Armada Besar (Grand Fleet)[2][3] adalah pasukan utama Armada Tanahair (Home Fleet) British pada tahun 1916, berpengkalan di Scapa Flow di Pulau Orkney dan Invergordon di Muara Cromarty, Scotland[a].
Armada Besar mempunyai sejumlah 32 buah kapal Dreadnought dan kapal tempur Super-Dreadnought yang siap-sedia digunakan pada masa Jutland. Antaranya, 28 kapal mengambil bahagian, disusun dalam 4 Skuadron Tempur.[4] 24 buah kapal dari Skuadron Tempur Pertama, Ke-2 dan Ke-4 membentuk pasukan utama Armada, dan disenaraikan dibawah susunan dari barisan depan ke belakang berikutan aturgerak mereka untuk menyerang armada Jerman, 6:30pm 31 Mei 1916.
[b]
Skuadron ini, buat sementara diserapkan ke Armada Besar dari Armada Kruiser Tempur, telah ditempatkan jauh dari pasukan utama, dengan niat ia akan menyertai Beatty apabila peperangan itu bermula. Panglima Skuadron Kruiser Tempur Ke-3 ialah Laksdaya the Hon. Horace Lambert Alexander Hood K.C.B., D.S.O., M.V.O. †
Pasukan kapal laju ini berada dibawah Panglima Armada Besar, tetapi beroperasi secara bebas sebagai pengawal barisan depan, bertujuan untuk menjejak armada musuh dan menyerang pasukan peninjau musuh. Pada terasnya terdapat 6 kruiser tempur, disertai oleh 13 kruiser ringan, dan diiringi oleh 18 kapal pembinasa dan sebuah kapal pengangkut pesawat terawal.
[s]
Commander, Battle Cruiser Fleet: VAdm Sir David Richard Beatty, K.C.B., M.V.O., D.S.O. in HMS Lion
Ini adalah unit khas kelas-Queen Elizabeth yang pantas, bertindak sebagai pelopor barisan tempur utama. Di Pertempuran Jutland, ia beroperasi dengan Armada Kruiser Tempur, dan diiringi oleh Flotila Pembinasa Pertama.[w] The commander of the 5th Battle Squadron was RAdm Hugh Evan-Thomas, M.V.O.
Armada Laut Lepas adalah pasukan utama tentera laut permukaan Jerman, berpangkalan sepenuhnya di Wilhelmshaven, di Sungai Jade di Barat Laut Jerman.[13][14]
Panglima Armada Laut Lepas (Chef der Hochseeflotte): VAdm Reinhard Scheer in SMS Friedrich der Grosse
During the battle the Germans used the Zeppelin airships of the Naval Airship Section (Marine Luftschiff Abteilung) for scouting, although in the prevailing overcast conditions they were not particularly successful.
The commander of the Naval Airship Section was Lt Cdr Peter Strasser, and they flew from bases at Nordholz and Hage in north-west Germany and Tondern (then part of Schleswig; the town became part of Denmark in 1920).
Sortied on 31 May
L.9: Capt August Stelling (Army Officer, on the inactive list)
Ships sunk during the action are indicated thus: * ; officers killed in action thus: † .
^The German Navy's torpedo boats were of similar size and function to the destroyers in the Royal Navy, and are often referred as such.
British Section
^2nd Battle Squadron, 1st Cruiser Squadron and most of the 11th Destroyer Flotilla were at Invergordon, the remainder at Scapa Flow.
^Grand Fleet battleships were permanently assigned to Battle Squadrons of eight ships, divided into two divisions of four ships each. In addition a light cruiser accompanied the squadron to repeat visual signals (made by Morse lamp, flags or semaphore), to ensure that the commanding Admiral could stay in touch with all vessels without the use of wireless transmissions (which could betray the presence of the squadron to an enemy). The flagship of the Commander-in-Chief was separate from the squadron organization, but joined one of the divisions for tactical purposes. In addition, there was the 3rd Battle Squadron of older kelas-King Edward VIIpre-Dreadnought battleships, plus HMS Dreadnought herself, which was operating in the Thames Estuary at the time of Jutland. A 6th Battle Squadron of American battleships joined the Grand Fleet in December 1917.
