Battle of Jutland in World War I

Battle of Jutland in World War I Battle of Jutland -Conflict Dates The Battle of Jutland was fought May 31-June 1, 1916, and was the largest naval battle of World War I (1914-1918). Fleets Commanders Royal Navy Admiral Sir John JellicoeVice Admiral Sir David Beatty28 battleships, 9 battlecruisers, 9 armored cruisers, 26 light cruisers, 78 destroyers, 1 minelayer, 1 seaplane carrier Kaiserliche Marine Vice Admiral Reinhard ScheerVice Admiral Franz Hipper16 battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 6 pre-dreadnoughts, 11 light cruisers, 61 torpedo boats Battle of Jutland -German Intentions: With the Allied blockade increasingly taking a toll on the German war effort, the Kaiserliche Marine began devising plans to bring the Royal Navy to battle. Outnumbered in battleships and battlecruisers, the commander of the High Seas Fleet, Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer, hoped to lure part of the British fleet to its doom with the goal of evening the numbers for a larger engagement at a later date. To accomplish this, Scheer intended to have Vice Admiral Franz Hippers scouting force of battlecruisers raid the English coast to draw out Vice Admiral Sir David Beattys Battlecruiser Fleet. Hipper would then retire, leading the pursuing Beatty towards the High Seas Fleet which would destroy the British ships. To support the operation, submarines would be deployed to weaken Beattys forces while also watching Admiral Sir John Jellicoes main Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow. Unknown to Scheer, the British codebreakers at Room 40 had broken the German naval codes and were aware that a major operation was in the offing. Unaware of Scheers intentions, Jellicoe sortied with 24 battleships and three battlecruisers on May 30, 1916, and took up a blocking position ninety miles west of Jutland. Battle of Jutland -The Fleets Put to Sea: Jellicoes departure was followed later that day by Hipper who left the Jade Estuary with five battlecruisers. Able to move faster than his superior, Beatty sailed from the Firth of Forth early on May 31 with six battlecruisers and the four fast battleships of the Fifth Battle Squadron. Leaving after Hipper, Scheer put to sea on May 31 with sixteen battleships and six pre-dreadnoughts. In all cases, each formation was accompanied by a host of armored and light cruisers, destroyers, and torpedo boats. As the British moved into position, the German u-boat screen proved ineffective and played no role. Battle of Jutland -The Battlecruisers Collide: As the fleets moved towards each other, a communications error led Jellicoe to believe that Scheer was still in port. While he held his position, Beatty steamed east and received reports from his scouts at 2:20 PM of enemy ships to the southeast. Eight minutes later, the first shots of the battle occurred as British light cruisers encountered German destroyers. Turning towards the action, Beattys signal to Rear Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas was missed and a ten-mile gap opened between the battlecruisers and the Fifth Battle Squadron before the battleships corrected their course. This gap prevented Beatty from having a crushing advantage in firepower in the coming engagement. At 3:22 PM, Hipper, moving northwest, spotted Beattys approaching ships. Turning southeast to lead the British towards Scheers battleships, Hipper was sighted eight minutes later. Racing forward, Beatty squandered an advantage in range and failed to immediately form his ships for battle. At 3:48 PM, with both squadrons in parallel lines, Hipper opened fire. In the ensuing Run to the South, Hippers battlecruisers got the better of the action. Due to another British signaling error, the battlecruiser Derfflinger was left uncovered and fired with impunity. At 4:00 PM, Beattys flagship HMS Lion took a near fatal hit, while two minutes later HMS Indefatigable exploded and sank. Its loss was followed twenty minutes later when HMS Queen Mary met a similar fate. Though scoring hits on the German ships, Beattys battlecruisers failed to score any kills. Alerted to the approach of Scheers battleships shortly after 4:30 PM, Beatty quickly reversed course and began running to the northwest. Battle of Jutland -The Run to the North: Passing Evan-Thomass battleships, Beatty again had signal difficulties which hampered the Fifth Battle Squadrons turn. As the battered battlecruisers withdrew, the battleships fought a running rear-guard action with the High Seas Fleet. Moving to Beattys aid, Jellicoe sent forward Rear Admiral Horace Hoods Third Battlecruiser Squadron while attempting to obtain information about Scheers position and heading. As Beatty ran north, his ships hammered at Hipper, forcing