A NORTH SEA DIARY 1914-1918

=A NORTH SEA DIARY 1914-1918 COMMANDER STEPHEN KING-HALL =

This book was originally published under the title of " A NAVAL LIEUTENANT " The book can be download, free of charge, here

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THERE is no doubt that this action at which the most powerful fleets that have ever sailed the seas met in battle, will provide material for discussion for many years. Trafalgar has been discussed and studied for over a hundred years, and it seems likely that the problems of Jutland will displace the problems of Trafalgar in the minds of the students of naval war. Such being the case, I feel that anything written about Jutland should be written, if it is meant to be a serious contribution to naval literature, with a due sense of responsibility. In the battle of Jutland, I was by the chance of war placed in certain positions, at certain times, in such manner that in looking back on the action, I do not believe that a single observer could have seen more, except from an aeroplane. Most of the time I was engaged in taking notes, and it is of what I saw that I proposed to write. It may thus be accepted that, unless otherwise stated, the incidents described are facts for which I am pre- pared to vouch to the extent of my belief in my own eyesight.

On the afternoon of the 3oth May, 1916, we were lying at Rosyth, and I was walking up and down the quarter- deck on watch when a string of flags rose from the Lion's signal bridge.

I recognized it to be a steaming signal, and it turned out to be " Flag : Lion to Battle-cruiser Force and Fifth

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Battle Squadron. Raise steam and report when ready to proceed." We at once began to get the ship ready for sea. Our sub-lieutenant, one H. B by name, was in the hospital ship close at hand, where he had been sent to, have his tonsils cut out. I had a curious feeling that we were going to have a " show," and quite without authority I sent him this note in our steamboat. " DEAR H. B , I believe we are going out on a stunt, the steamboat is going to be hoisted, but if you want to come and can get away from the hospital ship, nip into her and come over." The Commodore had just come back from the shore, and I told him what I had done, and though he did not exactly disapprove, I saw that he thought it rather unnecessary.  When H. B arrived straight from bed I believe he practically broke out of the hospital ship our Fleet Surgeon was scandalized, and promptly ordered him to bed. I remember that I felt rather foolish when I went down to see him, and could only reply in answer to his inquiries as to how long the Huns had been out, that as far as I knew they were not out at all.  We sailed at 9 p.m.  The three light cruiser squadrons were up to strength, but the Third Battle-cruiser Squadron was at Scapa doing gunnery exercises ; they were commanded by Admiral Hood .  We were reinforced by the Fifth Battle Squadron, consisting of the Malaya, Warspite, Barham, and Valiant, under the command of Rear-Admiral Evan Thomas. The only other absentee was the Australia, away refitting. We did not know why we were going out, and to this moment I have never been able to find out officially what we hoped to do, but the on dit was and still is,

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that we were to support an air raid or perhaps a mine- laying expedition in the Bight. At all events our immediate destination was a rendezvous near the Horns Reef. The Germans stated after the action that their forces were engaged on an enterprise to the North. I strongly suspect that this enterprise consisted in getting the British Battle-cruiser Force between their battle-cruisers and battle-fleet, for they knew very well that the region of the Horns Reef was a favourite spot of ours when we were making a reconnaissance towards the German coast. Everything points to the fact that for once they expected us there and laid their plans accordingly ; or else they were out to do a raid on North-sea trade. It will be seen how very nearly this former state of affairs materialized, though it is impossible to assert definitely whether it was by accident or design. We did not appear to be expecting Huns, as we cruised along to the eastward at no great speed ; I think we were making good either 17 or 19 knots. At noon we received orders to have full speed ready at half an hour's notice, but as we were getting well over towards the Danish coast, this order partook of the nature of pre-cautionary routine. The order of the Fleet was the usual cruising formation by day. Course approximately east. The battle-cruisers were in two lines and close to them was the cruiser Champion and the attached destroyers. The seaplane-carrier Engardine was also in company. Five miles ahead of the Lion, the light-cruiser screen was spread on a line of bearing roughly north and south. The squadrons were in groups of two ships 5 miles apart, and the order from north to south was First Light Cruiser Squadron under Commodore Sinclair, with his broad pennant in the Galatea ; Third Light

