There came a terrific crash which jarred the ship from end to end. Every man of the gun crew was thrown to the deck. For several seconds the _Amtonia_ trembled like a live thing in agony. Her speed slackened materially. But before the dazed men could scramble to their feet, she was blanketed in a protecting cloak of fog. Bells rang, men shouted orders, and the wounded ship swung round to the northwest with a suddenness that sent her over at a sharp angle while the crew went rolling into the starboard scuppers.