The German admiral, taking in the situation, knew that he still outnumbered the British—that the advantage was still with him. He determined to give battle. He knew, too, that it was only a question of time until the main British fleet would approach and he determined to win the battle before the arrival of new foes. He signalled an advance.
The British fleet was great and powerful—but not so great and powerful as the German by far. As the Queen Mary, Indefatigable and the two torpedo boats fell back, still the center of German fire and still hurling shell, seeking their proper places in the battle line, the other British vessels came on. And presently the Queen Mary and others had gained their places in the formation.
Ahead of the larger ships now—the Queen Mary, the Indefatigable and the Invincible, advanced the speediest of light cruisers—the Defense, the Biack Prince and the Warrior. Behind these, spread out fan-wise, came the destroyers Tipperary, Turbulent, Nestore, Alcaster, Fortune, Sparrow Hawk, Ardent and the Shark. The Albert and Victoria also had fallen in line, though badly battered by the effects of the German shells during the night.
Then the three battle cruisers advanced; and as the battle opened, far back came the battleship Marlborough, hurrying to join in the struggle.
The German fleet advanced to the attack in a broad semi-circle. The flagship, the Westphalen, a dreadnaught of 18,600 tons, was squarely in the center. To her left was the battleship Pommern and next the Freiderich; to her right the battleships Wiesbaden and Frauenlob. Beyond the battleships to the left were the cruisers Hindenburg and Lutzow, and beyond the battleships to the right the cruisers Elbing and Essen. Torpedo boats, more than a score of them, also spread far on either side.
Directly behind the single dreadnaught and the battleships came a flotilla of submarines, ready to dash forward at the proper moment and launch their deadly torpedoes. Overhead, and moving forward, were the three giant Zeppelins and a flotilla of other aircraft.
Of all the vessels engaged, the Queen Mary was the largest. The Marlborough, advancing rapidly, came next and then the German dreadnaught Westphalen. The British battle cruisers Indefatigable and Invincible were the next most powerful, in the order named, and the other German vessels were by far superior to the British.
Now, as the battle opened with the greatest fury, another British vessel was sighted to the westward. It was the Lion, the flagship of Vice-Admiral Beatty, steaming at full speed ahead.
Over the tops of the three British cruisers, light vessels travelled swiftly toward the enemy, the larger ships opened with their big guns. The range was found almost with the first salvo and shells began to drop aboard the enemy.
The British cruiser Defense, making straight for the German dreadnaught Westphalen, hurled a shell aboard the German flagship that burst amidships. There was a terrible explosion and men were hurled into the water in little pieces. A hole was blown through the upper deck.