She rammed Barham 3rd December 1915 so I think the wonky Warspite already had problems.
England Expects that Every Man....
- Thread starter vpsoccer
- Start date
She rammed Barham 3rd December 1915 so I think the wonky Warspite already had problems.
You'd be amazed how many collisions between capital ships the RN had occur during WW1. Heck HMAS Australia was kept out of Jutland by such a collision. Of course fitting everything with ram bows really didn't help reduce the damage from such collisions
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The QEs plus the rest of the fleet got some extra armour plate above and around the magazine's plus modified powder handling procedures because of the experience of Jutland.
Has the recent magazine scare meant any extra protection for the Grand fleet.
Has the recent magazine scare meant any extra protection for the Grand fleet.
Warships bump into each other all the time station keeping must have been a nightmare before radar.
Appropriately given this story, that accident was apparently caused by a misread signal (signal officer read 18 knots not 8 knots and hence Warspite went too fast and hit the ship in front, which was Barham).
Surely the latest and best ships are getting officers that have been through signal school, so even if that accident hadn't been butterflied due to just random changes (different officer being assigned or whatever) the specific changes in the timeline mean it shouldn't happen.
Note: I have gone back and edited earlier sections to show that Beatty was Rear Admiral until Feb 1915, and then Acting V-A until the summer of that year. BCF was BC Force until Feb 1915 when it became BC Fleet. There is no other change, so you need not go back and re-read. (Announcement made at the meeting of all the admirals, where E-T reviews his plan. (IIRC Ch4.3)
I have noticed that a few of you have been quite prescient at times, predicting things like Moore getting 5BS. There is a march to history and many things are going to just roll along in the ways that seem most obvious. That's life!
This has been a slice, but now I must post the ending, the longest posting by far, and take some time off this writing. Besides, I have a different story to write in the winter. (Yes, I might re-visit this time line in the farther future, but if you hold your breath you will not live to see it!)
And so, history will roll along much as it did - there aren't many reasons to make big changes from OTL.
There will still be unanswered questions. So be it. We know and will know enough.
Thank you all for reading and for your comments. // VP
I have noticed that a few of you have been quite prescient at times, predicting things like Moore getting 5BS. There is a march to history and many things are going to just roll along in the ways that seem most obvious. That's life!
This has been a slice, but now I must post the ending, the longest posting by far, and take some time off this writing. Besides, I have a different story to write in the winter. (Yes, I might re-visit this time line in the farther future, but if you hold your breath you will not live to see it!)
And so, history will roll along much as it did - there aren't many reasons to make big changes from OTL.
There will still be unanswered questions. So be it. We know and will know enough.
Thank you all for reading and for your comments. // VP
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England Expects Ch 5
CHAPTER 5 – England Expects that Every Man....
EPILOG
"Your Majesty. The Prime Minister and the First Lord of the Admiralty are here."
"Send them right in. And, have my naval equerry join us, I believe he is expecting them." The King spoke much more calmly than his inner feelings were demanding of him. He of all people could not appear anxious for the news they were bringing at this early hour. He forced himself to stand up slowly and move away from his writing desk to greet them.
"Your Majesty. The Prime Minister and the First Lord of the Admiralty."
Prime Minister Herbert Asquith and First Lord Arthur Balfour entered the room and bowed.
"Mr. Asquith, Mr. Balfour, welcome." The King actually stepped forward and offered his hand. "I imagine you may be here to bring me further information about the yesterday's great battle, and whether the chase in the night met any success."
"Your Majesty," began Prime Minister Asquith, "We have indeed brought some additional clarifications with regard to yesterday's action off the coast of Denmark, and some mixed information about the clashes in the night which followed. It is rightly Mr. Balfour's news, so with your permission I would prefer to leave it for him to provide details." Asquith knew that just being here would give him plenty of credit, and in the eyes of King George V giving Balfour fair billing would also be to his own credit.
"By all means. Mr. Balfour, please."
"Your Majesty, before I review what we know of yesterday's events, let me say that this is still based on limited information in the signals received or monitored from the Grand Fleet. With signals reform we had picked up a lot of information from sighting reports, and have only some clarifications now as a result of short reports received from Admiral Sir John Jellicoe. Of course there has been time for Admiralty interpretations at the plotting table. Information on the activity of the night is rather limited, but suggests it was a complex or even contradictory series of events, and we have only the barest outline."
