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This is the complete order of battle for the Battle of Jutland fought between 31 May and 1 June 1916. The battle involved 249 warships of the British and German navies, and, in terms of combined tonnage of vessels engaged, was the largest naval battle in history.
Contents
- The Grand Fleet
- Battleships
- Cruisers
- Destroyers
- 3rd Battle Cruiser Squadron
- Battle Cruiser Fleet
- Battlecruisers
- Battlecruiser Fleet Light Cruisers
- Battle Cruiser Fleet Destroyers
- 5th Battle Squadron
- High Seas Fleet Hochseeflotte
- Light Cruisers
- Torpedo Boats
- Scouting Force
- Battle Cruisers
- Scouting Force Light Cruisers
- Scouting Force Torpedo Boats
- Submarines
- Airships
- Abbreviations
- References
The Grand Fleet
The Grand Fleet was the main body of the British Home Fleets in 1916, based at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands and Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth in Scotland.
Commander-in-chief, Grand Fleet: Adm Sir John Rushworth Jellicoe, K.C.B., K.C.V.O. in HMS Iron DukeSecond in Command, Grand Fleet: VAdm Sir Cecil Burney, K.C.B., K.C.M.G. in HMS Marlborough.Chief of Staff: VAdm Sir Charles Edward Madden, K.C.B., C.V.O.; Captain of the Fleet: Cdre Lionel Halsey, C.B., C.M.G., AdC.; Master of the Fleet: Capt Oliver Elles Leggett; flag lieutenants: Cdr the Hon. Matthew Robert Best, M.V.O., Cdr Charles Morton Forbes, Cdr Alexander Raill Wadham, Cdr Richard Lindsay NicholsonBattleships
The Grand Fleet had a total of 32 Dreadnought and Super-Dreadnought battleships available to use by the time of Jutland. Of these, 28 took part, organized into four Battle Squadrons. The 24 vessels of 2nd, 4th and 1st Battle Squadrons formed the main body of Fleet, and are listed below order from van to rear following their deployment to engage the German fleet, 6:30pm 31 May 1916.
2nd Battle Squadron (Battleships) : VAdm Thomas Henry Martyn Jerram, K.C.B.
1st Division: VAdm Jerram
2nd Division: RAdm Arthur Cavenagh Leveson, C.B.
Fleet Flagship (at head of 3rd Division but not part of 4th Battle Squadron)
4th Battle Squadron (Battleships): VAdm Sir Frederick Charles Doveton Sturdee, 1st Baronet, K.C.B., C.V.O., C.M.G.; flag commander: Cdr William Milbourne James
3rd Division: RAdm Sir Alexander Ludovic Duff, K.C.B., C.V.O., C.M.G.
4th Division: VAdm Sturdee
1st Battle Squadron (Battleships): VAdm Sir Cecil Burney, K.C.B., K.C.M.G.; Chief of Staff : Cdre Edmund Percy Fenwick George Grant; flag lieutenant: Lt Cdr James Buller Kitson
Fifth Division: RAdm Ernest Frederick Augustus Gaunt, C.M.G.
Sixth Division: VAdm Burney
Cruisers
Two squadrons of Armoured Cruisers and one squadron of Light Cruisers were attached to the main body of the Grand Fleet to act as a scouting force.
1st Cruiser Squadron (Armoured Cruisers): RAdm Sir Robert Keith Arbuthnot, 4th Baronet, K.C.B., M.V.O. †
2nd Cruiser Squadron (Armoured Cruisers): RAdm Herbert Leopold Heath, M.V.O.
4th Light Cruiser Squadron: Cdre Charles Edward Le Mesurier
Light cruisers attached for repeating visual signals
Other ships under direct command of the Commander-in-Chief
Destroyers
The main body of the Grand Fleet was escorted by 46 destroyers and flotilla leaders organized into three flotillas.
Commodore, Destroyer Flotillas, Grand Fleet: Cdre James Rose Price Hawksley, M.V.O. in HMS Castor (11th Destroyer Flotilla)4th Destroyer Flotilla : Capt Charles John Wintour †
first half-flotilla/4th D.F.
Group 8 /4th D.F.
second half-flotilla/4th D.F.
3rd Division/4th D.F.
4th Division/4th D.F.
11th Destroyer Flotilla
first half-flotilla/11th D.F. 1st Division/11th D.F.
2nd Division/11th D.F.
second half-flotilla/11th D.F.
3rd Division/11th D.F.
4th Division/11th D.F.
12th Destroyer Flotilla: Capt Anselan John Buchanan Stirling
first half-flotilla/12th D.F.
