Post by dickturpin on Mar 25, 2016 12:20:07 GMT -6
Mid 1917
British forces including the old Invincible class Battlecruisers attacked Kiel on 14th May and also sank 5 merchants. The British lost 2 M class Destroyers to mines and 2 merchants were sunk by A-boats in the Channel.
Battle of Mellum
The British Harwich Force raided the Blight on 28th May. The British carried out minelaying operation involving cruisers from Grand Fleet and a combined force of cruisers and destroyers from Harwich. Harwich Force carried out secondary operation moving to east of Helgoland at night (to avoid shore batteries). The Harwich Force consisted of 7 Light Cruisers and 31 Destroyers.
They then advanced accross the noth west German coast. This appeared to have been abortive when contact was made. A German Destroyer was chased eastward but lost contact in worsening visibility. The British searched for a while then gave up and resumed the westerly course. Contact made with T24 which was hit 3 times and damaged between 9:59 and 10:05. Contact was made to the South at 10:12. It was suspected that this was the Destroyer that was chased earlier in the morning. It was identified as a battleship when it opened fire at 10:13. The German force was actually the High Seas Fleet consisting of 14 Dreadnought and 13 Predreadnought Battleships accompanied by 29 Destroyers.
Between 10:17 and 10:25 the forces maneuvered in poor visiblility and a few hits were made with guns. The British were however able to launch a mass of torpedoes which reached the German lines 10:27 - 10:31. The brief action petered out by 10:35; ranges were approximately 4,000 yards.
Konig Albert was hit by 2 torpedoes fired by Tarpon and was sunk. A number of other Battleships were hit and damaged: Grosser Kurfurst (Matchless), Thuringen(Tarpon), Oldenburg (Matchless), Preussen (Mastiff), Schleswig Holstein (Mastiff). Braunschweig was hit by 2 6" shells from Penelope and Mastiff was hit by a heavy and light shell from Kaiser.
The British sank T 81 and 3 trawlers on the way home.
In early June British forces including the old Invincible class Battlecruisers attacked Kiel and Rostock and also sank 2 torpedo boats and 3 merchants. German A-boats sank 2 merchants in the Channel. In late June, French Destroyers gained a measure of revenge on the A-boats sinking 2.
A major skirmish between the British Battlecruiser Force and the High Seas Fleet occured on 26th June. The British were initially benefitting from favourable visibility and engaged the Germans. As the range began to close, the British launched a flotilla attack to cover their retreat.
The oportunity to engage the German Predreadnoughts tempted the British to resume the action; at this time however, conditions favoured the Germans. Action was broken off when the German Dreadnoughts resumed the fight; once again covered by a flotilla attack.
The Germans were spotted by Destroyers at 02:18 in the dawn light. Tigress was hit by a 7" shell at 02:20. The Battlecruisers opened fire at 02:38 and Kaiser suffered the first hit at 02:41. Sporadic fighting continued until 05:47. Ranges were 11 - 19,000 yards and the Germans out shot the British by 10 heavy hits to 7.
Princess Royal was hit 3 times (Kaiser, Prinzregent Luitpold 2), Australia 2 (Baden and Konig), Renown 2 (Konig 2), Inflexible 1 (Markgraf), New Zealand 1 (Bayern) which destroyed a turret, Tiger 1 (Bayern) which caused a fire in secondary battery. On the German side Kaiser was hit by 3 heavy shells (Princess Royal, New Zealand, Courageous), Hanover 1 (Inflexible), Lothringen 1 (Inflexible), Helgoland 1 (Renown), Prinzregent Luitpold 1 (Tiger).
The Leviathan was lost to an accidental explosion on 7th July whilst the Attentive was mined on 9th July. German Battleships sank 2 merchants off the Dutch coast on 11th July.
The British attacked Danzig on 11th July and lost the AMC Baltic to a mine on 6th August.
Losses
British: 1 Armoured and 1 Light Cruiser, 5 Destroyers, 2 Submarines, 1 AMC and 10 merchants.
German: 1 Dreadnought, 3 Destroyers, 6 Torpedoboats, 6 Submarines, 14 Trawlers and 13 merchants.
