If you run down a list of pivotal naval battles in history you will see names like Trafalgar, Midway, Leyte Gulf, Lake Erie, Hampton Roads, Tsushima, and Jutland. The later too place May 31 –June 1 1916 and was the only meeting of battleships during World War I took place. By some methods it is considered the largest naval battle in history.

For only the second time in history steel battleships were to meet in a pitched battle on the high seas. It was also the last time this type of action would take place. The battle also marked the first use of a new class of ship, the aircraft carrier.

To set up the battle you must look at geography. Germany was pretty much stuck sitting out the war hemmed in by the British Navy. While Germany did have a sizable navy of its own Britain still ruled the world’s oceans. The main Germany strategy was to attack the British coast and lure out small units of the Royal Navy. These would then be attacked either by a large surface force, or by a large force of U-boats.

The lure worked, however the British sent out a much larger fleet and the German fleet countered. The U-boat screen was ineffective and did not engage or provide scouting for the German High Seas Fleet. The battle and its movements are well know to those who following Naval engagements. What people find amazing today is a couple of specific items from the battle.

First the seemingly ease with which the Germans were able to destroy British Battle Cruisers. After receiving what seemed like very minor damage the British battle cruisers Indefatigable, Queen Mary, and Invincible were destroyed, some in massive explosions. After examining the battle the cause of this seems to have been weak armor on the turret tops of the battle cruiser. German shells penetrated the tops of the turrets and exploded inside the turrets system. The blasts then ignited the magazine and the ship was destroyed.

Next were the actions of the German commanders during the battle. At the time it was unheard of for a “retreating” group to reverse course while under fire and take back the offensive. Scheer not only did this with great effect on the British, but he did it twice. Turning a fleet 180 degrees under fire reduced the effectiveness of its guns. However it did catch the opponent off guard and ended up causing problems.

Finally there were the extremely low hit rates. Some rates were as low as 1.43%. Neither side had remarkable hit rates by any of its ships. This is mostly due to the technology of the day and the ranges which combat took place. Had armor been thicker in certain spots on certain ships who knows what would have been the outcome.

But who actually won the engagement? Germany sank more tonnage of British shipping. Britain had maintained control over the North Sea. Germany had not lost as many large ships are Britain. German gunners had higher hits rates than did the British. In the end it could best be called a split decision. The battle forced the German fleet to stay in port. It allowed the British to maintain control of the North Sea and restrict trade getting to Germany.

However it is scored the Battle of Jutland was an epic struggle of the mammoths of the high seas. The wrecks are listed as protected places under the Protection of Military Remains Act. As of this writing one veteran is still alive, he is 112 years old. Also there is still one ship from the battle still in commission, HMS Caroline.