"Very well. I understand the need to piece together the finer details after the action, just as I accept the reality that it may be some time before enemy losses can be confirmed. Please go on."
"Sir, yesterday's events went something like this. First, Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty with the Battle Cruiser Fleet, the BCF, chased the German battlecruisers southward for some time, exchanging fire as they went. There was heavy damage on both sides. I regret to report that HMS Indefatigable was hit deeply in her magazines and exploded with loss of nearly all hands. Several others of our ships took hits which raised large fireballs, all were damaged, but none were lost outright although at least one was foreced to retire at that time. Nevertheless, German shooting was punishing our ships, as our guns were hitting them in return, when the entire High Seas Fleet appeared. It came in range of the BCF and opened fire. Vice Admiral Beatty turned away, to be pursued in his turn. This led the German battlecruisers onto the guns of the 5th Battle Squadron...."
"Ah, yes. The new Queen Elizabeth's with their 15-inch guns. Very good. Please continue."
"Sir, with trying to keep his ships in close support of the BCF but falling a bit behind due to their lesser speed, Rear Admiral Sir Archibald Moore was nevertheless in the right place. He was able to 'cross the T' on the German battlecruisers at what soon became relatively close range. Caught between two forces, two of the leading enemy ships were seen to fall aside, out of action and heavily afire, with one of them later seen to sink by our light forces. That one was not the German flagship, which had been hit most heavily by 15-inch guns. She was a blazing wreck when last seen and it is considered that she likely sank, unseen by us, even before the other. Two others were completely silenced by the time they turned away, and one of them is known to have been torpedoed at least once by our destroyers and brought to a standstill. We do not know if it sank, but presume so."
"Stopped and faced by our destroyers we might expect it to be sunk. Continue, please."
"Sir, of course we don't yet know the fates of those which were not seen to sink, however W.T. traffic between shore stations which our secret monitoring stations can recognize suggests that one of them is flooded so deeply that it may be intentionally grounded outside the Jade and it is already the object of planning for a major salvage operation.
"Sir, to go on, as the finale of this first stage, the enemy battlecruusers having been conclusively knocked out of action, Rear Admiral Moore was also in place to concentrate fire on the leading ships of the High Seas Fleet. The heavy guns of his ships did inflict serious damage on a few German ships, and drew their attention from the BCF. Unfortunately, he was facing over 20 German ships with his four, and he suffered grievously. HMS Warspite had a steering breakdown in action and took more than 25 heavy shell hits before leaving the action to limp home. The others were also hit hard but remained in action. HMS Barham lost one turret before they successfully turned away. We don't know about the others.
"Sir, their speed was not much greater than the fastest Germans, and they could have been in serious jeopardy had not the Grand Fleet appeared. Informed by numerous signals, both from the BCF and from light forces, Admiral Jellicoe was deploying into column and opening fire on the High Seas Fleet even as he did so. In a few minutes they scored hits on many enemy ships before the High Seas Fleet turned away, under cover of a desperate attack by their torpedo boats, and disappeared into the smoke, mist, and dusk.
“Sir, our line was disrupted by this torpedo attack, although it appears there were no hits, and only Vice Admiral Sir Cecil Burney's 1st Battle Squadron remained in solid formation to pursue, and continued to engage the enemy before his escape was complete. This squadron did prevent the enemy from fleeing to the east. It was also well placed for the night action and continued to limit the enemy's movement in that direction. It had been allowed to do this because it was protected by Rear Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot and his armoured cruisers, which intervened to break up that part of the torpedo attack. Unfortunately they also found themselves in reasonable visibility where they met heavy fire from enemy battleships and two of his ships were shot to pieces, one blowing up and the other sinking later, fortunately after the surviving crew could be taken off. They were outdated and had no place in the heart of the action. Rear Admiral Arbuthnot paid the price with his life and the lives of his men.
"Sir, the fleet was largely broken into squadrons or even divisions by the time it could return to the chase, which was then carried on through the night. The enemy had been clearly surprised by this first fleet encounter and return fire was delayed and ineffective. I should add that none of our battleships received damage of note in this brief meeting, while later information suggests that at least two of theirs received damage that reduced their speed significantly, perhaps below that of their predreadnoughts.
