World War I Naval War: Surface Engagements


Figure 1.--Here a Britisg Sea Scout stands in the the ruins of Whitby Abbey, a 7th or 8th-century monastery on the Northeast coast of England, and pointing towards the sea where German raiders early in the War had fired on the port (December 16, 1914). The German tactic was to draw out weak units of the Royal Navy trying to stop the shelling and attack them before major elements of the Grand Fleet could be assembled.

Histories of World War I generally focus on the epic battles on the Western Front. The war at sea was, however, critical. A defeat of the Grand Fleet was the one way the British could have lost the War in a single day. Ameica's ability to aid the Allies required command of the sea. There were a number of small engagements including German shelling of fishing villages. One notable engagement was the Battle of the Falklands (December 1914). German Admiral Graf von Spee leaned that the British base on the Falklnd Islands in the South Atlantic was defended by only a single Royal Navy ship. He attacked but in the interim a large Royal Navy force arrived. The British sank four German ships, killing Spee and 2,000 German sailors. [Keegan] The major engagement at sea was Jutland (1916). The German fleet performed well, but unable to overcome the numerical superiority of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. There were smaller engagements in the South Atlantic (Falklands), Indian Ocean, and South Pacific. The most cotroversial Naval action was the attempt to open the Dardenelles so the supplies could reach the Russians (1915). Had it succeeded the Russians might have been kept in the War and the Russian Revolution prevented. The offensive was promoted by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill and he had to resign from government when it failed. One history contends that had not te British Commander Admiral de Robeck lost his nerve, the campaign may well have succeeded. [Massie] Churchill wrote, "... searching my hear, I cannot regret the effort. It was good to go as far as we did. Not to preservere--that was the crime."

Basic Strategy

Histories of World War I generally focus on the epic battles on the Western Front. The war at sea was, however, critical. The Royal Navy blockaded Germany and over time could seriously impair the German economy. TheBritish needed to be cautious because the defeat ofnthe Grand Fleet would mean the War could be lost in a single day. It would cut off Britain from its Empire and Ameica. Ameica's ability to aid the Allies required command of the sea. This affected British naval strategy. The overwealming power of the Royal Navy determined German strategy.

Principal Engagements

The Naval War was conducted with the simple fact that the Royal Navy had a numerically superior force that could blockade German ports and overwealm the effective, byt smaller German High Seas Fleet. The German strategy of attempting to draw out small Royal Navy forces in the North Sea and defeat them before the Grand Fleet could assemble did not succeed. The principal surface engagement of the War was Jutland (1916). It was essentially a draw, although this meant a decisive German defeat as the increasingly effective British naval blockade was left in place. There were smaller engagements in the South Atlantic (Falklands), Indian Ocean, and South Pacific.

Heligoland Bight (August 1914)

The Battle of Heligoland Bight occurred soon after World War I erupted (August 28, 1914). Aggressive Royal Navy submarine and destoyer commanders opened the battle at the entrance to the German North Sea naval commanders. The engagement fought on a misty day at first only resulted in sinking a German destoyer. When stronger German forces appeared, Admuiral Beatty's battle cruisers sinking three German cruisers. The Royal Navy's success was a relief from the steady advance of German trrops through Belgium. The Germans proceeded to heavily mine the area and to intensify coastal patrols.

German Coastal Shelling (November-December 1914)

There were a number of small engagements including German shelling of fishing villages and North Sea ports. The German plan was that the shelling would lure individual ships or small squadrons of the Royal Navy out where they would be caught n a trap using submarines or a powerful German fleet. The first such attack was on Yarmouth (November 3). As a result of this action, Germans naval commanders concluded that further attacks on British ports would result in a Royal Navy response. The German plan was that U-boats or a powerful German force could inflict damage on the responding Royal Navy force before the Grand Fleet could assemble in force. This was part of the overall German naval strategy of attempting to defeat small units of the Royal Navy to gradually reduce the disparity in the power of the two fleets. The German Navy shelled Hartlepool, Whitby and Scarborough (December 16, 1914). I'm not sure just why these ports were selected. Scarborough at the time was an important fishing port and popular beach resort. A British reader who grew up near Scarborough tells us, "Whiteby is the next seaside town to Scarborough. Whiteby is also the setting for Dram Stoker's book Dracula. He keeps his coffin in this Abbey after the ship transporting it ran aground in the harbour. It is these adult x-rated films that we children who were under age tried to wear clothes that made us look older so we could get into the cinema to see. Of course we had to pay the adult price! Whiteby Abbey itself is a spooky place." Most of the High Seas Fleet battleships lay in wait to destroy the expected Royal Navy resonse. The Royal Navy did respond, but failed to find the Germans, in part because of misunderstood signals. This was probably fortuitous as they would have been badly out-gunned. [Kegan, p. 263] Ingenohl withdrew their major elements leabing Hipper to contunue the raids. The resulting actions was both dangerous and disappointing for the Germans and the strategy was abandoned. The shelling was a terrifying experience for the towns involved. The press criticised the Royal Navy for allowing it to occur. A HBc reader provides some information on what happened when Scarborough was shelled (December 16, 1914). George Taylor, a 15 yr old Boy Scout, was killed while going on an errand. Roy Miller, another Boy Scout working at Coastguard station, was wounded by shrapnel. The British considered these attacks on largely civilan targwets war crimes. The German saw fortified ports as legitimate military targets.