^did not sail: HMS Royal Sovereign: Capt. A. T. Hunt, which was still working up.
^ In addition, the 10th Cruiser Squadron: RAdm Dudley de Chair, with 17 armed merchant cruisers, formed the Northern Patrol Force of the Grand Fleet, carrying out blockade duties (these vessels were not engaged at the Battle of Jutland).
^
The 2nd Cruiser Squadron had just absorbed Minotaur, Hampshire and Donegal from the disbanded 7th Cruiser Squadron on 30 May 1916.
Did not sail: HMS Achilles: Capt. F. M. Leake, which was in dock, and HMS Donegal: Capt. W. H. D'Oyly, which was on detached service
^ There is confusion about the exact name of this officer: the Navy List throughout the period 1914-1923, and the London Gazette in 1916 (announcing his CB) give his name as listed here. However in both earlier and later editions of the Navy List, in his service record, as well as in some (but not all) earlier editions of the London Gazette list him as Arthur Cloudesly Shovel Hughes D'Aeth; the probate records for England and Wales (reporting his death on 23 August 1956) list him as Arthur Cloudesley Shovell Hughes D'Aeth; his obituary in The Times (Saturday, Aug 25, 1956, pg. 11; Issue 53619) gives his name as Arthur Cloudesley Shovel Hughes-D'Aeth. There was similar confusion about the spelling of the name of his namesake, the 18th Century Admiral; in his case Cloudesley Shovell seems to be the accepted spelling nowadays.
^These did not form part of the line of battle;Abdiel was attached for tactical minelaying and Oak as a tender to the flagship. In addition the seaplane carrier HMS Campania: Capt Oliver Schwann sailed from Scapa Flow 0130 hrs, 31 May, but was too slow to catch the fleet and was ordered to return 0430 hrs 31 May; and the kite balloon tender HMS Menelaus: Cdr C. W. N. McCulloch, did not sail
^A typical Destroyer Flotilla (D.F.) consisted of 18 vessels: 16 destroyers (4 divisions of 4 vessels each, forming two half flotillas) plus two leaders (either a Light Cruiser or Flotilla leader) for the half-flotilla commanders. Unlike the German Navy, this organization was very flexible, being organized by the flotilla commander by signal when sailing, and subject to change during battle. The order of battle of British destroyers is based on the tactical organization at the start of the battle given in,[5] plus other sources as noted. It differs from that given in most published secondary sources, which reflect only the administrative order of battle. The destroyers in each flotilla were usually of a uniform design: the 1st Flotilla was made up of I-class vessels built in 1911, 4th Flotilla K-class, the 9th Flotilla (which had formerly been designated the 3rd Flotilla) L-class; the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Flotillas were kelas-Admiralty M. The sole exception at the time of Jutland was the Admiralty M-class destroyer HMS Ophelia, temporarily assigned to the 4th Flotilla (she was due to join the new 14th Flotilla later in 1916).
^Four destroyers detached from the 4th and 12th Destroyer Flotillas as escorts for the 2nd Cruiser Squadron.[6]
^Based at Cromarty Firth except for HMS Marne, HMS Manners, HMS Michael and HMS Mons at Scapa Flow. Did not sail: HMS Musketeer (refit) and HMS Marmion (refit).
^did not sail:
HMS Mameluke (refit, Glasgow) and HMS Napier (refit, Glasgow); also HMS Mischief assigned to Group 8/4th D.F.
^Attached from 5th Light Cruiser Squadron of the Harwich Force.
^I-class destroyers (except Ophelia) attached from 4th Destroyer Flotilla.
^Also known at different times during the war as Cruiser Force A, and the Battle Cruiser Force. At the time of Jutland, British battle cruisers were organized in three squadrons of three ships each, plus a fleet flagship. One of these Squadrons, the 3rd, was temporarily detached to the main body of the Grand Fleet. In addition there were three light cruiser squadrons and the 13th Destroyer Flotilla assigned (augmented at Jutland by additional attached destroyers). The Battle Cruiser Fleet was based at Rosyth on the Firth of Forth, Scotland.