"Your Majesty, while this was taking place, we did suffer a further loss. The 3rd BCS under Rear Admiral Sir Horace Hood had been scouting for the Grand Fleet and as it was racing to sweep around the east flank and report the location of the enemy it briefly found itself exchanging gunfire with the enemy battlefleet. This of course was more than those ships were designed for. HMS Invincible, flagship of Rear Admiral Hood, was hit frequently and set afire in multiple places, and ultimately burnt out. Possibly cordite flash was part of the reason for the spread and the extreme heat, indeed the hulk was reported as glowing in the night. This is similar to what was documented last year on a smaller scale by Rear Admiral Moore. While there was no large explosion, fires appeared to spread through the ship extremely rapidly. We do not have exact details but that is the Admiralty estimate. By morning, the ship was considered a total loss and the remaining crew taken off the hulk before destroyers finished it with torpedoes."
"Rear Admiral Moore did good service with his analysis of the Battle of Dogger Bank, and his follow-on work. Please continue. I am especially interested in the night action."
"Yes, Sir. For the night action we have as yet limited information. Even with the signaling reforms developed by Rear Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas, which appear to have served us well by day and by night, we just have mixed pieces of information."
"I sailed the world with Hugh and he was always the most competent of officers. I am pleased that his work in this non-executive posting has been so valuable. Please make note that he is to be recognized for his contribution along with those who have seagoing commands. Mr. Balfour, there is more to a modern navy than sailing close and firing the guns. I can tell you that the last time I spoke with him, Hugh told me that the days when Collingwood could wonder why Nelson was signaling as they closed in upon the enemy are long past. Speeds are too high and ranges too great for that.”
"Yes, Sir. Moving to the night action. In general, the enemy was fleeing for home. In the confusion, their fleet and ours were perhaps running in parallel or crossing through each other with squadrons out of place, we really do not know.
"Sir, let me begin by saying that there were at least three and probably four major engagements of battleships in the night. In two of these, which may be one event but reported from our ships in two separate groups, we saw and fired on German battleships, beginning at close range. Many hits were scored in a very short time by opening fire first, however the enemy was responding quickly with what is described as an organized reaction, and then both sides took heavy damage. Once light forces got involved, torpedoes were used heavily. But we had got in the first shell hits, in large numbers, and that appears to have been decisive. Two of the enemy were seen to sink, and it is known that these were not the same ship. Two were seen to be blazing from stem to stern, and these were also different and not the same ship from different angles. Several others were hit heavily. Two of our older 12-inch gun dreadnoughts were badly damaged, and it appears at least one is lost, and another considered unlikely to reach port. Two of our 13.5-inch gun super-dreadnoughts were also severely damaged, with at least one hit by a torpedo. Their fates are yet unknown at the Admiralty.”
“Well done. Please convey that sentiment to Admiral Jellicoe.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.
“Sir, I regret to inform you that there was an unfortunate occurrence in this part of the action. While there are surely more of our ships that took heavy damage, we know from signals monitored that there was at least one case where one of our ships was hit by shells from another. In the confusion of fighting at night that is always a danger, and is one of the reasons Admiral Jellicoe hoped to avoid a night action, even as he prepared the Fleet to be alert and to react if required."
"That is a risk to be run when fighting in the dark. Thank you for speaking plainly about it."
"Sir, there is much that is unknown here. Some of the analysts at the Admiralty believe that another German battleship must have been sunk, from plotting of their signals and positions as we know them.
"Sir, the result of the second encounter was less important to the calculus of fleet power, but further asserts our dominance. Our 1st BS under Vice Admiral Burney was able to maintain closer contact with the fleeing Germans, and had seen several turn away from them as they pursued along the eastern side of the battle area. After some hours of pursuit in the dark, Burney was able to bring part of their fleet under concentrated fire. The squadron brought the German predreadoughts under a brief but heavy fire while suffering only a few hits in return. It appears that two of the enemy blew up and sank, while at least two others were left stopped and afire. The others were saved, if in fact they survived, by a torpedo attack that scored no hits on our ships but was apparently pressed in to close range and cost them three torpedo boats sunk outright by direct main battery fire from our battleships.
