Quicksand Fans

Ago today, the Battle of Jutland (or as the Germans call it, Skagerrakschlacht) was fought. The Largest Meeting of Dreadnaught Battleships in history. Complex, and sparking controversy (you might say, argument) that persists to this day. The most recent book Jutland: The Unfinished Battle by John Jellicoe, the Admiral's grandson, still being read and will comment on later. There are more, not in release just yet. The simplest tactical analysis would be the Germans sank more ships than they lost, which is true. But when you have two fleets meeting, it gets messy. This battle alone proved that the High Seas Fleet, while technically the equal if not superior in some areas to the Royal Navy, also proved that in the battle of heavy guns, British firepower was unmatched. And that the then-new Queen Elizabeth Class, were the most powerful warships afloat. As someone put it, 'the German Navy has assaulted it's jailer, but remains in jail'

This cast the die for Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, which ultimately would bring the United States into the war, and seal Germany's fate. And set up the events for the next nearly 30 years.

always found it ironic, building the German fleet and the British determination to stay #1 was one of the factors leading to the war, but they only met in force this once

This was from a period newspaper, comparing the casualties at Jutland with other famous battles in history. You can tell pretty much from a glance which ships suffered catastrophic fates