him to turn south and join Scheer. Around 6:00 PM, Beatty joined Jellicoe as the commander debated which way to deploy the fleet. Battle of Jutland -The Dreadnoughts Clash: Deploying to the east of Scheer, Jellicoe put the fleet in position to cross Scheers T and have superior visibility as the sun began to set. As the Grand Fleet moved into line of battle, there was a flurry of activity as the smaller vessels raced into position, earning the area the name Windy Corner. With Jellicoe forming the fleet, the action was renewed when two British cruisers came under fire from the Germans. While one was sunk, the other was badly damaged but was inadvertently saved by HMS Warspite whose steering gear overheated causing it to circle and draw German fire. Approaching the British, Hipper again clashed with the battlecruisers, including Hoods fresh ships. Taking heavy damage, he was forced to abandon his flagship SMS Lutzow, but not before his ships sank HMS Invincible, killing Hood. At 6:30 PM the main fleet action began with Scheer stunned to find Jellicoes battleships crossing his T. His lead ships under intense fire from the British line, Scheer averted disaster by ordering an emergency maneuver known as Gefechtskehrtwendung (battle about turn to starboard) which saw each ship reverse course by turning 180-degrees. Knowing that he could not win a stern chase and with too much light remaining to escape, Scheer turned back towards the British at 6:55 PM. At 7:15 PM, Jellicoe again crossed the German T with his battleships hammering SMS Konig, SMS Grosser Kurfà ¼rst, SMS Markgraf, and SMS Kaiser of Scheers lead division. Under intense fire, Scheer was forced to order another battle about turn. To cover his withdrawal, he ordered a mass destroyer attack on the British line, along with an sending his battlecruisers forward. Meeting brutal fire from Jellicoes fleet, the battlecruisers took heavy damage as Scheer laid a smoke screen and retreated. As the battlecruisers limped away, the destroyers commenced torpedo attacks. Turning away from the assault, the British battleships escaped unscathed, however it cost Jellicoe valuable time and daylight. Battle of Jutland - Night Action: As darkness fell, Beattys remaining battlecruisers exchanged final shots with the Germans around 8:20 PM and scored several hits on SMS Seydlitz. Aware of German superiority in night fighting, Jellicoe sought to avoid renewing the battle until dawn. Cruising south, he intended to block Scheers most likely escape route back to the Jade. Anticipating Jellicoes move, Scheer slowed and crossed the Grand Fleets wake during the night. Fighting through a screen of light vessels, Scheers ships engaged in a series of chaotic night battles. In these fights, the British lost the cruiser HMS Black Prince and several destroyers to enemy fire and collisions. Scheers fleet saw the loss of the pre-dreadnought SMS Pommern, a light cruiser, and several destroyers. Though Scheers battleships were sighted several times, Jellicoe was never alerted and the Grand Fleet continued sailing south. At 11:15 PM, the British commander did receive an accurate message containing the German location and heading, but due to a series of faulty intelligence reports earlier in the day, it was disregarded. It was not until 4:15 AM on June 1, that Jellicoe was alerted to the Germans true position by which point he was too far away to resume the battle. Battle of Jutland - Aftermath: At Jutland, the British lost 3 battlecruisers, 3 armored cruisers, and 8 destroyers, as well as 6,094 killed, 510 wounded, and 177 captured. German losses numbered 1 pre-dreadnought, 1 battlecruiser, 5 light cruisers, 6 destroyers, and 1 submarine. Casualties were listed as 2,551 killed and 507 wounded. In the wake of the battle, both sides claimed victory. While the Germans succeeded in sinking more tonnage and inflicting higher casualties, the battle itself resulted in a strategic victory for the British. Though the public had sought a triumph similar to Trafalgar, the German efforts at Jutland failed to break the blockade or significantly reduce the Royal Navys numerical advantage in capital ships. Also, the result led to the High Seas Fleet effectively remaining in port for the remainder of the war as the Kaiserliche Marine turned its focus to submarine warfare. While both Jellicoe and Beatty were criticized for their performance at Jutland, the battle did lead to several changes in the Royal Navy. Determining that the loss in battlecruisers was largely due to shell handing procedures, changes were made to ensure a higher degree of safety. Also improvements were made to gunnery practices, signaling, and the Fleet Standing Orders. Selected Sources First World War: Battle of JutlandThe Battle of Jutland