Wednesday, February 21, 2007

U-Boat Primary Source

Below is Chile's response to Germany's decision to resume U-Boat Warfare.
Chile's Diplomatic Protest to Germany
7 February 1917
The Chilean Government has taken cognizance of the note sent to it by his Majesty the German Emperor, in which Chile is informed that Germany has fixed the limits of a blockade area around the coasts of England, France and Italy, and in the Eastern Mediterranean.
It has been informed also that within said limits Germany will resort to hostile acts against whatever ship is encountered, even if it belongs to a neutral power.
Such a measure, in the opinion of the Chilean Government, amounts to a restriction of the rights of neutrals, to which restriction Chile cannot agree because it is contrary to the principles that have been long established in favour of neutral nations.
The acceptance by Chile of the measures adopted by Germany would, moreover, divert her from the line of strict neutrality which has been followed during the European conflict.
Chile consequently reserves liberty of action to protect all of her rights in the event of any hostile acts against her ships.

Battle of Jutland Primary Sources

Below are two reports of the Battle of Jutland, one given by the Germans, and one given by the British.
First Official German Statement on the Battle of Jutland, 31 May-1 June 1916
Berlin, June 1, 1916
During an enterprise directed to the northward our high sea fleet on May 31st encountered the main part of the English fighting fleet, which was considerably superior to our forces.
During the afternoon, between Skagerrak and Horn Reef, a heavy engagement developed, which was successful to us, and which continued during the whole night.
In this engagement, so far as known up to the present, there were destroyed by us the large battleship Warspite, the battle-cruisers Queen Mary and Indefatigable, two armoured cruisers, apparently of the Achilles type; one small cruiser, the new flagships of destroyer squadrons, the Turbulent, Nestor, and Alcaster, a large number of torpedo-boat destroyers, and one submarine.
By observation, which was free and clear of clouds, it was stated that a large number of English battleships suffered damage from our ships and the attacks of our torpedo-boat flotilla during the day engagement and throughout the night. Among others, the large battleship Marlborough was hit by a torpedo. This was confirmed by prisoners.
Several of our ships rescued parts of the crews of the sunken English ships, among them being two and the only survivors of the Indefatigable.
On our side the small cruiser Wiesbaden, by hostile gunfire during the day engagement, and his Majesty's ship Pommern, during the night, as the result of a torpedo, were sunk.
The fate of his Majesty's ship Frauenlob, which is missing, and of some torpedo boats, which have not returned yet, is unknown.
The High Sea Fleet returned to-day [Thursday] into our port.
Source: Source Records of the Great War, Vol. IV, ed. Charles F. Horne, National Alumni 1923
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First Official British Statement on the Battle of Jutland, 31 May-2 June 1916
London, June 2, 1916
On the afternoon of Wednesday, the 31st of May, a naval engagement took place off the coast of Jutland.
The British ships on which the brunt of the fighting fell were the battle-cruiser fleet and some cruisers and light cruisers, supported by four fast battleships. Among these the losses were heavy.
The German battle fleet, aided by low visibility, avoided a prolonged action with our main forces. As soon as these appeared on the scene the enemy returned to port, though not before receiving severe damage from our battleships.
The battle-cruisers Queen Mary, Indefatigable, and Invincible, and the cruisers Defence and Black Prince were sunk.
The Warrior was disabled, and after being towed for some time had to be abandoned by her crew.
It is also known that the destroyers Tipperary, Turbulent, Fortune, Sparrowhawk, and Ardent were lost, and six others are not yet accounted for.
No British battleships or light cruisers were sunk.
The enemy's losses were serious. At least one battle cruiser was destroyed and one was severely damaged. One battleship is reported to have been sunk by our destroyers.
During the night attack two light cruisers were disabled and probably sunk.
The exact number of enemy destroyers disposed of during the action cannot be ascertained with any certainty, but must have been large.
Further Statement
Since the foregoing communication was issued a further report has been received from the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet stating that it has now been ascertained that our total losses in destroyers amount to eight boats in all.
The Commander-in-Chief also reports that it is now possible to form a closer estimate of the losses and the damage sustained by the enemy fleet.
One dreadnought battleship of the Kaiser class was blown up in an attack by British destroyers and another dreadnought battleship of the Kaiser class is believed to have been sunk by gunfire.
Of three German battle-cruisers, two of which are believed were the Derfflinger and the Luetzow, one was blown up, another was heavily engaged by our battle fleet and was seen to be disabled and stopping, and the third was observed to be seriously damaged.
One German light cruiser and six German destroyers were sunk, and at least two more German light cruisers were seen to be disabled. Further repeated hits were observed on three other German battleships that were engaged.
Finally, a German submarine was rammed and sunk.
Source: Source Records of the Great War, Vol. IV, ed. Charles F. Horne, National Alumni 1923
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As you can see, each side tried to make their part in the battle seem more noble and more successful. Even Britain, who lost the battle, made it sound as if they suffered little and Germany suffered greatly. In fact, it was just the opposite.

