The Battle of Jutland
At the start of World War 1, the British Royal Navy was the strongest in the world. They established a naval blockade of Germany immediately after the outbreak of the war. By blocking off the North Sea, the British prevented Germany from receiving many imports and the Germans saw it as an attempt to starve their country.
The Germans primarily relied on its fleet of U-boat submarines for any conflict at sea. However, in May 1916, the German High Seas Fleet planned to ambush the British by bombarding England to draw some ships away, then trying to punch through the blockade.
The British intercepted German communications and deciphered the code. They sent a fleet of almost 150 ships to intercept the German fleet of nearly 100 ships.
On May 31, 1916, the two fleets encountered each other in the North Sea. Large steel battleships, lighter battlecruisers, heavy warships, and fast-moving destroyers bombarded each other with torpedoes and guns firing high explosive warheads. The fighting continued into the next day with multiple ships sunk on each side.
The German fleet withdrew under cover of darkness on June 1st ending the battle. Both sides claimed victory. Fourteen British and 11 German ships sank, and there were almost 10,000 casualties.
While the British lost more ships and sailors, they succeeded in maintaining their naval blockade of the North Sea. The Germans were able to preserve their fleet but realized they could not take on the larger British fleet head-on. Instead, they turned to unrestricted submarine warfare and attacking Allied shipping, a tactic that would move the United States closer to joining the war.
Jutland was the largest naval battle and the only full-scale clash of battleships in World War 1. It was also the last major battle in history fought primarily by battleships.
