Therein lay the reason for the tip-and-run nature of the raids, which lasted for a few minutes only.

The enemy realized that we should endeavour to intercept his force as soon as it had disclosed its presence.

The Germans had naturally to take the risk of encountering our vessels on the way to his objectives, but at night this risk was but slight.
As it was obviously impossible to prevent bombardments by stationing destroyers in adequate force for the protection of each town, the only possible alternative, unless such bombardments were ignored, was to give the most vulnerable points protection by artillery mounted on shore.
This was a War Office, not an Admiralty, responsibility; but as the War Office had not the means available, the Admiralty decided to take the matter in hand, and in the spring of 1917 some 6-inch naval guns taken from our reserves were mounted in the vicinity of the North Foreland.
Further, an old monitor, which was of no use for other work owing to her machinery being unfit, was moored to the southward of Ramsgate, and her guns commanded the Downs.

Searchlights were also mounted on shore, but more reliance was placed on the use of star shells, of which the earliest supplies were sent to these guns.

The result was immediately apparent.