Page:EB1922 - Volume 31.djvu/701

Rh ceed to a position in lat. 56 40' N., long. 5 E., and by midnight the whole British fleet was at sea, making swiftly for the Bight.

Never had so mighty an array been marshalled under one command as that which was led by Adml. Jellicoe. One hundred and fifty-one pennants were flown, with the flags of 15 admirals, and the ships comprised 28 dreadnoughts, 9 battle cruisers, 9 cruisers, 22 light cruisers and 82 destroyers. Forty more de- stroyers might have been added, but for the fact that the Har- wich flotillas were retained in harbour, straining at their leash. Commodore Tyrwhitt the next day, seeing the battle signals coming in, put to sea after them, but was ordered back to har- bour in spite of a promise made by the C.-in-C. in Nov. 1914 that his flotillas should reenforce the Grand Fleet when word arrived that an action was imminent. The word arrived at 4:51 P.M. on May 31, but the Harwich force was not sent.

Vice-Adml. Hipper, commanding the German advance force, had left the Jade at 2 A.M. and was followed half an hour later by the German battle fleet. Though inferior to the British, it mustered 16 dreadnoughts, 6 pre-dreadnoughts, 5 battle crui- sers, ii light cruisers and 72 destroyers. Mine-sweepers had cleared the way for it past Amrum Bank, and Adml. Hipper proceeded N. with orders to show himself off the Skagerrak before dark, cruise there during the night, and join the main fleet the next day.

The constitution of the British fleet was in detail as follows I- MAIN BODY Fleet Flagship, " Iron Duke "

(C.-in-C., Adml. Sir John Jellicoe; Chief of Staff, Vice-Adml. SirChas. Madden), with attached destroyers " Oak," " Abdid." 2ND B.S. (Vice-Adml. Sir Thos. H. Jerram) : 1st Div.:

" King George V." (flag),

" Ajax,"

" Centurion,"

" Erin "

(all 10 13-5-in.). 2nd Div.:

" Orion " (Rear-Adml. A. C. Leveson),

" Monarch,"

" Conqueror,"

" Thunderer "

(all 10 13-5-in.).

4TH B.S. (Vice-Adml. Sir Doveton Sturdee) : 3rd Div.:

" Iron Duke " (C.-in-C.; 10 13'5-in.),

" Royal Oak " (8 15-in.),

" Superb " (Rear-Adml. Alex. L. Duff; 10 12-in.),

" Canada " (10 14-in.). 4th Div.:

" Benbow " (flag; 10 13'5-in.),

" Bellerophon " (10 12-in.),

" Temeraire " (10 12-in.),

" Vanguard " (10 12-in.). 1ST B.S. (Vice-Adml. Sir Cecil Burney): 5th Div.:

" Colossus " (Rear-Adml. E. F. Gaunt),

" Collingwood,"

" Neptune,"

" St. Vincent " (all 10 12-in.). 6th Div.:

" Marlborough " (flag; 10 13'5-in.),

" Revenge " (8 is-in.),

" Hercules " (10 12-in.),

" Agincourt " (14 12-in.).

With attached light cruisers " Boadicea," " Blanche," " Bellofia,"

" Active." 1ST C.S. (Rear-Adml. Sir Robert Arbuthnot) :

" Defence " (flag; 4 g-2-in., 10 y-5-in.),

" Warrior " (6 9-2-10., 4 y-5-in.),

" Duke of Edinburgh " (6 g-2-in., 10 6-in.),

" Black Prince " (6 9-2-in., 10 6-in.). 2ND C.S. (Rear-Adml. H. L. Heath; 10 7-5-in.):

" Minotaur " (flag; 4 9-2-in.),

" Hampshire " (4 y-5-in., 6 6-in.),

" Coclirane " (6 g-2-in., 4 y-5-in.),

" Shannon " (4 9'2-in., 10 75-in.). 3RD B.C.S. (Rear-Adml. Hon. Horace Hood):

" Invincible " (flag; 8 12-in.),

" Indomitable " (8 12-in.),

" Inflexible " (8 12-in.). 4TH L.C.S. (Commodore C. Le Mesurier) :

" Calliope,"

" Constance," " Comus," " Caroline," " Royalist " Attached light cruisers

Chester," " Canterbury."

