The Battle of Jutland, the largest sea battle in naval warfare history, was fought a hundred years ago today between the British and German fleets. Its outcome is still the subject of debate. The British lost more ships and men, but German surface ships were never again able to challenge Britain. 

A major commemorative event marking the centenary of the largest naval battle of World War I is being held in Orkney, Northern Scotland, today.

 

Both sides claimed victory as the Germans lost 11 ships and Britain 14, but Germany’s naval fleet was seriously weakened and failed to significantly challenge the British again during the conflict.

More than 8,500 British and German seamen died off the coast of Denmark in the 36-hour Battle of Jutland which began on May 31, 1916. 

Several Maltese personnel serving with the Royal Navy lost their life. 

Both the British and the German navies had wanted to lure the other into a trap in the North Sea, with the British wanting another Trafalgar-style victory while Germany was desperate to end its rival’s maritime domination and stranglehold.

Fought off Denmark’s Jutland peninsula, around 250 ships were involved on both sides.

Jennifer Novotny, WWI historian at the University of Glasgow said:

“It’s a bit of a mystery as the battle goes on as to who is actually winning – neither side does brilliantly, neither side is entirely wiped out.

“The British side certainly lost more but the Germans were effectively bottled up and henceforth relied on submarine warfare – the German fleet did not sail out for a major engagement again during WWI, so it works out in the British favour.”

The high number of deaths has been partly put down to the unexpected sinking of large battleships such as HMS Invincible, HMS Ardent and SMS Pommern which were designed to suffer heavy hits but blew up when their magazines were hit. 

 

This article was written thanks to information obtained from Charles Xuereb, journalist and historicist, Charles Debono, curator of the National War Museum, and The Press Association.

The Battle of Jutland – the local connection

Any Maltese visitor to the famous Plymouth Hoe cliffs – where Sir Francis Drake reputedly finished his game of bowls before going out to lick hollow the Spanish Armada – will get a pleasant surprise if he looks carefully at the names on the famous Memorial there in honour of many ex-servicemen who gave their lives in World War I (1914-18). The list includes the names of many Maltese who gave their lives at the famous Battle of Jutland 100 years ago today.

Servicemen with names like Ullo, Conti, Fondecaro, Roncisvalle, Melillo, and others – all sounding very much Italian but factually Maltese citizens – served on HMS Defence and other ships which sank in that famous battle 

John Consiglio from Birkirkara, grandson of bandmaster Giovanni (born in Salerno in 1873), who died in that battle, still cherishes with pride his late grandfather’s 1914/1918 Great War for Civilisation Star, and British War medals. He, and several other Maltese families, still remember when the present War Memorial in Floriana had on its four facades the names of many Maltese who died bravely in that war.

There is probably some sort of irony in that several of these individuals were Italian by birth but died as British servicemen. Indeed the Royal Navy at that time seemed to pride itself on having Italian musicians, stewards and other callings.

36 hours which left 8,600 dead: the battle of Jutland in numbers

Some of the numbers involved in the Battle of Jutland:

36: The length in hours the naval engagement lasted over May 31 and June 1 off the coast of Denmark’s Jutland peninsula.

249: The number of ships involved, with 150 British and 99 German vessels. The ships carried more than 100,000 sailors, making Jutland the largest naval battle in history.

6,094: The number of deaths on the British side.

2,551: The deaths on the German side.

25: The total number of warships sunk during the battle, 14 from the British Grand Fleet – including HMS Invincible and HMS Indefatigable – and 11 from the German High Seas Fleet.

4: The number of Victoria Crosses awarded after the battle, to Major Francis Harvey, Commander Barry Bingham, Commander William Loftus Jones, and 15-year-old Boy First Class Jack Cornwell – who died from his injuries in the days after Jutland.

Source: The Royal Navy Museum.

Exhibition includes life-saving telescope hit by shrapnel

A telescope which saved the life of a naval officer at the Battle of Jutland who went on to become the Admiral of the Fleet is among artefacts at an exhibition marking the centenary of the largest naval battle in history.

A major exhibition was launched at the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard last week to commemorate the battle.

Among the survivors was Lieutenant Rhoderick McGrigor who served aboard the battleship HMS Malaya during the Battle of Jutland.

He went on to become First Sea Lord and to attain the highest rank in the Royal Navy in 1953, following on from the Duke of Edinburgh to achieve the title Admiral of the Fleet.

His adopted son, Jock McGrigor, has loaned to the NMRN the personal telescope of his father, which was damaged by a piece of shrapnel, as he carried it under his arm aboard the Malaya.

The dent caused by the shrapnel can be seen in the telescope alongside where McGrigor had engraved his name in it.

The 73-year-old retired lieutenant commander said: “He was carrying his telescope, a bit of shrapnel hit it, caused a big dent but saved the life of a lieutenant who went on to become the Admiral of the Fleet.

“It has sat in a cupboard for a 100 years but it was an item that was actually at Jutland, it was physically there, it was damaged during the battle and it is one of those stories that could so easily be lost.”

McGrigor, from Alverstoke, Gosport, Hampshire, said his father did not tell him many accounts of his time at war and he had learnt about him mostly from military history books.

He said: “I was 17 when he died, and my mother died about a year after that, so I know very little about him because clearly he didn’t speak to a young boy about it, so I have pieced together the story of my father from what has been written about him.”

The telescope was a late addition to the exhibition which has collected objects from 21 private lenders and five organisations.

The Battle of Jutland, which took place 96 kilometres off Denmark, has often been described as victory for Germany because it lost 2,551 seamen compared with the 6,094 British sailors killed.

However, the exhibition explains how the Germans were strategically scuppered and had only 10 dreadnoughts remaining, leaving the British dominant at sea.

An NMRN spokeswoman explained: “Most British losses were tactically insignificant, with the exception of HMS Queen Mary, and the Grand Fleet was ready for action again the next day.

“One month after the battle the Grand Fleet was stronger than it had been before sailing to Jutland. By contrast, so shaken were the Germans by the weight of the British response that they never again seriously challenged British control of the North Sea.”

The British had taken control of the North Sea from 1914, imposing a “distant blockade” on the High Seas Fleet and restricting German trade.

Dominic Tweddle, NMRN director general, said: “One hundred years after the fleets of the Imperial German and Royal Navies fought the defining naval battle of World War I, it is essential that we mark and commemorate the incredible sacrifice made.

“In a year of commemoration it is imperative that the Royal Navy’s greatest battle, the Battle of Jutland, is remembered with the same importance as the Battle of the Somme, and alongside other anniversaries including Shakespeare 400 and the Battle of Hastings.

“Jutland’s significance in turning the tide of the First World War must not be underestimated. We are proud to be able to tell its story.”

Diane Lees, director general of Imperial War Museums (IWM), added: “The Battle of Jutland had a huge impact on the war; never again during this landmark conflict did the Germans challenge British control of the North Sea.

“Yet it is one of the lesser known battles to be commemorated this year.”