"Sir, in the other major encounter, the 5th Battle Squadron, reduced to three ships, had its own encounter with several enemy battleships. Once again we opened fire first, and at close range we gave better than we got with one enemy burning for a while and then blowing up, and two others reduced to less than 10 knots. These were being hunted by our destroyers and confused signal traffic suggests that one, at least, was caught and torpedoed. Of our ships, all three were battered and seriously damaged, and are homeward bound although at reduced speed.”
“Well done. Again, please convey my views to Admiral Jellicoe and Rear Admiral Moore.”
"Yes, You Majesty. I am compelled to add that in the night action by 5th BS Rear Admiral Moore was seriously wounded on his bridge. There is apparently doubt that he will survive. There is no other information at this time."
"That is a sad note for one who did so much to instigate modernization of our command procedures. Please enquire as to his condition, on my behalf, and bring me news as-soon-as-you-have-it."
"Yes, Sir."
"Sir, there is certainly much more to the night action but it will be some time before we have details. There were numerous scattered encounters by our destroyers and light cruisers, and these will take some time to reconcile.
"Your Majesty, to summarize the count of losses, we lost two of the older battlecruisers. In turn we saw one of theirs to go down, but almost certainly sank, most likely, two. One or two more may have sunk unseen, so on a balance of probabilities perhaps four in total. To think we have sunk all five might be a bit presumptuous at this time. We have lost one battleship as far we know for certain here, but must expect to lose one or two more, even three, from damage received. In return we saw three of theirs sink, and the Admiralty believes strongly that we sank three more, with several more possible. Two, and probably four, of their predreadoughts were sunk.
“Sir, of course many ships were damaged on both sides, although we have a good number with little or no damage. The 5th Battle Squadron and all of our newer battlecruisers have been put out of action for some many months, but the enemy has lost most or all of his battlecruisers. In battleships, we lost a few, but clearly less than the enemy, and we started with a large superiority. We have some with little to no damage, whereas the enemy has few or more likely none that did not suffer at least a few hits, and overall they will not be able to send out a fleet for months.”
"Thank you, Mr. Balfour. As for the rest I am pleased that we chased the huns back to their lair with a severe battering. Our ship repair capacity will now put us well ahead of them for the foreseeable future. Presumably it will give us a chance in the coming months to retire some of the more outdated vessels, and not risk additional lives in them, at least not in front-line roles.
“I will be pleased to hear more of the results whenever you have it. My naval equerry will be standing by to take your calls, and to arrange for you to meet with me on short notice. Gentlemen, thank you and congratulations. I am certain you are both among the busiest of men in this bustling city, so I shall not detain you further. Thank you both for coming. Mr. Asquith. Mr. Balfour, I will be available to meet with you at any hour."
All shook hands and inwardly sighed with the relief that the enemy fleet had been bested.
"Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty."
--- finis ---
EPILOG
"Your Majesty. The Prime Minister and the First Lord of the Admiralty are here."
"Send them right in. And, have my naval equerry join us, I believe he is expecting them." The King spoke much more calmly than his inner feelings were demanding of him. He of all people could not appear anxious for the news they were bringing at this early hour. He forced himself to stand up slowly and move away from his writing desk to greet them.
"Your Majesty. The Prime Minister and the First Lord of the Admiralty."
Prime Minister Herbert Asquith and First Lord Arthur Balfour entered the room and bowed.
"Mr. Asquith, Mr. Balfour, welcome." The King actually stepped forward and offered his hand. "I imagine you may be here to bring me further information about the yesterday's great battle, and whether the chase in the night met any success."
"Your Majesty," began Prime Minister Asquith, "We have indeed brought some additional clarifications with regard to yesterday's action off the coast of Denmark, and some mixed information about the clashes in the night which followed. It is rightly Mr. Balfour's news, so with your permission I would prefer to leave it for him to provide details." Asquith knew that just being here would give him plenty of credit, and in the eyes of King George V giving Balfour fair billing would also be to his own credit.
"By all means. Mr. Balfour, please."
