The War in the North Sea by Quintin Barry

Author:Quintin Barry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / world War I
ISBN: 9781913118259
Publisher: Helion and Company
Published: 2018-10-29T16:00:00+00:00

23

Strategic Changes

Apart from some ineffective shots at the Zeppelins that frequently appeared, the Grand Fleet had not been in action on August 19, but the events of the day had, as Newbolt observed, made a great impression on Jellicoe. He was particularly exercised by what he saw as the inadequacy of the force of destroyers necessary to screen the battle fleet. He set out the risks to which he was exposed:

The experience of August 19 showed that light cruisers, proceeding at even the highest speed unscreened by destroyers, ran considerable danger from enemy submarines. The enemy’s submarine commanders were no doubt increasing in efficiency, and risks which we could afford to run earlier in the war were now unjustifiable. Representations were made to the Admiralty to the effect that it was considered that in future light cruisers should be screened by at least one destroyer per ship; the number of destroyers available for the Grand Fleet did not at the time admit of this, but as the total complement of 100 (the number intended to be appropriated to the Fleet) was reached, destroyers could be allotted to most of the light cruisers in the advanced line, provided there were not many absent from the Fleet carrying out extraneous services.1

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