1st Division/12th D.F.
2nd Division/12th D.F.
second half-flotilla/12th D.F.: Cdr Norton Allen Sulivan
3rd Battle Cruiser Squadron
This squadron, temporarily attached to the Grand Fleet from the Battle Cruiser Fleet, was stationed ahead of the main body, with the intention that it join Beatty when the action began. The commander of the 3rd Battle Cruiser Squadron was RAdm the Hon. Horace Lambert Alexander Hood K.C.B., D.S.O., M.V.O. †
accompanying cruisers
attached destroyers
Battle Cruiser Fleet
This force of high-speed ships was subordinate to the Commander in Chief of the Grand Fleet, but operated independently as an advanced guard, intended to reconnoiter aggressively the enemy fleet and to engage enemy scouting forces. At its core were six battlecruisers, accompanied by 13 light cruisers, and escorted by 18 destroyers and an early aircraft carrier.
Commander, Battle Cruiser Fleet: VAdm Sir David Richard Beatty, K.C.B., M.V.O., D.S.O. in HMS LionChief of Staff: Capt Rudolf Walter Bentinck; flag lieutenants: Cdr the Hon. Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett, Lt Cdr Ralph Frederick SeymourBattlecruisers
Battlecruiser Fleet Flagship
1st Battlecruiser Squadron : RAdm Osmond de Beauvior Brock, C.B.
2nd Battlecruiser Squadron : RAdm. William Christoper Pakenham, C.B., M.V.O.
Battlecruiser Fleet Light Cruisers
1st Light Cruiser Squadron: Cdre Edwyn Sinclair Alexander-Sinclair, M.V.O.
2nd Light Cruiser Squadron: Cdre William Edmund Goodenough, M.V.O., AdC.
3rd Light Cruiser Squadron: RAdm Trevylyan Dacres Willes Napier, M.V.O.
Attached vessel
Battle Cruiser Fleet Destroyers
13th Destroyer Flotilla : Capt James Uchtred Farie
1st division/13th D.F.
2nd division /13th D.F.
3rd division/13th D.F.
Attached Harwich Destroyers (9th Destroyer Flotilla) : Cdr Malcolm Lennon Goldsmith
1st division/9th D.F.
2nd division/9th D.F.
5th Battle Squadron
This was a special unit of fast Queen Elizabeth-class battleships, intended to act as the vanguard of the main battle line. At the Battle of Jutland, it operated with the Battlecruiser Fleet, and was escorted by the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. The commander of the 5th Battle Squadron was RAdm Hugh Evan-Thomas, M.V.O.
1st Destroyer Flotilla
1st Division/1st D.F.
2nd Division/1st D.F.
High Seas Fleet (Hochseeflotte)
The High Seas Fleet was the main body of the German surface navy, principally based at Wilhelmshaven, on the Jade River in North-West Germany.
Battleships
3rd Battle Squadron (III. Geschwader) (Battleships) : RAdm Paul Behncke; flag lieutenant: Lt Cdr Frhr Ernst von Gagern
5th Division: RAdm Behncke
6th Division: RAdm Hermann Nordmann
Fleet Flagship (Flaggschiff der Hochseeflotte)
1st Battle Squadron (I. Geschwader) (Battleships) : VAdm Ehrhard Schmidt; flag lieutenant: Lt Cdr Wolfgang Wegener
1st Division: VAdm Schmidt
2nd Division: RAdm Walter Engelhardt
2nd Battle Squadron (II. Geschwader) (Battleships) : RAdm Franz Mauve(GE); flag lieutenant: Lt Cdr Willy Kahlert
3rd Division: RAdm Mauve
4th Division: RAdm Frhr Gottfried von Dalwigk zu Lichtenfels
Light Cruisers
4th Scouting Group (IV. Aufklärungsgruppe) (light cruisers) : Kom Ludwig von Reuter; flag lieutenant: Lt Cdr Heinrich Weber
Torpedo Boats
German torpedo boats (Große Torpedoboote) were the equivalent of British destroyers .