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Cruiser Squadron under Rear-Admiral Trevelyan Napier, with his flag in the Chatham ; and Second Light Cruiser Squadron, consisting of Southampton flying the broad pennant of our Commodore , the Birmingham (Captain Duff) , the Dublin (Captain Scott) , the Nottingham (Captain Miller). Those of us who were off watch were dozing in the smoking-room after lunch, when the secretary put his head in, and said, " Galatea at the northern end of the line has sighted and is chasing two hostile cruisers." This was at 2.23 and woke us all up with a jump. I quickly went to my cabin and made certain preparations which I always did when there was a chance of something happening. These preparations consisted in putting on as many clothes as possible, collecting my camera, notebook and pencils, chocolate, and other aids to war in comfort in case of a prolonged stay at action stations. At 2.56 the Galatea reported that she had sighted the German battle-cruisers, and we went to action stations, and the ship began to throb as we worked up to full speed. At about 3 p.m. we all turned to the N.E. to close the reported position of the enemy, who had turned from their original course of north to south. As the northern edge of our screen only just made contact with the western edge of their screen it will be seen how nearly we missed them. The turn towards the north-east had brought us (Second Light Cruiser Squadron) on the starboard quarter of the Lion and distant but 2 miles from her. At 3.55 the Lion turned to south-east and the battle- cruisers assumed line of battle. This placed us before her starboard beam, and without orders we pressed at our utmost speed, followed by our three light cruisers to a position ahead of the Lion. The First and Third Light Cruiser Squadrons,

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without signal, took station astern of the battle cruisers. It was in these and subsequent movements without signals that the value was exemplified of all the exercises we light cruisers had done with the Lion, The light-cruiser commanders knew exactly what Sir David expected of them, and they did it. As the battle-cruisers turned into line, I caught a faint distant glimpse of the silvery hulls of the German battle-cruisers, though owing to the great range only parts of their upper works were visible for short intervals. They appeared to be steering a slightly converging course. As the battle-cruisers came into line, with the Champion, her destroyers, and ourselves ahead of them, both our own battle-cruisers and the Germans opened fire practically simultaneously. Our line consisted of the Lion, Princess Royal, Queen Mary, Tiger, New Zealand, and Indefatigable, in the order named. The Germans were almost entirely merged into a long, smoky cloud on the eastern horizon, the sort of cloud that presages a thunderstorm, and from this gloomy retreat a series of red flashes darting out in our direction indicated the presence of five German battle-cruisers. It was at once evident that though the Germans were but indifferently visible to us, we on the other hand were silhouetted against a bright and clear western horizon, as far as the enemy were concerned. The German shooting, as has been the case through-out the war, was initially of an excellent quality. Our battle-cruisers about a mile away just on our port quarter were moving along in a forest of tremendous splashes. Their guns trained over on the port beam were firing regular salvos. At 4.15 (approx.) I was watching our line from my

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position in the after-control, when without any warning an immense column of grey smoke with a fiery base and a flaming top stood up on the sea, where the Indefatigable should have been. It hung there for I don't know how many seconds, and then a hole appeared in this pillar of smoke, through which I caught a glimpse of the forepart of the Indefatigable lying on its side ; then there was a streak of flame and a fresh outpouring of smoke. I turned with a sinking heart and watched the remaining five battle-cruisers. I can nor could I next day remember no noise. We were not, of course, firing ourselves, and it seemed to me that I was being carried along in a kind of dream. I wondered what would happen next ; each time the splashes rose on either side of the line of great ships it was like a blow to the body. We could not see from our low deck where the 13 -5-inch shells were falling on that sinister eastern horizon from which the maddening jets of flame darted in and out. At 4.23, in the flicker of an eyelid, the beautiful Queen Mary was no more. A huge stem of grey smoke shot up to perhaps a thousand feet, swaying slightly at the base. The top of this stem of smoke expanded and rolled downwards. Flames rose and fell, in the stalk of this monstrous mushroom. The bows of a ship, a bridge, a mast, slid out of the smoke perhaps after all the Queen Mary was still there. No ! it was the next astern the Tiger. Incredible as it may sound, the Tiger passed right over the spot on which the Queen Mary had been destroyed, and felt nothing. The time interval between her passage over the grave of the Queen Mary and the destruction of the latter ship would be about 40-60 seconds. Just before the Tiger appeared, I saw some piece of

