In this wise did the struggle for the command of the sea open. Germany reaped as she had sown. Since 1898 she had boasted how she would challenge the greatest sea Power. When the day and hour came it was not the British fleet only, but the navies of France, Russia, and Japan which confronted her. By her words and acts she had alienated the sympathies of every nation except her ally, Austria-Hungary. The war began with her fleets and squadrons sheltering behind the forts of her naval bases, and with a few cruisers in the Atlantic being hunted by an overpowering force of British and French ships. Such was the fruit of her diplomacy and her forward naval policy; her shipping suffered instant strangulation; her colonies were divorced from the Motherland, and she was confronted with the approaching ruin of that world-politic which had been her pride and inspiration.
H.M.S. Vanguard. Photo: Sport & General.
VANGUARD CLASS.
ST. VINCENT, VANGUARD, COLLINGWOOD.
Displacement: 19,250 tons.
Speed: 22 knots; Guns: 10 12in., 18 4in.; Torpedo tubes: 3.
| Astern fire: | Broadside: | Ahead fire: |
|---|---|---|
| 6 12in. | 8 12in. | 6 12in. |