The Battle of Jutland was the only major naval battle of World War One, and the only full scale fleet battle between Dreadnought battleships. Although the Royal Navy lost more men and ships the final verdict of the Battle of Jutland was that the German Navy had been defeated and driven back into port, unable to face the superior firepower of the Grand Fleet. Admiral Sir John Jellicoe’s tactics were criticised by some, but after the battle the Royal Navy retained command of the sea, upon which the entire allied war effort depended. The German response to their defeat was unrestricted U-boat warfare, a massive violation of international law, which helped bring the United States into the conflict.
Why was the battle fought? Germany set out to challenge Britain’s long standing global naval supremacy, the basis of the British Empire, in a battleship arms race. This context was won by Britain in 1912. While the arms race had no bearing on the outbreak of the war in August 1914, it left the two sides with massive fleets, and a widespread expectation that a ‘decisive’ battle would take place. The British public expected another victory like Trafalgar, to remind the world that “Rule Britannia” was no empty boast. In reality retaining command of the sea, not battle victory, would be the decisive element in winning WW1.

Andrew Lambert is Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King's College. He has taught at the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich, and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Director of the Laughton Naval History Unit.

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