CHAPTER VIII
JUTLAND: SIR JOHN JELLICOE JOINS IN (continued)

All turned their glasses and counted the numbers. Thick and fast they came. Eventually twenty destroyers and some light cruisers could be distinctly seen. Matters looked serious: Marlborough trained all her turret guns upon the strangers. On the bridge of Fearless the button was pressed and hooters grunted all over the ship; but in the end the flotillas proved to belong to Commodore Tyrwhitt, who had been scouring the seas looking for trouble. He was now on his way to Harwich and promptly detached some of his destroyers to act as a screen. Fearless had been zigzagging at high speed ahead of the slow-going Marlborough, but was now able to have a spell, taking up a station astern.

The next night a strong wind began to blow, and at one in the morning the wounded battleship, without any preliminary signalling, suddenly spoke : "Marlborough to Fearless and destroyers. Be prepared to come alongside and take off ship's company." This was a great shock. No one had the least idea things were so bad. Warps and fenders were made ready. However, at three the wind lulled a little, and the destroyers were ordered to lay an oil track ahead. Fearless was at the same time requested to take station on Marlborough's starboard bow as close as possible, so as to keep the seas from breaking too heavily on the upper deck. It was a difficult and dangerous manoeuvre in the dark, but though some of the officers of the watch felt the hair of their heads lifting it was carried through successfully, until in the morning watch the gale gradually died away.

Finally the wounded ship and her escort arrived off the Humber. Then another signal was made from Marlborough to Fearless: "Request that you will lead me into harbour as my compasses are out of adjustment. We are drawing forty feet." This was rather a blow to the navigator of Fearless, but he took his courage in both hands and brought his unwieldy charge safely in to where the local pilot with his bustling tugs took all further responsibility.

As the two ships parted the crews cheered, and Fearless finally arrived in the Forth to find that she had been popularly reported as lost.
p. 156

Let us now return to the Commander-in-Chief.

At dawn on June 1 the Grand Fleet was once more turned towards the north. The weather was still misty, and the Sixth Division had dropped astern, owing to Marlborough's damaged
condition.

The destroyer flotillas had been heavily engaged; they were much scattered, and in fact did not join up until nine in the morning; as might be expected there was some confusion.

By the time Sir John Jellicoe had concentrated his fleet it had become evident that the Germans had passed behind the shelter of their mine-fields. There could be no more fighting. The battle was at an end. It was not more inconclusive than most of the historic sea battles.

We had been very near a great victory. For a short time our Battle Fleet had everything in its favour; our shells were hitting and the German reply was weak and insignificant. Admiral Scheer
found himself in a very awkward position. The British fleet was between him and his bases with twenty-seven British battle-ships against twenty-two German. He looked to his flotillas to get him out of his troubles, and they soon launched a great number of long-range torpedoes. Whilst our admirals and captains were skilfully dodging these deadly weapons the High Sea Fleet enveloped itself in smoke and escaped to the south-west. Daylight was failing. Admiral Jellicoe would not risk a battle in the dark, so he brought his fleet into night formation and steamed south, keeping his destroyers five miles astern. Covered by darkness, the German Admiral doubled back towards Horn Reef, running into the midst of the British destroyers. He lost one old battleship and a light cruiser, but by daylight the bulk of his ships were far to the east, making for the shelter of their mine-fields. Meanwhile a Zeppelin flew over and reported the position of the Grand Fleet.
p. 157

"Our fleet, the cruisers still leading, followed the movement of the enemy at highest speed. An English cruiser of the 'Achilles' class and two destroyers were sunk. This period of the battle lasted some two and a half hours."

Meanwhile the Fremdenblatt tells its readers :

"There approaches from the north, presumably coming from Norwegian waters, the English main force, consisting of more than twenty battleships.

"The climax of the battle is reached. Towards 10 o'clock all the German ships are together facing the whole English Fleet. At a distance of some fifteen nautical miles the battle now pursues its
course eastwards. While the English Cruiser Fleet continues its attempts to catch up the head of our line Admiral Jellicoe is striving to put himself with his large battleships like a cross of a T in front of the head of our line. As the head of our line thus comes for a time under fire from both sides Admiral Scheer throws the German line round on to a westerly course, and at the same time our torpedo boat flotillas are ordered to attack the enemy, and they do so three times in succession with splendid vigour and visible success. A number of the large English battleships suffer severe damage, and one sinks before our eyes. By these attacks the English Main Fleet is driven away to the east, whence it will afterwards have taken a north-westerly course homewards. The German fleet ceases its violent cannonade at 11.30 as the English had stopped firing, and after nightfall there was nothing but the flash of their salvos to give us a target. As the enemy cannot be found again the main battle is broken off."

In fine form the Fremdenblatt concludes:

"During the night numerous cruiser fights and torpedo boat attacks develop against individual enemy ships which either had gone astray or had been ordered to worry us and to cover the retreat of the English. In these actions an enemy battle-cruiser, a cruiser of the 'Achilles' or 'Shannon' class, several small enemy cruisers and at least ten destroyers are sunk - six of them by Westfalen alone."
p. 159

Previous Page

Next Page

HERE to return to 'Battle of Jutland' Menu page

HERE to return to WW1 Menu page

'More Sea Fights of the Great War' by W.L. Wyllie, C. Owen & W.D. Kirkpatrick pub. 1919
Read the entire book, or download, freely at the Internet Archive, HERE.