Difference between revisions of "Battle of Heligoland Bight"

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(British Torpedo Analysis)
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|align=center|8:30am||align=center|''Arethusa''||align=center|2,500||align=center|12||align=center|93L||align=center|missed 50 yards astern, H.S. setting
 
|align=center|8:30am||align=center|''Arethusa''||align=center|2,500||align=center|12||align=center|93L||align=center|missed 50 yards astern, H.S. setting
 
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|align=center|9:11am||align=center|''Linnet''||align=center|14,000||align=center|20||colspan=3|too far away to say
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|align=center|9:11am||align=center|''Linnet''||align=center|14,000||colspan=4|too far away to say
 
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|align=center|Forenoon||align=center|''Lark''||align=center|5,000||align=center|—||align=center|90R||align=center|''Ariadne'', unsure
 
|align=center|Forenoon||align=center|''Lark''||align=center|5,000||align=center|—||align=center|90R||align=center|''Ariadne'', unsure

Revision as of 13:22, 5 May 2012

Early this morning a concerted operation of some consequence was attempted against the Germans in the Helgoland Bight … According to the information that has reached the Admiralty so far, the operation has been fortunate and fruitful.
—Press Bureau Statement of 28 August, 1914

The Battle of Heligoland Bight was the first naval action of Great War, fought on 28 August 1914 near the island of Heligoland near the main German naval base at Wilhelmshaven.

Background

In the early weeks of the Great War it was known to the British that the German High Sea Fleet was based in its North Sea ports. On 16 August the British Grand Fleet, supported by Cruiser Force C and the Harwich flotillas, had performed a sweep to within 40 miles of Heligoland, but had not encountered any German shipping. Another sweep was proposed to the Admiralty by three different authorities: On 18 August the Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet, Admiral Sir John R. Jellicoe, proposed: "a sweep in force at dawn on August 24th, to within 30 miles of Heligoland, the flotillas leading, covered by cruisers with the battle fleet supporting, and submarines keeping east of longitude 7° 40' E and south of 54° N." Rear-Admiral Arthur H. Christian, commanding a "combined force" based at Harwich, proposed at the same time a sweep to the eastward commencing on a line from Terschelling.

British Torpedo Analysis

The Royal Navy quantised its use of torpedoes during the action thusly. [1]

Fired at Koln, judged collectively to have 95.8% chance of a hit
Time Firing Ship Range (yds) Enemy Speed (knots) Inclination Result
11:30am Lennox 3,000 20 150
11:45am Legion 5,000 20 90L
9:11am Liberty 6,000 20 90L
1:00pm New Zealand 4,000 0 Hit amidships
1:15pm New Zealand 5,000 very slow Ran under

The claimed "miss under" to New Zealand might be due to the torpedoes being set for 18 feet depth and Koln having a draught of 17.75 feet.

Fired at "4 funnel light cruiser"
Time Firing Ship Range (yds) Enemy Speed (knots) Inclination Result
11:00am Lance 4-5,000 15 70L Missed ahead?
11:00am Lysander 6,000 17 110L
Forenoon Lark 6,000 90R
11:30am Acheron x two 4,500 93L Target
avoided
by
turning
Archer 4,500 20 113L
Attack x two 5,000 113L
Hind x two 4,500 22 110R
Noon Lookout x two 5,000 20 90R


Other firings
Time Firing Ship Range (yds) Enemy Speed (knots) Inclination Target/Result
7:45am Lance 3,500/
4,000
18 100R Ariadne, unclear
7:45am Lydiard 6,000 15 110L Frauenlob, unlikely
8:00am Ferret 6,000 20 90R 2-funnel L.C. turned
8:30am Arethusa 2,500 12 93L Frauenlob hit, H.S. setting
8:30am Arethusa 2,500 12 93L missed 50 yards astern, H.S. setting
9:11am Linnet 14,000 too far away to say
Forenoon Lark 5,000 90R Ariadne, unsure
11:19am Phoenix 4,000 20 90R Light cruiser, unsure

See Also

Footnotes

  1. Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1915, pp. 22-23.

Bibliography