^Did not sail: HMAS Australia: Capt S. H. Radcliffe, usual flagship of RADM Pakenham, which was in dock at Devonport.
^The 9th Destroyer Flotilla was part of the Harwich Force; this group of six destroyers were attached to the Battle Cruiser Fleet at the time of Jutland, and sailed under this designation with the organization given below.[10]
German Section
The German designations of ship types, fleets, squadrons and flotillas are given in brackets after the English designation.
^ Did not sail: SMS König Albert: Capt Thorbecke (condenser breakdown), SMS Bayern: Capt Max Hahn (new construction, working up at Kiel), tender SMS T.39.
^ Did not sail: SMS Berlin: Cdr Hildebrand, at Wilhelmshaven; and SMS Brummer: Capt Wilhelm Schulz, at Kiel.
^Flagship of the Leader of U-Boats: Capt Hermann Bauer, attached to the 4th Scouting Group for tactical purposes.
^German torpedo boat flotillas typically comprised two half-flotillas of five vessels each, plus an additional vessel for the flotilla commander. The boats were given numbers sequentially based on the order in which they were built. In addition, each boat had an initial letter denoting its builder: V for the Vulcan works at Stettin, S for the Schichau Works at Elbing in East Prussia, B for the Blohm und Voss Works at Hamburg, and G for Krupp's Germania Works at Kiel. All but one of the boats that fought at Jutland belonged to the number series than began with SMS V1 in 1911 (only SMS V189 belonged to the earlier series). Boats numbered 1-24 were of the 1911 Type[15] and served in the 5th and 7th Flotillas; boats numbered in the range 25-95 were of the 1913 Type[16] and served in the 1st, 3rd, 6th and 9th Flotillas. The vessels in the 2nd Flotilla were of a special large type built in 1914-15 and designated Torpedobootzerstörer (Torpedo Boat Destroyers)
.[17]
^ Attached to the 4th Scouting Group for tactical purposes.
^Did not sail: 2nd Half-Flotilla (2. halbsflottille), consisting of
SMS G192: SLt Mewis, SMS G195: Lt Mickel, SMS G196: Lt Frhr von Seld, SMS G193: Lt Oswald Paul and SMS S165: SLt Johannes-Henning Schneider, all under the command of Cdr Hans Kolbe.
^Did not sail: SMS V190: Lt(Reserve) Bon-Ed, and SMS G197: Lt Crelinger.
^Did not sail: SMS V74: Lt Günther Ehrlich, and SMS G85: Lt Hans Herbert Stobwasser.
^ Groos, op. cit., Anlage 6./7. states Lt Otto Karlowa in SMS S54 was the leader of the 6th Half-Flotilla on 30 May 1916; however from the narrative (Groos, op. cit., p.304) it is clear that Riedel in V48 led the half-flotilla during the battle until the vessel was sunk in action and he was killed; the Second World War destroyer Z6 was named in Riedel's honor.[18]
^Did not sail: SMS G172, refitting; sailed, but returned to port prior to action: SMS V186: Lt Wedigo von Keyserling.
^Did not sail: SMS Graudenz: Lt Beucer, under repair at Wilhelmshaven, and SMS Stralsund: Capt Weniger, in dock at Kiel.
^ Attached to the 2nd Scouting Group for tactical purposes.
^ In the First World War, German officers ranks were slightly higher in status: both Kapitän zur See and Fregattenkapitän were considered equivalent to a Captain in the Royal Navy; Korvettenkapitän was equivalent to a RN Commander; and Kapitänleutnant and Oberleutnant zur See to an RN Lieutenant (there was no German equivalent of a RN Lieutenant-Commander).[19] To avoid ambiguities (e.g. "Capt" could mean Kapitän zur See or Fregattenkapitän), the NATO system is employed.
^Of the remainder, Dreadnought, Emperor of India and Queen Elizabeth were in dry dock for refitting and maintenance, while Royal Sovereign had only commissioned three weeks previously and was left behind due to the inexperience of her crew
^The Admiralty, Op. Cit., Enclosure No. III - Battle Plan.
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