mission.

Once inside the channel, the crews were to detonate the charges, abandon ship under fire, and escape by motor launch.

A Dramatic View from the Quayside

In this photograph, the blockships lie low in the water, their decks tilted and their hulls partially submerged. The aftermath of the raid can be appreciated — the moment when the ships, weighing thousands of tons, had settled into position.

From this angle, the ships appear ghostly, their battered forms silhouetted against the geometry of the Mole. The stillness of the scene belies the chaos of the night before: smoke, gunfire, searchlights, and the manoeuvring of ships under German fire.

How the Ships Were Prepared for Scuttling

The blockships were prepared for this operation:

Cement ballast was added to ensure rapid sinking
Steering and propulsion were reinforced to survive the run‑in
Protective plating was added to shield the volunteer crews
Explosive scuttling charges were installed below the waterline

These preparations turned the ships into massive wrecks — floating obstacles designed to choke the harbour entrance.

The photograph shows the success of that engineering: the vessels lie exactly where they were intended to settle.

Scuttled HMS Iphigenia and Intrepid

View from the quayside of scuttled British navy ships HMS Intrepid and HMS Iphigenia. These dispensable vessels were loaded with cement and flooded in order to block the entryway into the Mole.

Weighing thousands of tons, these ‘blockships’ appear more like old relics, having served their purpose during the Zeebrugge Raid of 1918.