Elated by their success in killing the defenceless townsfolk of unprotected towns, the Germans now prepared for another dash across the North Sea. We do not know exactly what their object was. Some tell us that an attack was to be made on the Tyne or the Forth; others say that the enemy hoped to get one or more of his battle cruisers round the north of Scotland, so that they might prey on British commerce. Whatever the object may have been, Rear-Admiral Hipper, who was in command of the Battle Cruiser Squadron detailed for the work, knew that he would probably have to meet a British fleet. If so, he intended to run for home without delay, and to lure the British ships into a trap. He enlarged the minefield north of Heligoland, and gathered there a large force of submarines. He fondly believed that he could entice our vessels into this dangerous area, where his submarines, together with the seaplanes and Zeppelins which were in readiness on the island, would make short work of them. Such was his plan. We are now to see how it failed.
The night of Saturday, the 23rd, was foggy, and our destroyers scouting east of the Dogger Bank tossed all night on the waves, scarcely able to pierce the gloom for a hundred yards around them. Sunday morning, however, dawned sharp and clear; the wind had changed to the north-east, and had swept the mists from the seas. About seven in the morning the light cruiser _Aurora_ sighted the German squadron off the Dogger. At once she signalled the news to Admiral Beatty, and opened fire.
The German squadron which the _Aurora_ had sighted consisted of the _Seydlitz_ (which flew the flag of Rear-Admiral Hipper), the _Moltke_, the _Derfflinger_, the _Bluecher_, together with six light cruisers and a flotilla of destroyers. The first three of the vessels named had a speed of nearly 27 knots, and were armed with either 12-inch or 11-inch guns. The _Bluecher_ was an older and much slower vessel; she could steam 24 knots, and her main armament consisted of 8.2-inch guns. It was clear that in a chase she would have to be left behind, and thus would fall a prey to the enemy.
To meet this force, Admiral Beatty had under his command the great battle cruisers _Lion_, _Tiger_, _Princess Royal_, and _New Zealand_; together with the _Indomitable_, four cruisers of the "town" class--the _Southampton_, the _Nottingham_, the _Birmingham_, and the _Lowestoft_; three light cruisers--the _Arethusa_, the _Aurora_, and the _Undaunted_; as well as two destroyer flotillas. His squadron was superior to that of the Germans in numbers, speed, and weight of fire.