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debris go whirling up a full 1,000 feet above the top of the smoke it might have been the armour plates from the top of a turret. I remember that I found it impossible to realize that I had just seen 2,000 men, and many personal friends, killed ; it seemed more like a wonderful cinematograph picture. What did worry me was that we were now reduced to four. I remember saying to H. B, who incidentally had appeared from his sick-bed in pyjamas and a dressing-gown, though he subsequently put on some more clothes, " At this rate, by 5 p.m. we shall have no battle-cruisers." He nodded solemnly he was so hoarse he could only whisper. " But," I added, " by the laws of chance one of them will blow up next, you see." We were by now right ahead of the Lion, and as I watched her, I saw a tremendous flash amidships, as she was hit by a shell or shells. I saw the whole ship stagger ; for what seemed eternity I held my breath, half expecting her to blow up, but she held on and showed no signs of outward injury. Actually her midship turret, manned by the marines, was completely put out of action, and had it not been for the heroism of the major of marines the ship might have gone. He lost his life and gained the V.C. Soon after the Lion received this blow the Thirteenth Flotilla was ordered to make an attack on the German line. It was extremely difficult to see the destroyers after they started, but I could vaguely see that they were coming under heavy fire as they got about half-way across. It was during this attack that Nestor and Nomad were lost and Commander Bingham gained his V.C. At 4.38 a very startling development took place.

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We suddenly saw and reported light cruisers followed by the High Seas Fleet bearing south-east. Sir David Beatty at once signalled to the Battle-cruiser Force to alter course 16 points (180). This manoeuvre was executed by the battle-cruisers in succession. The German battle-cruisers were doing the same thing at the same moment. We disobeyed the signal, or rather delayed obeying it for two reasons Firstly, we wished to get close enough to the High Seas Fleet to examine them and report accurately on their composition and disposition. Secondly, we had hopes of delivering a torpedo attack on the long crescent-shaped line of heavy ships which were stretched round on our port bow. It was a strain steaming at 25 knots straight for this formidable line of battleships, with our own friends going fast away from us in the opposite direction. As we got closer I counted sixteen or seventeen battleships with the four Konig class in the van and the six older pre-Dreadnoughts in the rear. Seconds became minutes and still they did not open fire, though every second I expected to see a sheet of flame ripple down their sides and a hail of shell fall around us. I can only account for this strange inactivity on their part by the theory that as they only saw us end on, and we were steering on opposite courses to the remaining British ships, they assumed we were a German light cruiser squadron that had been running away from the British battle-cruisers. Only in this manner can I account for the strange fact that they allowed us to get to within 13,000 yards of their line, and never fired a shot at us. This theory is supported by the fact that when at 4.45 the calm voice of Petty Officer Barnes on the foremost rangefinder intoned, " Range one, three, five, double ho ! Range, one, three, two, double ho ! "

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the Commodore saw that we could not get into a position for a torpedo attack, and as we should be lucky if we got out of the place we were then in, he gave the order for the turning signal, which had been flying for five minutes, to be hauled down. Over went the helms, and the four ships slewed round, bringing our sterns to the enemy. As we turned the fun began, and half a dozen German battleships opened a deliberate fire on the squadron. My action station was aft, but I could hear every thing that passed on the fore-bridge, as I was in direct communication by voice-pipe. I heard the imperturbable Petty Officer Barnes continuing his range taking " Range one, three, two, double ho ! Range one, double three, double ho ! " Crash ! Bang ! Whizzzz ! and a salvo crumped down around us, the fragments whistling and sobbing overhead. Suddenly I heard Petty Officer Barnes say, with evident satisfaction, " Range hobscured ! "  I took a general look round, and the situation was as follows (see Figs. 3 and 4). About three or four miles north of us our battle-cruisers were steaming along, making a good deal of smoke and firing steadily at what I imagined to be the German battle-cruisers' distant hulls on our starboard bow. Then came a gap of two miles between the battle- cruisers and the Fifth Battle Squadron. These latter four ships had passed the battle-cruisers on opposite courses when Sir David Beatty turned north, and as soon as they had passed him, Rear-Admiral Evan Thomas turned his squadron to north-by-west, and followed up the battle-cruisers. It will be remembered that whilst this was going on we (Second Light Cruiser Squadron) had still been going south. When we turned to north, we found ourselves about a mile behind the last ship of the Fifth

