[...] had held the "Chester" at her top speed of twenty-one knots since leaving Tampico, ignoring the protests of her anguished engines. Nearing port, Moffett established radio contact with the "Prairie". Fletcher warned him that the harbor lights were out, which would make navigating the eighty-six-foot-wide passage between the breakwaters into the inner harbor a hazardous undertaking. When Moffett asked for instructions, however, Fletcher left the matter to his discretion; if he wished, he could wait outside the breakwater until dawn. Moffett chose to run straight in, bringing the "Chester" through the narrow opening in a breath-taking display of seamanship and nerve. He dropped anchor at the Sanitary Warf at 00:05 hrs. From the "Prairie", Fletcher signaled "Well done".