 Led by Commander ( Fregattenkapitän ) Erich Bey in his flagship Hans Lody , Erich Giese and Bernd von Arnim left port on the morning of 6 December to lay a minefield off Cromer . The latter ship had severe boiler problems and was ordered to return to port in the late afternoon while the other two continued their mission . They spotted several darkened ships as they approached their destination , including the destroyers HMS Juno and HMS Jersey , but were not spotted in return . As the two German destroyers withdrew after having laid their mines , they spotted the two British destroyers again at a range of 8 @,@ 000 meters ( 8 @,@ 700 yd ) and closed to attack . When the range dropped to 4 @,@ 600 meters ( 5 @,@ 000 yd ) , Lody fired three torpedoes at Juno , the leading British ship , while Giese fired four at Jersey . None of Lody 's torpedoes struck their target , but one of Giese 's hit Jersey abreast her aft torpedo mount . The torpedo detonated in an oil fuel tank and started a major fire . Neither British ship spotted the German destroyers and they continued on while Juno turned about to help her sister . Two British ships totalling 5 @,@ 286 Gross Register Tons were sunk by this minefield . Giese was refitted at the Germaniawerft shipyard after her return on 8 December . 