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Battle Squadron. Our squadron was not in line, but scattered as shown in Fig 5. As flagship we had the post of honour nearest to the enemy. We maintained this position for one hour, during which time we were under persistent shell-fire from the rear six ships of the German line. But we had them under observation, and we were able to transmit news of great importance to Sir John Jellicoe, whom we knew to be hurrying down from the north to our support. We had experienced one shock to the system, on sighting the German Fleet right ahead, and we all anticipated that the Huns would shortly enjoy the same sensation The Fifth Battle Squadron just ahead of us were a brave sight. They were receiving the concentrated fire of some twelve German heavy ships, but it did not seem to be worrying them, and though I saw several shells hit the Warspite just ahead of us, the German shooting at these ships did not impress me very favourably. Our own position was not pleasant. The half-dozen older battleships at the tail of the German line were out of range to fire at the Fifth Battle-cruiser, but though we had gradually drawn out to 15,000-16,000 yards, we were inside their range, and they began to do a sort of target practice in slow time on our squadron. I was in the after-control with half a dozen men, H. B, and the clerk. We crouched down behind the tenth-of-an-inch plating and ate bully beef, but it didn't seem to go down very easily. It seemed rather a waste of time to eat beef, for surely in the next ten minutes one of those 11-inch shells would get us, they couldn't go on falling just short and just over indefinitely, and, well, if one did hit us light cruisers were not designed to digest 11-inch high explosives in their stomachs.

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The sub, who was practically speechless owing to his bad throat, and I agreed that we would not look at the Hun line. But we could never resist having a peep about once a minute, and somehow we always seemed to look just as two or three of the great brutes flickered flames from their guns at us, and we knew that another salvo was on its way across. We knew the time of flight was twenty-three seconds, and the sub had a wrist-watch with a prominent second- hand we almost agreed to throw it overboard after three-quarters of an hour's shelling ; at the twenty- third second the sub would make a grimace, and as if in reply a series of splitting reports and lugubrious moans announced that the salvo had arrived. Frequently they were so close that torrents of spray from the splashes splattered down on the boat-deck. Each shell left a muddy pool in the water, and appeared to burst on impact. We all compared notes afterwards and decided that during this hour about fifty to sixty shells fell within 100 yards of the ship, and many more slightly farther off. I attribute our escape, as far as we were able to contribute towards it, to the very clever manner in which " I ," our navigator, zig-zagged the ship according to where he estimated the next salvo would fall. It was possible to forecast this to a certain extent, as it was obvious that the Huns were working what is technically known as " a ladder." That is to say, the guns are fired with an increase of range to each salvo until " the target is crossed," and then the range is decreased for each salvo until the splashes are short of the target once again. It is thus a creeping barrage which moves up and down across the target. The best way to avoid it, is to sheer in towards the enemy when the groups of tall splashes are coming

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towards the ship, and as soon as they have crossed over and begin once more to come towards the ship, then reverse the helm and sheer away from the enemy. The fascination of watching these deadly and graceful splashes rising mysteriously from the smooth sea was enormous. To know that the next place where they would rise was being calculated by some Hun perched up in one of those distant masts, and that he was watching these " leetle cruiser ships " through a pair of Zeiss binoculars and I was watching his ship through a similar pair of Zeiss was really very interesting. It would have been very interesting indeed if I could have been calculating the position of the splashes round his ship ; but he was 16,000 yards away, and our gun-sights stopped at 14,500, so we just had to sit and hope we'd see the Grand Fleet soon. At 6.17 p.m. the news that the Grand Fleet had been sighted right ahead spread round the ship like wild-fire. Forgotten was the steady shelling now we'd give them hell. The battle drew on to its dramatic climax when as faintly ahead in the smoke and haze the great line of Grand Fleet battleships became visible curling across to the eastward (Fig. 4). They had just deployed. Then two armoured cruisers appeared from right ahead between ourselves and the German line. They were steering about south-west, and were moving in an appalling concentration of fire from the German battleships. Whom could they be ? As I watched, the leading ship glowed red all over and seemed to burst in every direction. Our men cheered frantically thinking it was a Hun. Alas ! I had caught a brief glimpse of a white ensign high above the smoke and flame, it was the Defence flying the flag of the gallant Sir Robert Arbuthnot. The ship astern was the Warrior, and it was evident that she was hard hit.

