One hundred and ten years ago today the British Royal Navy Cruiser fleet under Admiral Sir David Beatty, intercepted a German High Seas Fleet Cruiser Squadron following the Admiralty deciphering coded German signals on the afternoon of the 23rd.
The British cruisers were in two squadrons with HMS Lion, Princess Royal and Tiger making one squadron and HMS New Zealand and Indomitable forming the second squadron.
Arrayed against them were the German ships Seydlitz, Blucher, Moltke and Derfflinger commanded by Admiral Hipper – both fleets had destroyer escorts.
At 7.20am at first light, the British ships opened fire and Blucher was badly damaged and was soon doomed to be sunk, Seydlitz was also seriously hit but continued in the line. Admiral Hipper signalled for the German ships to head east for home and Beatty took up the chase in HMS Lion but was suddenly hit by 15 heavy shells including 2 simultaneously from SM Derfflinger.
HMS Lion was stricken just as it seemed that the slower German ships were there for the taking. Confusion reigned over command instructions from Beatty, and with reported sightings of German U-Boat periscopes, this caused the British to turn 90 degrees away from the chase and with just the loss of SM Blucher, the German squadrons made their escape.
