Themes

Conflict and Change

• Introduction

  • Timeline

  • Timeline: World Wars

  • HMS Warspite

  • HMS Premier

  • HMS Sovereign

  • HMS Fearless

• In Focus: 1900

• In Focus: World War One

• In Focus: Interwar

• In Focus: World War Two

• In Focus: Post War Conflict

• In Focus: Cold War Climate

• In Focus: Falklands and Beyond

• Special Exhibition: Falklands 25

Learning

• How To: Understand Propaganda

• Propaganda Image Galleries

• Education Project: Sea With Your Own Eyes

HMS Warspite

Article highlights

• HMS Warspite at the Battle of Jutland

• The 'super dreadnought'

• Position in the Grand Fleet

• Scheer's scheme

• Memories from the Battle

• Signal failure

• Fatal blows

• The Fifth Battle Squadron enter the action

• The Grand Fleet come to the rescue

• HMS Warspite's withdrawal and battle damage

The Fifth Battle Squadron enter the action

Beatty’s three remaining battlecruisers continued to pursue the German battle cruisers and the 5th Battle Squadron was now able to open fire on the German battle cruisers with their 15 inch guns at a range of 20 000 yards.

The gunnery of the four ships of the Squadron was magnificent. They hit two ships of Hipper’s line very quickly into the exchange.

It looked like the German fleet might not be able to withstand the new barrage without some back up from the German High Sea Fleet of Admiral Scheer.

HMS Warspite and HMS Malaya as seen from HMS Valiant during the Battle of Jutland. (RNM)

At 1630 HMS Southampton of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron sighted the German High Seas Fleet. Beatty then ordered a reversal of course in order to draw the High Seas Fleet towards the Grand Fleet.

He ordered the leading ship of his battlecruiser group with the others to follow “in succession” rather than “turn together” which exposed the squadron to the German guns, a move that was later criticised, and had great repercussions for HMS Warspite.

At 1651, however, some confusion over signalling again meant that the 5th Battle Squadron was still steaming towards the German High Seas Fleet, bringing the Squadron within range of its battleships.

Three minutes later the 5th Battle Squadron turned to follow Beatty’s battlecruisers by again “turning in succession” – exposing each ship in turn to the guns of the German battleships.

Shell splashes from German shells going over HMS Malaya, Battle of Jutland 1916. (RNM)

As the 5th Battle Squadron turned its two ships in the rear, HMS Malaya and HMS Warspite, suffered damage from German ships with Warspite sustaining damage particularly in the steering compartment. Poland remembers the sensation of the strike:

'As we turned we got our first hit (the only one I actually saw). It got us very low down right aft and threw up a big cloud of grey smoke and shook the ship all over.'