In 1919, the new governments of the besieged Baltic states appealed
desperately to the Allies for assistance. A small British flotilla of
light cruisers and destroyers were sent to help, under the command of
Rear Admiral Sir Walter Cowan. They were given no clear instructions as
to what their objective was to be and so Cowan decided that he had to
make his own policy.
Despite facing a much greater force, Cowan improvised one of the most
daring raids ever staged by the British Navy. He succeeded with
devastating effect; outmaneuvering his enemies, sinking two Russian
Battleships and eventually freeing the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia
and Lithuania.