"Your Majesty, before I review what we know of yesterday's events, let me say that this is still based on limited information in the signals received or monitored from the Grand Fleet. With signals reform we had picked up a lot of information from sighting reports, and have only some clarifications now as a result of short reports received from Admiral Sir John Jellicoe. Of course there has been time for Admiralty interpretations at the plotting table. Information on the activity of the night is rather limited, but suggests it was a complex or even contradictory series of events, and we have only the barest outline."
"Very well. I understand the need to piece together the finer details after the action, just as I accept the reality that it may be some time before enemy losses can be confirmed. Please go on."
"Sir, yesterday's events went something like this. First, Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty with the Battle Cruiser Fleet, the BCF, chased the German battlecruisers southward for some time, exchanging fire as they went. There was heavy damage on both sides. I regret to report that HMS Indefatigable was hit deeply in her magazines and exploded with loss of nearly all hands. Several others of our ships took hits which raised large fireballs, all were damaged, but none were lost outright although at least one was foreced to retire at that time. Nevertheless, German shooting was punishing our ships, as our guns were hitting them in return, when the entire High Seas Fleet appeared. It came in range of the BCF and opened fire. Vice Admiral Beatty turned away, to be pursued in his turn. This led the German battlecruisers onto the guns of the 5th Battle Squadron...."
"Ah, yes. The new Queen Elizabeth's with their 15-inch guns. Very good. Please continue."
"Sir, with trying to keep his ships in close support of the BCF but falling a bit behind due to their lesser speed, Rear Admiral Sir Archibald Moore was nevertheless in the right place. He was able to 'cross the T' on the German battlecruisers at what soon became relatively close range. Caught between two forces, two of the leading enemy ships were seen to fall aside, out of action and heavily afire, with one of them later seen to sink by our light forces. That one was not the German flagship, which had been hit most heavily by 15-inch guns. She was a blazing wreck when last seen and it is considered that she likely sank, unseen by us, even before the other. Two others were completely silenced by the time they turned away, and one of them is known to have been torpedoed at least once by our destroyers and brought to a standstill. We do not know if it sank, but presume so."
"Stopped and faced by our destroyers we might expect it to be sunk. Continue, please."
"Sir, of course we don't yet know the fates of those which were not seen to sink, however W.T. traffic between shore stations which our secret monitoring stations can recognize suggests that one of them is flooded so deeply that it may be intentionally grounded outside the Jade and it is already the object of planning for a major salvage operation.
"Sir, to go on, as the finale of this first stage, the enemy battlecruusers having been conclusively knocked out of action, Rear Admiral Moore was also in place to concentrate fire on the leading ships of the High Seas Fleet. The heavy guns of his ships did inflict serious damage on a few German ships, and drew their attention from the BCF. Unfortunately, he was facing over 20 German ships with his four, and he suffered grievously. HMS Warspite had a steering breakdown in action and took more than 25 heavy shell hits before leaving the action to limp home. The others were also hit hard but remained in action. HMS Barham lost one turret before they successfully turned away. We don't know about the others.
"Sir, their speed was not much greater than the fastest Germans, and they could have been in serious jeopardy had not the Grand Fleet appeared. Informed by numerous signals, both from the BCF and from light forces, Admiral Jellicoe was deploying into column and opening fire on the High Seas Fleet even as he did so. In a few minutes they scored hits on many enemy ships before the High Seas Fleet turned away, under cover of a desperate attack by their torpedo boats, and disappeared into the smoke, mist, and dusk.
“Sir, our line was disrupted by this torpedo attack, although it appears there were no hits, and only Vice Admiral Sir Cecil Burney's 1st Battle Squadron remained in solid formation to pursue, and continued to engage the enemy before his escape was complete. This squadron did prevent the enemy from fleeing to the east. It was also well placed for the night action and continued to limit the enemy's movement in that direction. It had been allowed to do this because it was protected by Rear Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot and his armoured cruisers, which intervened to break up that part of the torpedo attack. Unfortunately they also found themselves in reasonable visibility where they met heavy fire from enemy battleships and two of his ships were shot to pieces, one blowing up and the other sinking later, fortunately after the surviving crew could be taken off. They were outdated and had no place in the heart of the action. Rear Admiral Arbuthnot paid the price with his life and the lives of his men.