Important People

The War at Sea proved to be a war that tested many military leaders' strength. While there are many, many leaders, there are a few key ones that everyone should know.
Sir Christopher Craddock: He was a British Admiral that lost the battle of Coronel to Spee.
Wilhelm Souchon: Souchon was a German Admiral that, having been involved in joint operations with Turkey, pulled Turkey into World War One.
Maximilian von Spee: He was the commander of the German East Asia Squadron. Spee was victorious at the Battle of Coronel, but lost at the Battle of the Falkland Islands.
Admiral Sir David Beatty: Beatty was the leader of the Battle Cruiser Fleet. He was in command when his fleet met the German Fleet at the Battle of Jutland.
Admiral Sir John Jellico: He was the man who was in command of the Grand Fleet during the Battle of Jutland. While he didn't participate in the beginning, he soon arrived at the scene, causing the Germans to retreat several times.
Admiral Reinhardt von Scheer: Scheer was the German commander in charge of the German High Seas Fleet. He continued to retreat the Britains, meeting up and fighting when intercepted. Despite the fact he retreated, he managed to win the battle.
Again, this is only a very small portion of the leaders who fought in World War One.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Battles

The War at Sea saw many battles fought. Below is a list and description of some of the major battles fought in this war.
Battle of Jutland: (1916) Here, British and German fleets were out to find each other. Once they did, they open-fired on each other. Then, the British Battle Cruiser Fleet, led by Admiral Sir David Beatty, ran across the German High Seas Fleet, led by Admiral Sir John Jellicoe. Many ships were lost as Britain waited on its Grand Fleet to arrive. When it did, the German fleet, led by Admiral Reinhardt von Scheer, retreated. Instead of pursuing, the Brits decided to intercept them when they returned. After this battle, the same thing occurred again, until the British decided not to cross the Germans again, after suffering so many losses (3 battle cruisers, 3 cruisers, 8 destroyers, and 6,100 men).
Battle of the Bight: (1914) This was the first major battle of the war. "The bight" was a partly sheltered part of the water on the northern coast of Germany, where several German naval bases were located. Britain, knowing that if they entered they would be shot down, developed a plan thought of by Reginald Tyrwhitt and Roger Keyes, to lure the Germans out of the cove and into the open sea. After some trying, the Germans finally entered open waters, where battle ensued. The Germans, after losing 3 cruisers and 1,200 men, retreated back and were ordered to keep off the open sea.
The Battle of Coronel: (1914) The German East Asia Squadron was stationed on an island group near China, but when war broke out, its leader, Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee, knew they couldn't withstand an attack by enemy Japan. So they fled to South America to attack British ships there. Learning of their plans, the British West Indian Squadron, led by Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock, set out to find and stop them. However, Britain was ill-equipped for such a battle, and were destroyed. Two ships were lost, as well as Cradock himself and 1,600 British sailors.
The Battle of the Falkland Islands: (1914) About 1 month later, Vice Admiral Spee had rounded Cape Horn and decided to not only interrupt British trading routes, but to attack and conquer one of its colonies- the Falkland Islands. Luck was against him-a British Squadron was in port at the time he attacked, and this time the British were better equipped with more modern ships and supplies. Because of this, Spee and his Squadron were destroyed, with Spee and about 2,100 Germans dead and 4 ships lost.