British forces including the old Invincible class Battlecruisers attacked Kiel on 14th May and also sank 5 merchants. The British lost 2 M class Destroyers to mines and 2 merchants were sunk by A-boats in the Channel.
Battle of Mellum
The British Harwich Force raided the Blight on 28th May. The British carried out minelaying operation involving cruisers from Grand Fleet and a combined force of cruisers and destroyers from Harwich. Harwich Force carried out secondary operation moving to east of Helgoland at night (to avoid shore batteries). The Harwich Force consisted of 7 Light Cruisers and 31 Destroyers.
They then advanced accross the noth west German coast. This appeared to have been abortive when contact was made. A German Destroyer was chased eastward but lost contact in worsening visibility. The British searched for a while then gave up and resumed the westerly course. Contact made with T24 which was hit 3 times and damaged between 9:59 and 10:05. Contact was made to the South at 10:12. It was suspected that this was the Destroyer that was chased earlier in the morning. It was identified as a battleship when it opened fire at 10:13. The German force was actually the High Seas Fleet consisting of 14 Dreadnought and 13 Predreadnought Battleships accompanied by 29 Destroyers.
Between 10:17 and 10:25 the forces maneuvered in poor visiblility and a few hits were made with guns. The British were however able to launch a mass of torpedoes which reached the German lines 10:27 - 10:31. The brief action petered out by 10:35; ranges were approximately 4,000 yards.
Konig Albert was hit by 2 torpedoes fired by Tarpon and was sunk. A number of other Battleships were hit and damaged: Grosser Kurfurst (Matchless), Thuringen(Tarpon), Oldenburg (Matchless), Preussen (Mastiff), Schleswig Holstein (Mastiff). Braunschweig was hit by 2 6" shells from Penelope and Mastiff was hit by a heavy and light shell from Kaiser.
The British sank T 81 and 3 trawlers on the way home.
In early June British forces including the old Invincible class Battlecruisers attacked Kiel and Rostock and also sank 2 torpedo boats and 3 merchants. German A-boats sank 2 merchants in the Channel. In late June, French Destroyers gained a measure of revenge on the A-boats sinking 2.
A major skirmish between the British Battlecruiser Force and the High Seas Fleet occured on 26th June. The British were initially benefitting from favourable visibility and engaged the Germans. As the range began to close, the British launched a flotilla attack to cover their retreat.
The oportunity to engage the German Predreadnoughts tempted the British to resume the action; at this time however, conditions favoured the Germans. Action was broken off when the German Dreadnoughts resumed the fight; once again covered by a flotilla attack.
The Germans were spotted by Destroyers at 02:18 in the dawn light. Tigress was hit by a 7" shell at 02:20. The Battlecruisers opened fire at 02:38 and Kaiser suffered the first hit at 02:41. Sporadic fighting continued until 05:47. Ranges were 11 - 19,000 yards and the Germans out shot the British by 10 heavy hits to 7.
Princess Royal was hit 3 times (Kaiser, Prinzregent Luitpold 2), Australia 2 (Baden and Konig), Renown 2 (Konig 2), Inflexible 1 (Markgraf), New Zealand 1 (Bayern) which destroyed a turret, Tiger 1 (Bayern) which caused a fire in secondary battery. On the German side Kaiser was hit by 3 heavy shells (Princess Royal, New Zealand, Courageous), Hanover 1 (Inflexible), Lothringen 1 (Inflexible), Helgoland 1 (Renown), Prinzregent Luitpold 1 (Tiger).
The Leviathan was lost to an accidental explosion on 7th July whilst the Attentive was mined on 9th July. German Battleships sank 2 merchants off the Dutch coast on 11th July.
The British attacked Danzig on 11th July and lost the AMC Baltic to a mine on 6th August.
Losses
British: 1 Armoured and 1 Light Cruiser, 5 Destroyers, 2 Submarines, 1 AMC and 10 merchants.
German: 1 Dreadnought, 3 Destroyers, 6 Torpedoboats, 6 Submarines, 14 Trawlers and 13 merchants.