First Leader of Torpedo-Boats: Cdre Andreas Michelsen
1st Torpedo-Boat Flotilla (I. Torpedoboots-Flottille)
1st Half-Flotilla (1. Halbflottille): Lt Conrad Albrecht
3rd Torpedo-Boat Flotilla (III. Torpedoboots-Flottille): Lt Cdr Wilhelm Hollmann
5th Half-Flotilla (5. Halbflottille) : Lt Theophil Gautier
6th Half-Flotilla (6. Halbflottille): Lt Cdr Theodor Riedel †
5th Torpedo-Boat Flotilla (V. Torpedoboots-Flottille): Lt Cdr Oskar Heinecke
9th Half-Flotilla (9. Halbflottille): Lt Gerhard Hoefer
10th Half-Flotilla (10. Halbflottille): Lt Friedrich Klein
7th Torpedo-Boat Flotilla (VII. Torpedoboots-Flottille): Lt Cdr Gottlieb von Koch
13th Half-Flotilla (13. Halbflottille): Lt Georg von Zitzewitz
14th Half-Flotilla (14. Halbflottille) : Lt Cdr Hermann Cordes
Scouting Force
Commander, Scouting Forces (Befehlshaber die Aufklärungsstreitkräfte): VAdm Franz Hipper; flag lieutenant: Lt Cdr Erich RaederBattle Cruisers
1st Scouting Group (I. Aufklärungsgruppe): VAdm Hipper
Scouting Force Light Cruisers
2nd Scouting Group (II. Aufklärungsgruppe) : RAdm Friedrich Boedicker
Scouting Force Torpedo Boats
Second Leader of Torpedo-Boats: Cdre Paul Heinrich
2nd Torpedo-Boat Flotilla (II. Torpedoboots-Flottille): Cdr Heinrich Schuur
3rd Half-Flotilla (3. Halbflottille): Lt Cdr Heinrich Boest
4th Half-Flotilla (4. Halbflottille): Lt Cdr Adolf Dithmar
6th Torpedo-Boat Flotilla (VI. Torpedoboots-Flottille): Lt Cdr Max Schultz
11th Half-Flotilla (11. Halbflottille) : Lt Wilhelm Rüman
12th Half-Flotilla (12. Halbflottille): Lt Rudolf Lahs
9th Torpedo-Boat Flotilla (IX. Torpedoboots-Flottille): Lt Cdr Herbert Goehle
17th Half-Flotilla (17. Halbflottille): Lt Hermann Ehrhardt
18th Half-Flotilla (17. Halbflottille): Lt Cdr Werner Tillessen (GE)
Submarines
Leader of Submarines (Führer der Unterseeboote) : Capt Hermann Bauer in SMS HamburgThe following submarines were deployed to attack the Grand Fleet in the North Sea during the period of the Battle of Jutland
Off Terschelling:
Off the Humber estuary:
Off Flamborough Head, Yorkshire:
Off the Firth of Forth, Scotland:
Off Peterhead, Scotland:
Off the Pentland Firth (between the Orkneys and the Scottish mainland):
Airships
During the battle the Germans used the Zeppelin airships of the Naval Airship Section (Marine Luftschiff Abteilung) for scouting, although in the prevailing overcast conditions they were not particularly successful. The commander of the Naval Airship Section was Lt Cdr Peter Strasser, and they flew from bases at Nordholz and Hage in north-west Germany and Tondern (then part of Schleswig; the town became part of Denmark in 1920).
Sortied on 31 May
Sortied on 1 June
Did not sortie during the Battle of Jutland
Abbreviations
Abbreviations for Officers’ Ranks (German ranks translated according to current NATO practice):
Adm: AdmiralVAdm: Vice-Admiral/Vizeadmiral (VAdm)RAdm: Rear-Admiral/Konteradmiral (KAdm)Cdre: Commodore/Kommodore (Kom)Capt: Captain/Kapitän zur See (KptzS)Cdr: Commander/Fregattenkapitän (FKpt)Lt Cdr: Lieutenant-Commander/Korvettenkapitän (KKpt)Lt: Lieutenant/Kapitänleutnant (KptLt)SLt: Sub-Lieutenant/Oberleutnant zur See (OLtzS)Other abbreviations
AdC.: Aide-de-camp to The KingC.B.: Companion of The Most Honourable Order of the BathC.M.G.: Companion of The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint GeorgeC.V.O.: Commander of The Royal Victorian OrderD.F: Destroyer FlotillaD.S.C.:Distinguished Service CrossD.S.O.:Distinguished Service OrderFrhr:Freiherr (title in the Prussian nobility equivalent to Baron)HMS: His Majesty's ShipK.C.B.: Knight Commander of The Most Honourable Order of the BathK.C.M.G.:Knight Commander of The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint GeorgeK.C.V.O.: Knight Commander of The Royal Victorian OrderM.V.O.: Member of The Royal Victorian OrderSMS: Seiner Majestät Schiff (German; translation: His Majesty's Ship)the Hon.: The Honourable