Jutland:Run to the North

The initial action of the Battle of Jutland, known as the Run to the South, was between Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty’s Battle Cruiser Fleet and Vizeadmiral Franz Hipper’s I Scouting Group. Beatty then attempted to lead the German High Sea Fleet, commanded by Admiral Reinhard Scheer onto Admiral Sir John Jellicoe’s much larger Grand Fleet.

The Fifth Battle Squadron suffered heavy damage during the next phase of the battle, but also scored hits on the Germans. The visibility now favoured the British, with the sun appearing through the mist, behind them and low in the sky. The firing died away by 5:30 pm, when Jellicoe and his battleships were 23 miles away, with the battlecruisers and cruisers ahead of them.

At 5:35 pm the light cruiser H.M.S. Chester, attached to Rear Admiral] Sir Horace Hood's Third Battle Cruiser Squadron, was badly damaged by the light cruisers of the German II Scouting Group. Hood took his three battlecruisers to her aid, leaving the light cruiser S.M.S. Wiesbaden wrecked and two other light cruisers badly damaged. Hood's four destroyers then attacked the Germans. H.M.S. Shark was sunk in a successful attempt to prevent a German torpedo attack on Hood's battlecruisers.

Commander Loftus Jones, Shark's captain, and 16 year old Boy Seaman Jack Cornwall of Chester were both later awarded posthumous Victoria Crosses. Cornwall, the third youngest ever winner of the V.C. and the youngest since 1860, stayed at his post despite being severely wounded.

Rear Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot's First Cruiser Squadron of four obsolete armoured cruisers now appeared. Arbuthnot was a fitness fanatic who was once attacked by three of his seamen at night. Two of his assailants ended up in hospital.

Arbuthnot took his ships towards the crippled Wiesbaden, engaging her at close range and forcing Beatty’s flagship H.M.S. Lion to change course. The German battleships and battlecruisers then appeared and opened fire, sinking Arbuthnot's flagship Defence at 6:20 pm with the loss of all 903 men on board and damaging her sister Warrior so badly that she later sank.

Some have criticised Arbuthnot for a ‘berserk rush’ whilst others have praised his offensive spirit. His role was reconnaissance and he probably did not know how close he was to the enemy because of the poor visibility. The Germans, unable to see any other British ships, concentrated their fire on his squadron. It has also been suggested that he did know about the proximity of the German battleships and was trying to cover the British deployment with a torpedo attack. Before the battle he had told Beatty’s Flag Captain Ernle Chatfield that he would pass between the battle fleets rather than on the unengaged side when deploying..

See the section on Jutland in the entry on Arbuthnot for more on his motivation and fate in the battle.

Warrior was saved from immediate destruction by H.M.S. Warspite, which made two complete circles after a shell hit and jammed her helm, drawing enemy fire away from Warrior.

The next phase of the battle was the Clash of the Battle Fleets

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• Corbett, Sir Julian S. (1923). Naval Operations. Volume III. London: The Imperial War Museum..
• Gordon, Andrew (2005). The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command. London: John Murray (Publishers). ISBN 0719561310. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
• Marder, Arthur J. (1978). From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow, The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era, 1904-1919: Jutland and After, May 1916–December 1916. Volume III (Second ed.). London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192158414.
• Tarrant, V. E. (1995). Jutland: The German Perspective. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1 86019 917 8. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).