Battle of the Falklands (December 1914)

One notable engagement was the Battle of the Falklands (December 1914). German Admiral Graf von Spee, commander of the German East Asiatic Squadron, leaned that the British base on the Falklnd Islands in the South Atlantic was defended by only a single Royal Navy ship and deemed it as suitable target and possible resupply point as he attempted to fight his way back to home waters. he had scored a impressive victory at the Battle of Coronel, off the southern coast of Chile (November 1, 1914). Spee's squadron destroyed Royal Navy Admiral Cradock's squadron, including his flagship. Cradock's squadron wss composed of mostly obselete ships and the Admiral vastly over confident. Spee thus proceeded toward Port Stantly hoping to atack British merchant shipping in the process. At Stanly there was both a radio station and a vital coal depot wihuch could be used refuel his ships,low on fuel after crossing the entire Pacific Ocean. What Spee did not know was that the British First Sea Lord Admiral Fisher had ordered a powerful force into the South Atlantic to destroy Spee's squadron after his sucess at Coronel. The Royal Navy squadron included two fast, modern battle cruisers, Invincible and Inflexible. A battle cruisers was a class of ship that had the armament of a battleship, but without the armor making it faster thn a battleship. Both ships as Spee neared Port Stanley were in the process of coaling. Spee attacked, but was met with a hail of fire. He attacked but in the interim a large Royal Navy force arrived. The British sank four German ships, killing Spee himself and 2,000 German sailors. [Keegan]

Dogger Bank (January 1915)

The Battle of Dogger Bank resulted from one of the German forays into the North Sea. This was part of the German effort to eataway at the numerical supperority of the Royal Rear-Admiral Hipper sailed with a substantial force from the Jade in the afternoon meaning that he would soon be covered by nightfall (January 23). His force included the 1st and 2nd Scouting Groups composed of three battlecruisers, the large armoured cruiser Blücher and four light cruisers. There mission was to scout the Dogger Bank, an important North Sea fishing ground especially important to the Dutch. Hipper's force was much more powerful than any Royal Navy force they were likely to encounter. The Britush had, however intercepted and decoded orders from Admiral von Ingenohl, head of the German navy. The British during the War benefitted from Royal Navys interception and cryptologic service known as 40 OB which was more effective that the German effort. [Kegan, p. 263] The German Naval High Command preceived that the British were learning of naval movements. They concluded that it was not because of signal insecurity, but that Dutch fishing vessels were reporting their movements to the British. The Germans thus decided to use this assumption to their advantage and lay a trap for the British. Vice-Admiral Beatty who commanded the Rosyth battlecruiser force was ordered to intercept Hipper's force. He was supported by the Harwich Force of light cruisers and destroyers commanded by Commodore Tyrwhitt. The two Royal Navy forced saoling from Rosyth and Harwich were ordered to rendezvous at Dogger Bank at engage Hipper's force. The Royal Navy force was much more powerful than what the Germans had anticipated. The Blücher was sunk and the Seydlitz near sunk. The Germans afterwards instituted much stricter procedures in the handling of amunition and propellants, one of the reasons that the High Seas Fleet did no sell at Jutland. [Kegan, pp. 264-265.]

Dardenelles (February 1915-January 1916)

The most cotroversial Naval action was the attempt to open the Dardenelles so the supplies could reach the Russians (1915). Had it succeeded the Russians might have been kept in the War and the Russian Revolution prevented. The offensive was promoted by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill and he had to resign from government when it failed. One history contends that had not te British Commander Admiral de Robeck lost his nerve, the campaign may well have succeeded. [Massie] Churchill wrote, "... searching my heart, I cannot regret the effort. It was good to go as far as we did. Not to preservere--that was the crime."

