 They tried again on 16 August , this time with the dreadnoughts Nassau and Posen defending the minesweepers . Slava flooded her side compartments to give herself a 3 ° list which increased her maximum range to about 18 @,@ 000 yards ( 16 @,@ 459 m ) . She did not engage the German battleships , but only fired on the minesweepers and any German ships such as the armored cruiser Prinz Adalbert when they approached the other Russian ships . When the Germans returned the next day Slava was hit three times by 283 @-@ millimeter ( 11 @.@ 1 in ) shells in quick succession . The first hit penetrated her upper belt armor and exploded in a coal bunker ; the second hit penetrated her upper deck , hit the supporting tube of the aft port side six @-@ inch turret and started a fire in the ammunition hoist which caused the magazine to be flooded . The third shell passed through a pair of the ship 's boats , but exploded in the water off to one side . These hits did not seriously damage Slava and she remained in place until ordered to retreat . The Germans entered the Gulf the next day , but they were forced to withdraw shortly afterward when the British submarine HMS E1 torpedoed the battlecruiser Moltke on 19 August and the Russian coastal artillery that still commanded the Irbe Strait made it very risky to enter the Gulf of Riga . 
