No. 1396/H.F. 0022.
"Iron Duke,"
18th June 1916.
Sir,
BE pleased to inform the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that in accordance with the instructions contained in their Lordships' telegram No. 434 of 30th May, Code time 1740, the Grand Fleet proceeded to sea on 30th May 1916.
2. The instructions given to those portions of the fleet that were not in company with my flag at Scapa Flow were as follows:
—
To Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Jerram, with Second BattleSquadron at Invergordon :—
"Leave as soon as ready. Pass through Lat. 58° 15' N., Long. 2° 0' E., meet me 2.0 p.m. to-morrow 31st, Lat. 57° 45' N., Long. 4° 15' E. Several enemy submarines known to be in North Sea."
Acknowledge.
1930 (Code time)."
To Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty, Commanding the Battlecruiser
fleet at Rosyth, with the Fifth Battle Squadron, Rear
Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas in company :
—
"Urgent, Priority.
Admiralty telegram 1740.
Available vessels. Battle-cruiser Fleet, Fifth Battle Squadron and T.B.D.s including Harwich T.B.D.s proceed to approximate position Lat. 56° 40' N., Long. 5° 0' E. Desirable to economise T.B.D.'s fuel. Presume you will be there about 2.0 p.m. tomorrow 31st. I shall be in about Lat. 57° 45' N., Long. 4° 15' E. by 2.0 p.m. unless delayed by fog.
Third Battle Cruiser Squadron, "Chester" and "Canterbury" will leave with me. I will send them on to your rendezvous.
If no news by 2.0 p.m. stand towards me to get in visual touch.
I will steer for Horn Reef from position Lat. 57° 45 'N., Long 4° 15' E.
Repeat back rendezvous.
1937 (Code time)."
3. I felt no anxiety in regard to the advanced position of the force under Sir David Beatty, supported as it was by four ships of the Fifth Battle Squadron as this force was far superior in gun power to the First Scouting Group and the speed of the slowest ships was such as to enable it to keep out of range of superior enemy forces.
4. The operation, however, showed that the ships of the Third Squadron of the High Sea Fleet possess an unexpected turn of speed for at any rate a short period. The "Queen Elizabeth" class are nominally 20-knot vessels. The official Quarterly Return of British and Foreign War Vessels gives the "König" and "Kaiser" classes a designed speed of 20·5 knots. I have always expected that they might reach 22 knots for a short distance, but the fact that the Fifth Battle Squadron was unable to increase its distance from the German ships when steaming at their utmost speed comes as an unpleasant surprise and will have considerable effect on the conduct of future operations. It is quite evident that all German ships possess a speed much in excess of that for which they are nominally designed.
5. When Sir David Beatty sighted the enemy battle-cruisers he adopted the correct and only possible course in engaging and endeavouring to keep between the enemy and his base. Whether the First Scouting Group was supported or not, his duty would be to engage and keep touch with the enemy vessels of similar class to his own, so long as he was not in manifestly inferior force. In this case he had a great superiority, and there could be no question as to his action.
6. The disturbing feature of the battle-cruiser action is the fact that five German battle-cruisers engaging six British vessels of this class, supported after the first twenty minutes, although at great range, by the fire of four battleships of the "Queen Elizabeth " class, were yet able to sink the "Queen Mary" and "Indefatigable." It is true that the enemy suffered very heavily later, and that one vessel, the " Lützow," was undoubtedly destroyed, but even so the result cannot be other than unpalatable. The facts which contributed to the British losses were, first, the indifferent armour protection of our battle-cruisers, particularly as regards turret armour and deck plating, and, second, the disadvantage under which our vessels laboured in regard to the light. Of this there can be no question.
But it is also undoubted that the gunnery of the German battle-cruisers in the early stages was of a very high standard. They appeared to get on to their target and establish hitting within two or three minutes of opening fire in almost every case, and this at very long ranges of 18,000 yards. The German vessels appear to use some such system of fire as the Petravic method as the guns do not go off exactly together, and it unquestionably gives excellent results. The "spread" for both direction and elevation is very small and the rapidity of fire very great.