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The Huns redoubled their efforts upon her, when a most extraordinary incident amazed both sides. The Warspite, just ahead of us, altered course to starboard and proceeded straight for the centre of the Hun line (Fig. 5). For some moments she was unfired at, then as she continued to go straight for the Germans the tornado of fire lifted from the Warrior, hovered as it seemed in space, and fell with a crash about the Warspite. The Warrior, burning in several places, battered and wrecked, with steam escaping from many broken pipes, dragged slowly out of the battle to the westward ; she passed about 400 yards under our stern. Meanwhile with sinking hearts the sub and I watched the Warspite and wondered what her amazing career portended. I focused her in my reflex camera, but so certain did I feel that she would be destroyed that I could not bring myself to expose the plate. I should guess that she reached a position about 8,000 yards from the German line when to our relief she slowly turned round, and still lashing out viciously with all her 15-inch guns she rejoined the British lines. At our end of the line there was a distinct lull. In fact, the speed of the tail of the Fleet became so slow that our squadron turned 32 points (a complete circle) in order not to bunch up on the battleships. In the course of this manoeuvre we very nearly had a collision with one of the Fifth Battle Squadron, the Valiant or Malaya. It was now possible to try and take a general survey of the battle (Fig. 5). It was evident that the day of days had dawned, though too near sunset to suit us. At last the Grand Fleet and High Seas Fleet were up against each other, and the fate of nations was being decided. For a seemingly endless distance the line of Grand Fleet battleships stretched away to the east. To the south, the German line, partially obscured in mist, lay in the shape of a shallow convex arc.

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The Grand Fleet were loosing off salvos with splendid rapidity. The German shooting was simply ludicrously bad. Looking up our line, I sometimes saw a stray shell fall short of our battle fleet, and every now and then I saw a few fall over. Otherwise nothing anywhere near them. I remember seeing the Agincourt, a few ships ahead of us, let off a lo-gun salvo a truly Kolossal spectacle, as a Hun would say. It was about now that I noticed that though the surface of the sea was quite calm, yet the ship was rolling quite appreciably. I then discovered that the whole surface of the sea was heaving up and down in a confused swell, which was simply due to the wash created by the two-hundred-odd ships which were moving about at high speeds. Far ahead, rapid flashes and much smoke indicated that furious attacks and counter-attacks were taking place between the rival destroyer flotillas and their supporting light cruisers. The battle area of these desperate conflicts between gun platforms of 1/4 -inch steel, moving at the speed of an express train, was the space between the vans of the two Fleets. We were too far off to see any details of this fighting ; but at 6.47 we reached the spot where it had taken place. The first thing we saw was a German three funnel cruiser, the Wiesbaden. She was battered badly, as she had been lying inert between the two lines, and whenever a British battleship could not see her target she opened on the Wiesbaden. We were simply longing to hit something, and this seemed our chance. Increasing speed to 20 knots we turned and led our squadron in to administer the coup de grace. Turning to bring our broadsides to bear at 6,000 yards, we directed a stream of 6-inch on the Hun, who replied

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feebly with one gun. There is no doubt that the men who worked that gun had the right spirit in them. Beyond the Wiesbaden, at a range of about 14,000 yards, our old friends the pre-dreadnoughts were toddling along at the stern of the German line. During our approach to the Wiesbaden they had preserved an ominous silence. It did not remain thus for long. The six of them opened a rapid fire on us, and we were at once obliged to open the range without delay. We scuttled back to the tail of the British line as hard as we could, zig-zagging like snipe, with n-inch crumping down ahead, on both sides, and astern of us. (See our track, Fig. 5-) I counted a bunch of three about 40 yards on the starboard beam of the ship, and H. B, who was hanging out over the other side of the after-control, reported a group of seven close to the ship on the port beam. At this period (7.5 p.m.) twilight was beginning and the visibility was partly spoiled by low-lying clouds of funnel and brown cordite smoke, which hung like a gloomy pall over the scene. It was apparent from the curve of our line that we were gradually working round to the eastward of the Huns, and at 7.30 p.m. the Germans decided to make a supreme effort to get out of the nasty position they were being forced into, viz. the centre of a semicircle, of which the British Fleet was the circumference. That they got out very cleverly must be admitted. A few destroyers crept out at the head of their line, and almost immediately afterwards a dense smoke- screen unfurled itself between us and the enemy. Before this screen had reached its full length the Germans were altering course 8 points together to starboard, and escaping from the deadly fire of the British battleships.

One of the minor incidents of battle now took place. A German destroyer, part of the debris of the destroyer