Jutland (May-June 1916)

The principal World War I surface engagement at sea was fought in the North Sea off Jutland (May-June 1916). It was the only major fleet engagement. The British Royal Navy maintained two major naval concentration. One was in the Channel at Portsmouth and Plymouth. The other was in the North Sea at Rosyth, Cromarty, and Scapa Flow. The Admiralty concluded that that the German High Seas Fleet would not try to run the English Channel and face the British Navy in the narrow confines of the Channel. Thus the Admoralty believed that if there was to be a full-scale fleet engagement, it would come in the North Sea. Thus the Royal Navy was deployed there to defend the central and northern areas of the North Sea and stop the German High Seas Fleet from breaking theough to the tlantic where it could disrupt the vital convoy system keeping Briutain alive. The Royal Navy aided by the French Navy had at the beginning of the war blockaded Germany nd by 1916 the blockade was significantly affected both German industry and the population as awhole. Food in particular was an increasing poblm as Germany like Britain w not self suffint in food production. Here the British had a relativly easy task. The German northern coastline was very small. And even if Denmark, the Netherlands,abd occupied Belgium was added to the equation, and effective blockade was well within the capabilities of the Royal Navy. The High Seas fleet was commnded by Admiral von Poul. But with the growing impact of the Royal Navy blockade, incrasing crititicism w levedled at him for being ineffective and passive. The Kaiser replaced him with the more aggressive Admiral Reinhardt von Scheer (1916). Speer decided that the High Seas Fleet given the impact of the blockade had to challenge the Royal Navy regardless of the odds against them. Given the sacrifice being made by German soldiers nd huge casualties, German admirals felt increasing pressure. Scheer decided on a tactic of luring part of the Royal Navy into the North Sea and fight them before the entire fleet was assembled. He assembled a force bases parts of the British fleet and using a combination of U-boats and surface boats attack and destroy them. German ships shelled the British North Seax coastal ports of Lowestoft and Yarmouth (April 24-24, 1916). The Germans believed that the British, not understanding that the High Sea Fleet had come out in force, would send out a small force which could be engaged and destroyed. Scheer ordered Admiral von Hipper to sea with 40 ships, the most powrful German squadron assembled during the War. The Germans moved north long the Danish coast. Admiral Jellicoe at his headquarters in Rosyth learned of this movement. He was unsure of Von Hipper's intentions decided to assemble the Grand Fleet. Jellicoe more than any other commanderof the War held the sucess of the allies in his hands. Army commanders might win or lose a battle and only a few kilometers of grpund would change hands. Losing a fleet engagemnts to the German High Seas Fleet woukd doom the allied war effort. The Battle of Jutland commenced (May 31). The German fleet performed well, but was unable to overcome the numerical superiority of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. It was thus essentially a draw. It was a tactical victory for Germany in that they caused more damage to the British fleet but the British fleet was very large and could absorb the damage. It was a strategic victory for the British because the debilitating Royal Navy blockade of Germany was left in place. The German fleet became esentially useless. After the battle, the Kaisr refused to grant permission for the High Seas Fleet to do battle in force again, zfraid that the fleet would be destroyed. The Fleet became a kind of prison for the sailors. They were prisoners in their own ships in their own harbors. Admiral John Jellicoe's tactics at the battle received some criticism. What is indisputable is that after the battle, the British Royal Navy remained a dominant fighting force whereas while the the German High Seas fleet sat uselessly in port.

Operation Albion (October 1917)

The last major naval operation of the war and most successful amphibious operation was conducted by the Germans and is virtuall unknown today. The German Operation Albion was focused on seizing threee Baltic islands (Dago, Osel and Moon). It helped the Germans gto successfully bring the campaign in the East gto a close. The Germans deployed an invasion force of 25,000 men supported by a flotilla of 10 dreadnoughts, 6 zeppelins, 80 aircraft, and over 300 other vessels. The Germans succeeded in opening the e Gulf of Riga, capturing 20,000 Russians soldiers, and threatened Russia’s key naval bases in the Gulf of Finland. It was a major step in gaining control of the Baltic.

German Naval mutiny (October 1918)

The inactivity of the German High Seas Fleey was a factor in the naval mutiny at Kiel that hastened the German surrender.

Sources

Keegan, John. The First World War (Knopf, 1999), 475p.

Massie, Robert K. Castles of Sea: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea (Random House, 2003), 865p.







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Created: 1:45 AM 6/21/2004
Last updated: 5:41 PM 8/28/2014