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Battle of Jutland
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Freepedia is a series of free encyclopaedias. We currently specialize in history but we intend to branch out into other areas. This section is about the Battle of Jutland. The
fleet of the British Navy had been designed
to contest a huge, decisive battle, with the enemy. After the outbreak
of the First World War, attempts were made to
draw the smaller German Navy into the North Sea for a major battle.
Admiral Hugo von Pohl, the commander of the German High Seas Fleet,
resisted these temptations, but in February 1916, he was replaced by
the much more aggressive, Admiral Reinhardt von Scheer.
After
receiving five hits from the German battlecruiser, Von
Der Tann, the British battlecruiser, Indefatigable,
sunk at 16.03 after a magazine explosion. More than 1,000 sailors on
the Indefatigable were killed as
a result of the blast. At 16.25 Queen Mary also exploded and
went down in only 90 seconds. Two destroyers on both sides were also
sunk during this period. The
Grand Fleet opened fire immediately it arrived. Scheer, recognizing
his dangerous position, ordered his ships to turn north. Jellicoe, fearing
that Scheer was trying to lead the Grand Fleet into a submarine trap
or minefield, ordered his ships not to follow. Instead he headed southeast
and then south, hoping to intercept Scheer's homeward journey. At 19.10
the two fleets made contact again. Admiral Reinhardt von Scheer ordered
Admiral Hipper's battleships to charge the Grand Fleet, while ordering
the rest of his ships to turn away from the fighting. After 20 minutes
of firing, Admiral Hipper also headed home.
Battle of Jutland: World War 1 Forum Debates Military Commanders and the First World War
(1)
Ernest Francis was on the battle cruiser Queen Mary when it sunk
during the Battle of Jutland. "Clear the turret," I said, and out they went. PO Stares was the last I saw coming up from the Working Chamber, and I asked him whether he had passed the order to the Magazine and Shell Room, and he told me it was no use as the water was right up to the trunk leading to the shell room, so the bottom of the ship must have been torn out of her. Then I said, "Why didn't you come up?" He simply said, "There was no order to leave the turret." I went through the Cabinet and out on top and Lieutenant Ewert was following me; suddenly he stopped and went back into the turret. I believe he went back because he thought someone was inside. I was halfway down the ladder at the back of the turret when Lieutenant Ewert went back. The ship had an awful list to port by this time, so much so that men getting off the ladder went sliding down to port. I got to the bottom rung of the ladder and could not, by my own efforts, reach the stanchions lying on the deck from the ship's side, starboard side. I knew if I let go I should go sliding down to port like some of the others must have done, and probably get smashed up sliding down. Two of my turret's crew, seeing my difficulty, came to my assistance. They were AB Long, Turret Trainer, and AB Lane, left gun No 4. Lane held Long at full length from the ship's side and I dropped from the ladder, caught Long's legs and so gained the starboard side. These two men had no thought for their own safety; they knew I wanted assistance and that was good enough for them. They were both worth a VC twice over. When I got to the ship's side, there seemed to be quite a fair crowd, and they didn't appear to be very anxious to take to the water. I called out to them, "Come on you chaps, who's coming for a swim?" Someone answered, "She will float for a long time yet," but something, I don't pretend to know what it was, seemed to be urging me to get away, so I clambered over the slimy bilge keel and fell off into the water, followed I should think by about five more men. I struck away from the ship as hard as I could and must have covered nearly fifty yards when there was a big smash, and stopping and looking round, the air seemed to be full of fragments and flying pieces. A large piece seemed to be right above my head, and acting on impulse, I dipped under to avoid being struck, and stayed under as long as I could, and then came to the top again, and coming behind me I heard a rush of water, which looked very like surf breaking on a beach and I realized it was the suction or backwash from the ship which had just gone. I hardly had time to fill my lungs with air when it was on me. I felt it was no use struggling against it, so I let myself go for a moment or two, then I struck out, but I felt it was a losing game and remarked to myself, "What's the use of you struggling, you're done," and I actually ceased my efforts to reach the top, when a small voice seemed to say, "Dig out." I started afresh, and something bumped against me. I grasped it and afterwards found it was a large hammock, but I felt I was getting very weak and roused myself sufficiently to look around for something more substantial to support me. Floating right in front of me was what I believe to be the centre bulk of our Pattern 4 target. I managed to push myself on the hammock close to the timber and grasped a piece of rope hanging over the side. My next difficulty was to get on top and with a small amount of exertion I kept on. I managed to reeve my arms through a strop and I must have become unconscious. When I came to my senses again I was halfway off the spar but I managed to get back again. I was very sick and seemed to be full of oil fuel. My eyes were blocked up completely with it and I could not see. I suppose the oil had got a bit crusted and dry. I managed by turning back the sleeve of my jersey, which was thick with oil, to expose a part of the sleeve of my flannel, and thus managed to get the thick oil off my face and eyes, which were aching awfully. Then I looked and I believed I was the only one left of that fine Ship's Company. What had really happened was the Laurel had come and picked up the remainder and not seeing me got away out of the zone of fire, so how long I was in the water I do not know. I was miserably cold, but not without hope of being picked up, as it seemed to me that I had only to keep quiet and a ship would come for me. After what seemed ages to me, some destroyers came racing along, and I got up on the spar, steadied myself for the moment, and waved my arms. The Petard, one of our big destroyers, saw me and came over, but when I got on the spar to wave to them, the swell rolled the spar over and I rolled off. I was nearly exhausted again getting back. The destroyer came up and a line was thrown to me, which, needless to say, I grabbed hold of for all I was worth, and was quickly hauled up on to the deck of the destroyer.
(2)
Charles Repington had a meeting with
Winston Churchill on 3rd June 1916. He
recorded his thoughts on the meeting in his diary. Winston thinks that the success of the German Battle Cruiser Squadron against our superior squadron of similar type is a very serious matter and requires investigation. I agreed, but we are evidently very badly informed of all these events as yet, and cannot draw conclusions.
(3)
In his account of the First World War, The
Grand Fleet 1914-1916, John Jellicoe
wrote about the Battle of Jutland.
(4)
General Paul
von Hindenburg, Out of My Life (1934)
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