These are just some of the battles fought by the countries and forces in World War One. There were many more, including the Battle of Dogger Bank, the Battle of Otranto Straits, and the Raid on Zeebrugge.

Bibliography

Information
Justin; Robby. "Sea War."Accessed on February 19, 2007 from
http://techcenter.davidson.k12.nc.us/Group9/seawar.htm

Milford, Darren. "Warship Definitions." World War I Naval Combat. 2006. Accessed on February 19, 2007 from
http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/warship.html

Sparknotes. "The War at Sea." Sparknotes, LLC. 2006. Accessed on February 20, 2007 from
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/ww1/section4.rhtml

"Primary Documents: First British Report on the Battle of Jutland, 2 June, 1916." First World War.Com. 2003. Accessed on February 20, 2007 from
http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/jutland_1stbritishreport.htm

"Primary Documents: First Germany Report on the Battle of Jutland, 1 June, 1916." First World War.Com. 2003. Accessed on February 20, 2007 from
http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/jutland_1stgermanreport.htm

"Primary Documents: Chile's Reaction to Germany's Policy of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, 7 February 1917." First World War.Com. 2003. Accessed on February 20, 2007 from
http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/uboat_chile.htm

Pictures

Battle of Jutland. Accessed on February 19, 2007 from
http://techcenter.davidson.k12.nc.us/Group9/seawar.htm

"Vizeadmiral Maximilian Graf von Spee." Accessed on February 19, 2007 from
http://www.westfront.de/00501.htm

"Und sein Gegner Konteradmiral Sir Christopher Craddock." Accessed on February 19, 2007 from
http://www.westfront.de/00501.htm

"Admiral Wilhelm Souchon." Accessed on February 20, 2007 from
http://www.worldwar1.com/sfgb.htm

"Admiral Sir David Beatty." First World War.Com. Accessed on February 20, 2007 from
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/heliogoland.htm

"Reinhardt Scheer." First World War.Com. Accessed on February 20, 2007 from
http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/scheer.htm

"USS Maine." Roswell Randall Hoes Collection. Accessed on February 21, 2007 from
http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/reference/hoes.html

"German submarine U9." Ahoy-Mac's Web Log. Accessed on February 21, 2007 from
http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/InWW1GermanU-BoatU9destro.html

"Ship movements during the Battle of Coronel." Answers.com. Accessed on February 21, 2007 from
http://www.answers.com/topic/battle-of-coronel

Ships and Weapons

During the War at Sea, many countries made outstanding developments in the area of ships and weapons. Several weapons, such as the torpedo, were invented and developed. However, the most notable advancement is the ships of the war. Different countries were known for different types of ships-Britain was known for her fierce battleships, while Germany was known for her deadly submarines. The following list is just some of the type of ships used by countries during the war.
Battleships (Dreadnought, Pre-Dreadnought, Semi-Dreadnought): These ships were the most powerful and one of the largest warships. They were made for heavy guns and protection, not for quick speed. The Dreadnought battleships had an armament of "uniform gun type", as well as a second armament for torpedo defense.
Cruisers: There were several types of cruisers made for different purposes that varied greatly. They included Battle cruisers (Lighter battleships built for speed), Armoured Cruisers (Cruisers featuring a "belt armor" in the ships), and Scout Cruisers (Scout ahead and lead destroyers).
Destroyers: This was short for Torpedo Boat Destroyer, and was made for just that- to destroy torpedo boats! They were lighter and faster than regular torpedo boats, and focused more on guns than torpedoes in the building.
Torpedo Boats: Small boats carrying torpedoes
Monitors: These were used to attack coasts. They had no protection and only a few guns, so they couldn't fight other warships successfully.
U-Boats: The U-boat was a submarine that was deadly to anyone sailing in waters with it. The German U-Boats are most widely known.

Monday, February 19, 2007

The Beginning...


When World War One broke out, the British had the most powerful Navy in the world. The only two countries even close were France and Germany, however Britain remained the most powerful until America joined in 1917. Despite this, this fighting and battling on the sea was a new type of war, and advances were made in each country to adapt. One noticeable example was Germany, who developed the U-boat (now known as the submarine). In addition to being an important part of warfare, the seas became important for trading. Keep reading to find out about the major battles, weapons, and advances made in the War at Sea!