"Sir, the fleet was largely broken into squadrons or even divisions by the time it could return to the chase, which was then carried on through the night. The enemy had been clearly surprised by this first fleet encounter and return fire was delayed and ineffective. I should add that none of our battleships received damage of note in this brief meeting, while later information suggests that at least two of theirs received damage that reduced their speed significantly, perhaps below that of their predreadnoughts.
"Your Majesty, while this was taking place, we did suffer a further loss. The 3rd BCS under Rear Admiral Sir Horace Hood had been scouting for the Grand Fleet and as it was racing to sweep around the east flank and report the location of the enemy it briefly found itself exchanging gunfire with the enemy battlefleet. This of course was more than those ships were designed for. HMS Invincible, flagship of Rear Admiral Hood, was hit frequently and set afire in multiple places, and ultimately burnt out. Possibly cordite flash was part of the reason for the spread and the extreme heat, indeed the hulk was reported as glowing in the night. This is similar to what was documented last year on a smaller scale by Rear Admiral Moore. While there was no large explosion, fires appeared to spread through the ship extremely rapidly. We do not have exact details but that is the Admiralty estimate. By morning, the ship was considered a total loss and the remaining crew taken off the hulk before destroyers finished it with torpedoes."
"Rear Admiral Moore did good service with his analysis of the Battle of Dogger Bank, and his follow-on work. Please continue. I am especially interested in the night action."
"Yes, Sir. For the night action we have as yet limited information. Even with the signaling reforms developed by Rear Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas, which appear to have served us well by day and by night, we just have mixed pieces of information."
"I sailed the world with Hugh and he was always the most competent of officers. I am pleased that his work in this non-executive posting has been so valuable. Please make note that he is to be recognized for his contribution along with those who have seagoing commands. Mr. Balfour, there is more to a modern navy than sailing close and firing the guns. I can tell you that the last time I spoke with him, Hugh told me that the days when Collingwood could wonder why Nelson was signaling as they closed in upon the enemy are long past. Speeds are too high and ranges too great for that.”
"Yes, Sir. Moving to the night action. In general, the enemy was fleeing for home. In the confusion, their fleet and ours were perhaps running in parallel or crossing through each other with squadrons out of place, we really do not know.
"Sir, let me begin by saying that there were at least three and probably four major engagements of battleships in the night. In two of these, which may be one event but reported from our ships in two separate groups, we saw and fired on German battleships, beginning at close range. Many hits were scored in a very short time by opening fire first, however the enemy was responding quickly with what is described as an organized reaction, and then both sides took heavy damage. Once light forces got involved, torpedoes were used heavily. But we had got in the first shell hits, in large numbers, and that appears to have been decisive. Two of the enemy were seen to sink, and it is known that these were not the same ship. Two were seen to be blazing from stem to stern, and these were also different and not the same ship from different angles. Several others were hit heavily. Two of our older 12-inch gun dreadnoughts were badly damaged, and it appears at least one is lost, and another considered unlikely to reach port. Two of our 13.5-inch gun super-dreadnoughts were also severely damaged, with at least one hit by a torpedo. Their fates are yet unknown at the Admiralty.”
“Well done. Please convey that sentiment to Admiral Jellicoe.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.
“Sir, I regret to inform you that there was an unfortunate occurrence in this part of the action. While there are surely more of our ships that took heavy damage, we know from signals monitored that there was at least one case where one of our ships was hit by shells from another. In the confusion of fighting at night that is always a danger, and is one of the reasons Admiral Jellicoe hoped to avoid a night action, even as he prepared the Fleet to be alert and to react if required."
"That is a risk to be run when fighting in the dark. Thank you for speaking plainly about it."
"Sir, there is much that is unknown here. Some of the analysts at the Admiralty believe that another German battleship must have been sunk, from plotting of their signals and positions as we know them.
