The Grand Fleet, 1914-1916

by John Rushworth Jellicoe

26. The fleet fuelled and replenished with ammunition, and at 9.30 P.M. on 2nd June was reported ready for further action.

Losses

27. The conditions of low visibility under which the day action took place, the approach of darkness and the tactics adopted by the enemy of retiring under cover of torpedo attacks, enhance the difficulty of giving an accurate report of the damage inflicted, or the names of the ships sunk by our forces, but after a most careful examination of the evidence of all officers, who testified to seeing enemy vessels actually sink, and personal interviews with a large number of these officers, I am of opinion that the list shown in the enclosure gives the minimum in regard to numbers, though it is possibly not entirely accurate as regards the particular class of vessel, particularly those which were sunk during the night attacks. In addition to the vessels sunk it is unquestionable that many other ships were very seriously damaged by gunfire and by torpedo attack.

28. The enemy fought with the gallantry that was expected of him, and showed humanity in rescuing officers and men from the water. I particularly admired the conduct of those on board a disabled German light cruiser which passed down the British line shortly after deployment, under a heavy fire which was returned by the only gun left in action. But after the arrival of the British Battle Fleet, there appeared to be no desire on the part of the High Sea Fleet to continue the engagement. The battleships turned away on each occasion of being sighted soon after fire was opened, and although the British Fleet remained in the proximity of the battlefield and near the line of approach to German ports until 11 A.M. on 1st June, in spite of the disadvantage of long distances from fleet bases and the danger incurred in waters adjacent to enemy coasts from submarines and torpedo craft, the enemy made no sign, and I was reluctantly compelled to the conclusion that the High Sea Fleet had returned into port. Subsequent events proved this assumption to have been correct. Our position must have been known to the enemy, as at 2.50 A.M. the fleet engaged a Zeppelin for quite five minutes, during which time she had ample opportunity to note and subsequently report the position and course of the British Fleet.

29. I deeply regret to report the loss of H. M. Ships mentioned in this despatch, and still more do I regret the resultant heavy loss of life. The death of such gallant and distinguished officers as Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot, Bart., Rear-Admiral The Hon. Horace Hood, Captain Charles F. Sowerby, Captain Cecil I. Prowse, Captain Arthur L. Cay, Captain Thomas P. Bonham, Captain Charles J. Wintour, and Captain Stanley V. Ellis, and those who perished with them, is a serious loss to the Navy and to the country. They led officers and men who were equally gallant and whose death is mourned by their comrades in the Grand Fleet. They fell doing their duty nobly, a death which they would have been the first to desire.

The Personnel of the Fleet

30. The conduct of officers and men throughout the day and night actions was entirely beyond praise. No words of mine could do them justice. On all sides it is reported to me that the glorious traditions of the past were most worthily upheld—whether in heavy ships, cruisers, light cruisers, or destroyers—the same admirable spirit prevailed. Officers and men were cool and determined, with a cheeriness that would have carried them through anything. The heroism of the wounded was the admiration of all.

I cannot adequately express the pride with which the spirit of the Fleet filled me.

31. I have now given details of the work of the various ships during action. It must never be forgotten, however, that the prelude to action is the work of the engine-room department, and that during action the officers and men of that department perform their most important duties without the incentive which a knowledge of the course of the action gives to those on deck. The qualities of discipline and endurance are taxed to the utmost under these conditions, and they were, as always, most fully maintained throughout the operations under review. Many ships attained speeds that had never before been reached, thus showing very clearly their high state of steaming efficiency. Failures in material were conspicuous by their absence, and many instances are reported of magnificent work on the part of the engine-room departments of injured ships.

32. The work of the medical officers of the Fleet, carried out very largely under the most difficult conditions, was entirely admirable and invaluable. Lacking in many cases all the essentials for performing critical operations and with their staff seriously depleted by casualties, they worked untiringly and with the greatest success. To them we owe a deep debt of gratitude.