Battles:
The Battle of Heligoland Bight, 1914
Updated - Saturday, 18 August, 2001
Designed
by the British as a means of attacking German patrols in the north-west
German coast, the encounter at Heligoland Bight on 28 August 1914 comprised
the first naval battle of the war.
Commander Tyrwhitt was charged with leading the Harwich Force of two light
cruisers, Fearless and Arethusa, accompanied by two flotillas of 31
destroyers, 1st and 3rd Flotillas, in a raid upon German shipping located
close to the German naval base at Heligoland.
Acting as cover for Tyrwhitt's force was the First Battle Cruiser Squadron,
recently arrived from
Scapa Flow and under the command of Vice Admiral
Beatty. His squadron consisted of the battleships New Zealand and
Invincible, plus three battlecruisers.
Tyrwhitt began the action by sinking two German torpedo boats at around 7am
on 28 August. Not entirely surprised by the British attack, the
Germans hastily deployed the Frauenlob and the Stettin, joined shortly
afterwards by four other light cruisers, including Rear Admiral Mass's
flagship, Koln.
Finding himself outgunned by the German defence and under increasing fire,
with the Arethusa heavily damaged, Tyrwhitt called Beatty for urgent
assistance at 11.25am. Beatty, some 40km to the north, hurried to
Tyrwhitt's assistance, arriving at 12.40pm. In time to save Tyrwhitt,
Beatty's squadron sunk Mainz, Koln, and Ariadne and damaged a further three
other cruisers.
Retreating hurriedly under the cover of mist, the Germans had lost 1,200
men, as opposed to just 35 British fatalities.
As a consequence of the action, Beatty enhanced his reputation as a fighting
seaman; it also influenced the Admiralty's decision to appoint Beatty as
Commander of the
Grand Fleet, replacing
Sir John Jellicoe, who was summarily
dismissed by
Lloyd George on Christmas Eve, 1917, in a dispute over the use
of convoy shipping.
Beatty's success however overshadowed deficiencies in the British handling
of the encounter, in areas as diverse as planning and communication.
Click here to view a map of naval operations in 1914.
Photograph courtesy of Photos of the Great War website.
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"Harry Tate" was the nickname given by British pilots to the R.E.8 aircraft. |
Original Material © Michael Duffy 2000-07, SafeSurf Rated