DESTROYERS WITH BRITISH MAIN BODY

IITH FLOTILLA: "Castor" (Commodore Jas. R. P. Hawkesley,

Commodore),

" Kempenfelt," " Ossory," " Mystic," " Moon," " Morning Star," " Magic," " Mounsey," " Mandate," " Marne," " Min- ion," " Manners," " Michael," " Mons," " Martial," " Mil- brook."

(Capt. Anselm Stirling, Comm.), " Maenad," " Opal," " Mary Rose," Nessus," " Narwhal," " Mindful," " Nonsuch," " Noble," " Mischief." (Capt. Chas. J. Wintour, Comm.), Porpoise," " Spitfire," " Unity," " Gar-

I2TH FLOTILLA: " Faulknor " Marksman," " Obedient, " Marvel," " Menace," " Onslaught," " Munster,'

4TH FLOTILLA: " TipperaryJ Brook," " Achates,"

land," " Ambuscade," " Ardent," " Fortune," " Sparrow- hawk," " Contest," " Shark," " Acasta," " Ophelia," " Chris- topher," " Owl," " Hardy," " Midge."

ADVANCED FORGE

Battle Cruiser Fleet, Flagship, " Lion "

Vice-Adml. Sir David Beatty; Chief of Staff, Capt. R. W. Bentinck (8 13'5-in.). IST B.C.S. :

" Princess Royal " (flag; Rear-Adml. Osmond de B. Brook),

" Queen Mary,"

" Tiger"

(all 8 l3-5-'n-). 2ND B.C.S.:

" New Zealand " (flag; Rear-Adml. Wm. C. Pakenham, 8 12-in.),

" Indefatigable " (8 12-in.). 5TH B.S.:

" Barham " (flag; Rear-Adml. Hugh Evan-Thomas),

" Valiant, "

" Warspite,"

" Malaya "

(all 8l5-in.). IST L.C.S. :

" Galatea " (flag; Commodore E. S. Alexander-Sinclair),

" Phaeton,"

" Inconstant,"

" Cordelia." 2ND L.C.S.:

" Southampton " (flag; Commodore W. E. Goodenough),

" Birmingham,"

" Nottingham,"

" Dublin." 3RD L.C.S.:

" Falmouth " (Commodore T. D. W. Napier),

" Yarmouth,"

" Birkenhead,"

" Gloucester."

DESTROYERS WITH ADVANCED FORCE

IST FLOTILLA: "Fearless" (Capt. C. D. Roper, Comm.), " Acheron," " Ariel," " Attack," " Hydra," " Badger," " Gos- hawk," " Defender," " Lizard," " Lapwing."

I3TH FLOTILLA: "Champion" (Capt. J. U. Farie, Comm.), " Nestor," " Nomad," ' Narborough," " Obdurate," " Petard," " Pelican," " Nerissa," " Onslow," " Moresby," " Nicator."

9TH AND IOTH FLOTILLAS (Harwich) : " Lydiard " (Comdr. Malcolm

Goldsmith),

" Liberty," " Landrail," " Laurel," " Moorsom," " Morris," " Turbulent," ," Termagant." Seaplane Carrier, " Engadine."

The German High Sea Fleet was organized as follows: MAIN BODY

Fleet Flagship, " Friedrich der Grosse "

(C.-in-C., Vice-Adml. Reinhold Scheer; Chief of Staff, Capt. Adolf von Trotha).

3RD SQUADRON (Rear-Adml. Behncke) : $th Div.: 6th Div.:

" Konig " (flag), " Kaiser,"

" Grosser Kurfurst," " Kaiserin,"

" Kronprinz," " Prinzregent Luitpold "

" Markgraf " (all 10 12-in.).

(all 10 12-in.).

IST SQUADRON (Vice-Adml. Ehrhard Schmidt): ist Div.: 2nd Div.:

" Ostfriesland " (flag), " Posen,"

" Thiiringen," " Rheinland,"

" Helgoland," " Nassau,"

" Oldenburg " " Westfalen "

(all 12 12-in.). (all 12 ii-in.).