"Sir, the result of the second encounter was less important to the calculus of fleet power, but further asserts our dominance. Our 1st BS under Vice Admiral Burney was able to maintain closer contact with the fleeing Germans, and had seen several turn away from them as they pursued along the eastern side of the battle area. After some hours of pursuit in the dark, Burney was able to bring part of their fleet under concentrated fire. The squadron brought the German predreadoughts under a brief but heavy fire while suffering only a few hits in return. It appears that two of the enemy blew up and sank, while at least two others were left stopped and afire. The others were saved, if in fact they survived, by a torpedo attack that scored no hits on our ships but was apparently pressed in to close range and cost them three torpedo boats sunk outright by direct main battery fire from our battleships.
"Sir, in the other major encounter, the 5th Battle Squadron, reduced to three ships, had its own encounter with several enemy battleships. Once again we opened fire first, and at close range we gave better than we got with one enemy burning for a while and then blowing up, and two others reduced to less than 10 knots. These were being hunted by our destroyers and confused signal traffic suggests that one, at least, was caught and torpedoed. Of our ships, all three were battered and seriously damaged, and are homeward bound although at reduced speed.”
“Well done. Again, please convey my views to Admiral Jellicoe and Rear Admiral Moore.”
"Yes, You Majesty. I am compelled to add that in the night action by 5th BS Rear Admiral Moore was seriously wounded on his bridge. There is apparently doubt that he will survive. There is no other information at this time."
"That is a sad note for one who did so much to instigate modernization of our command procedures. Please enquire as to his condition, on my behalf, and bring me news as-soon-as-you-have-it."
"Yes, Sir."
"Sir, there is certainly much more to the night action but it will be some time before we have details. There were numerous scattered encounters by our destroyers and light cruisers, and these will take some time to reconcile.
"Your Majesty, to summarize the count of losses, we lost two of the older battlecruisers. In turn we saw one of theirs to go down, but almost certainly sank, most likely, two. One or two more may have sunk unseen, so on a balance of probabilities perhaps four in total. To think we have sunk all five might be a bit presumptuous at this time. We have lost one battleship as far we know for certain here, but must expect to lose one or two more, even three, from damage received. In return we saw three of theirs sink, and the Admiralty believes strongly that we sank three more, with several more possible. Two, and probably four, of their predreadoughts were sunk.
“Sir, of course many ships were damaged on both sides, although we have a good number with little or no damage. The 5th Battle Squadron and all of our newer battlecruisers have been put out of action for some many months, but the enemy has lost most or all of his battlecruisers. In battleships, we lost a few, but clearly less than the enemy, and we started with a large superiority. We have some with little to no damage, whereas the enemy has few or more likely none that did not suffer at least a few hits, and overall they will not be able to send out a fleet for months.”
"Thank you, Mr. Balfour. As for the rest I am pleased that we chased the huns back to their lair with a severe battering. Our ship repair capacity will now put us well ahead of them for the foreseeable future. Presumably it will give us a chance in the coming months to retire some of the more outdated vessels, and not risk additional lives in them, at least not in front-line roles.
“I will be pleased to hear more of the results whenever you have it. My naval equerry will be standing by to take your calls, and to arrange for you to meet with me on short notice. Gentlemen, thank you and congratulations. I am certain you are both among the busiest of men in this bustling city, so I shall not detain you further. Thank you both for coming. Mr. Asquith. Mr. Balfour, I will be available to meet with you at any hour."
All shook hands and inwardly sighed with the relief that the enemy fleet had been bested.
"Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty."
--- finis ---
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Why do I get the feeling that if Moore dies of his wounds that a KGV class(1937) Battleship will be named after him. Also I'm pretty sure the Kaiser probably had a stroke when he heard about this timeline's Jutland's outcome. Although I'm pretty sure the Germans won't stop building the Mackensens or the two otl incomplete Bayerns in this timeline which means all the Admiral class battlecruisers will probably end up being completed which will make this timeline's Washington Naval Treaty interesting(maybe the Nelsons don't get built?).Poor Warspite she never gets any luck as related to her steering issues.
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@vpsoccer: A very good end to a fantastic story, thank you. Bravo Zulu.
This TL definitely deserves to be nominated when next year's Turtledoves roll round.
This TL definitely deserves to be nominated when next year's Turtledoves roll round.
I would have liked to see the German after Action Report. In the cold assessments the German command has to make about their Fleet and its future
Well its more likely the resources would come from U-boat construction, which in turn would free up the resources the UK otl spent on escorts to be used on the Admirals