hr), the flotilla encountered German battleships and cruisers, with the flotilla leader being badly damaged by German shells (mainly from the battleship ) and later sinking, while collided with the German battleship and the German cruiser was rammed by the battleship , with Elbing later being scuttled. None of the nine torpedoes fired by the 4th Flotilla in that attack hit. Shortly afterwards (about 23:50), the flotilla, now led by again encountered the same group of battleships and cruisers. Broke was badly damaged by fire from the cruiser and Westfalen, and collided with the destroyer , which was also rammed by and was later scuttled. Rostock was hit by a single torpedo, fired by Ambuscade or Contest, and was also later scuttled. At about 00:10 hr, a third attack was made, with being sunk and being damaged, with none of the five torpedoes fired by the British destroyers, including Ambuscades last, striking home. By now, the flotilla had completely split up, but was to lose a fourth ship when Ardent, mistaking the German ships for British ships, was sunk by fire from German battleships. The 4th Flotilla, including Ambuscade, left the Grand Fleet and moved to the Humber in July 1916, with the role of protecting British minesweepers and deterring German minelayers off the East coast of England. Late in the year, in a response to the Battle of Dover Strait, where a raid by German torpedo boats on the Dover Strait resulted in the loss of the destroyer , several drifters, it was decided to strengthen British naval forces in the English Channel. The 4th Flotilla was transferred to Portsmouth for anti-submarine operations while Ambuscade was one of five destroyers that were transferred from the 4th to the 6th Destroyer Flotilla, part of the Dover Patrol, to reinforce the defences of the Dover Strait. Ambuscade joined the 6th Flotilla on 21 November 1916. On the night of 25/26 February 1917, German torpedo boats attempted another raid against the Dover Barrage and Allied shipping in the Dover Straits, with one flotilla attacking the Barrage and a half flotilla of torpedo boats operating off the Kent coast. Ambuscade was one of a group of destroyers and cruisers protecting shipping anchored in the Downs. The German force sent against the Downs was spotted near the north entrance to the Downs, prior to shelling Margate and Westgate-on-Sea. While the division of ships including