 When the weather was right , the force would cross the English Channel in darkness and attack shortly after midnight to coincide with the Zeebrugge Raid a few miles up the coast . By coordinating their operations , the assault forces would stretch the German defenders and hopefully gain the element of surprise . Covering the Inshore Squadron would be heavy bombardment from an offshore squadron of monitors and destroyers as well as artillery support from Royal Marine artillery near Ypres in Allied @-@ held Flanders . <unk> support would be offered by several flotillas of motor launches , small torpedo boats and Coastal Motor Boats which would lay smoke screens to obscure the advancing blockships as well as evacuate the crews of the cruisers after they had blocked the channel . 
