100th Anniversary of the Battle of Jutland

The Destruction of the British Battlecruiser HMS Invincible

100 years ago today, on May 31 1916,  The German High Seas Fleet attempted to destroy a portion of the British Grand Fleet by luring them into a trap.  The British turned the table on the trap, and what resulted was the largest Battleship engagement of the First World War, known to the British as the Battle of Jutland and to the Germans as the Skagerrakschlacht.  Despite being outnumbered, the German High Seas Fleet made a good accounting of itself, due in part to superior gunnery.  In the end, the British lost 14 ships and over 6,000 men, while the Germans lost 11 ship and over 2500 men.  The result was a strategic victory for the British, and the German High Seas Fleet spent most of the rest of the war in port acting as a fleet in being.  

The German Battlecruiser SMS Seydlitz in port after the battle

Today only one ship from that battle survives.  The British Light Cruiser HMS Caroline is docked in Belfast and is currently being restored for the 100th anniversary of the battle.

The HMS Caroline in Belfast

There is plenty of more information about the battle available in many other locations.  I just like ships.