The Battlecruiser New Zealand by Matthew Wright

Author:Matthew Wright
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / Naval
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2021-08-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

JUTLAND

It was miles more exciting than the other shows and we had a pretty hot time as we had to take on not only their battlecruisers, but about a dozen of their leading battleships and in addition to that they had a most terrific advantage of light …

Sub-Lieutenant Mick Barcroft to Bell Irving, 15 June 1916.1

The Battle of Jutland was the only clash of the great fleets in the First World War, a hectic afternoon and evening on 31 May–1 June 1916 whose human impact for both nations is still remembered by families who lost loved ones in the battle. As Peter Hart and Nigel Steel have pointed out, it produced casualties for the Royal Navy of similar scale to those of an army ‘push’ on the Western Front, a point often forgotten by history.2 The majority of the 6,784 British officers and men killed during the battle were aboard the three battlecruisers and two armoured cruisers sunk with the loss of virtually all hands.3

New Zealand was nearly not in the battle at all, after an incident on 21 April. Pakenham’s squadron sailed from Rosyth at 4am that day to support a cruiser and destroyer sweep into the Kattegat, enforcing the blockade. Soon afterwards word came that the High Seas Fleet was sailing. Beatty took the rest of the battlecruiser fleet to sea and rendezvoused with Pakenham. Jellicoe, meanwhile, put to sea with the Grand Fleet. By midafternoon the battlecruisers were north-west of Horns Reef and steaming in line abreast. At 3.35pm Beatty ordered the ships to begin zig-zagging. Just then they entered a bank of fog. Australia was sailing with a cruiser to port, and swung to starboard while keeping a watch for New Zealand, which had been in that direction. Visibility was so poor, however, that when the two vessels spotted each other at 3.42pm they had no room to manoeuvre and struck a glancing blow. Australia came off second best, her side torn open from frames 59 to 78 by the armour plates protecting New Zealand’s side abaft P-turret, while New Zealand’s port outer propeller tore into Australia’s hull below Q-turret. This damaged the propeller and left New Zealand briefly uncontrollable. As a result, she swung across Australia’s bows and was rammed.4

To collide twice in three minutes was embarrassing. But here, close to enemy waters, it was potentially lethal. Australia came to a stop to let damage control parties stem incoming water, but New Zealand was able to keep moving. Both ships returned to Rosyth without further incident, where New Zealand was docked for repairs. Australia, however, had to be sent first to Newcastle, then Devonport. Both ships were out of action for around five weeks. The incident had a curious sequel when it finally surfaced back in New Zealand: reports that New Zealand had rammed Australia were dismissed on the basis that the collision had been the other way around.5 Trans-Tasman rivalries died hard.

Both battlecruisers were still in dock on 24 April when word came that the High Seas Fleet was coming out.

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