As to the shooting on both sides, it is evident that there must be a
great deal of hard thinking going on in the navies of the world as to
improvement in this respect. The weight of metal hurled into the sea was
prodigious. "In the first and second phases it is estimated that each
of the ships under Vice Admiral Beatty and Rear Admiral Evan-Thomas
fired about 600 tons and the Germans quite as much if not more."[6]
The battleships stood up well, and everything in the battle confirmed
the judgment of those who had pinned their faith to the battleships as
the essential of naval power.
The two most revolutionary elements in naval warfare were present, but
they cannot be said to have exerted any tactical effect on the battle.
The limited use of the airplane has been told, and a Zeppelin was
reported at about 4 A. M. June 1, which may have observed the location
of the British fleet. U-boats were reported early in the action, but
there is no hint that they took any real part in the battle. Yet this
does not mean that they are not to be considered. With the great
improvements in the type, it is probable that in many conditions the
U-boat will be a factor in battles of fleets, and such contingencies
should be safeguarded in advance.
The destroyer came to its own in the battle of Jutland as an auxiliary
of the battle fleet, both for offense and defense. The whole course of
the action proved that a screen of destroyers was absolutely necessary.
For offense, it might be argued truthfully that, of the great number of
torpedoes used, very few hit anything. The Marlborough was the only
capital ship reported struck in the real action, and she was able
afterward to take some part in the battle, and then get back to her
base. It is supposed that the damaged Pommern may have been so destroyed
later, and torpedoes may have struck other scattered marks. But above
all things stands out the fact that it was the threat of night torpedo
attacks by destroyers which made the British fleet withdraw from the
battlefield.
There is no question of the fact that this withdrawal of the British
fleet had a great moral effect on Germany. The announcement to the
people and to the Reichstag had a heartening effect on the Germans at
just the time they needed some such stimulant. But the actual tactical
result of the battle was indecisive. It may be said the Germans had so
manoeuvred their fleet that a detached part of the superior British
force was cut up, but the damage was not enough to impair the
established superiority of the British fleet, and the end of the battle
left the British control of the sea absolutely unchanged.
The following is the British statement of losses:
BATTLE CRUISERS
Tonnage Armor Main
Belt. Battery. Sp'd. Men. C'p'd
Queen Mary 27,000 9 in. 8 13.5-in. 28 1,000 '13
Indefatigable 18,750 8 in. 8 12-in. 26 899 '11
Invincible 17,250 7 in. 8 12-in. 26 750 '08
ARMORED CRUISERS
Defense 14,600 6 in. 4 9.2-in. 23 755 '08
Black Prince 13,550 6 in. 6 9.2-in. 20.5 704 '06
Warrior 13,550 6 in. 6 9.2-in. 22.9 704 '08
DESTROYERS
Tipperary 1,900 ... ... 31 160 '14
Turbulent ... ... ... .. ... ..
Fortune 920 ... ... 29.50 100 '12
Sp'w Hawk 950 ... 3 4-in. 31.32 100 '12
Ardent 950 ... 3 4-in. 31.32 100 '12
Nomad ... ... ... ... ... ..
Nestor ... ... ... ... ... ..
Shark 950 ... 3 4-in. 31.32 100 '12
The losses admitted by the German Admiralty are:
BATTLESHIP
Tonnage. Armament. Date
Sp'd. Completion.
Pommern 13,040 4 11-in. 19 1907
14 6.7-in.
BATTLE CRUISER
Luetzow 28,000 8 12-in. 27 1915
12 6-in.
LIGHT CRUISERS
Rostock 4,820 12 4.1-in. 27.3 1914
Frauenlob 2,656 10 4.1-in. 21.5 1903
NEW LIGHT CRUISERS
Elbing ... ... ... ...
Wiesbaden ... ... ... ...
DESTROYERS
Five ... ... ... ...
TOTAL TONNAGE LOST
British 117,150
German 60,720
TOTAL PERSONNEL LOST
British 6,105
German 2,414
NOTE BY EDITOR.--No official confirmation of the German losses was
published. The British Admiralty maintains that the losses, including
only German vessels "seen to sink," aggregated 109,220 tons. Other
Admiralty claims were that the Germans lost one dreadnought of the
Kronprinz type, 25,480 tons; one of the Heligoland type, 22,440 tons;
battleship Pommern, 13,000 tons; battle cruiser Lützow, 28,000 tons;
five Rostocks, 24,500 tons; destroyers, 4,000 tons; submarines, 800
tons; total, 117,220 tons.