Reunion with uninvited guests
Admiral's Log, Hochseeflotte
0733 June 3, 1916
Lookouts report much smoke to the north. At first, I thought that the BCF was back for more. But, no, there are 13 British battleships, many destroyers, light cruisers and another seaplane tender.
We probe with our own kleine kreuzers and Torpedoboote, and soon we realize that we have encountered the entire Grand Fleet! And they are heading straight for us!
Tired and low on ammunition, particularly our forward batteries, we turn away in line abreast to the Southwest on heading 225.
0801 Cordelia is spotted by Hannover, 27 km to the NW on course 125, speed 26 knots.
0810 Bayern and KGV exchange shots. Queen Mary appears! The BCF is back for revenge!
0823 Bayern gets her first hit on KGV!
0845 Hannover hit by a 13.5" shell. Schleswig-Holstein is hit by a 15" shell. The BCF is attacking the predreadnoughts on our western flank!
I order the First Battle Squadron to reform in line ahead on our west flank to cover the Second Battle Squadron's predreadnoughts.
0848 Westfalen is hit by two 13.5" shells. Hannover is hit by four 13.5" shells.
0901 Hannover dodges a torpedo launched by the Cats!
0907 Bayern has moved beyond the range of the British and has matched course and speed to KGV. She uses her superior range to hit KGV, occasionally, with impunity! KGV now slows to 18 knots.
We hear guns to the north! It is our Grosse Kreuzers fighting their way through the BCF and GF destroyers!
Hannover is holding up well, but Hessen has been hit hard. Both of her main turrets are out of action and she has lost speed.
We continue to battle the Cats and Barham to the west of our line. I order Frauenlob and Graudenz behind our line to discourage the Grand Fleet destroyers which creep up from time to time.
0917 Hessen is fighting fires and flooding, her starboard 17 cm ammo is gone.
A bit more than five minutes from this brave ship!
0932 Princess Royal is the first of the of the Cats to falter, slowing to 19 knots and turning away. Queen Mary and Tiger follow, but Barham continues to pound us with her 15" guns.
We reduce our fire to conserve ammunition. Only two ships fire at Barham now to make more efficient use of our remaining shells.
0934 Barham slows to 20 knots, with waterline hits on her port bow.
0938 The Cats return at 20 knots. The Grosse Kreuzers are still working their way around the enemy destroyers. But their own destroyers are growing near.
0951 KGV is making 18 knots with some large holes near the waterline. Bayern shifts fire to Ajax, moving directly in front of their line so that unders may hit KGV and overs hit Centurion. At this range, over 22 km, Bayern is not very accurate.
1003 Barham is moderately damaged, slowing to 18 knots.
1029 Oldenburg explodes and quickly sinks, our first loss of a capital ship!
1036 Barham and Princess Royal are reduced to 17 knots, we are wearing them down!
1043 Princess Royal begins to list to port!
1047 Derfflinger and Moltke fire on Queen Mary which turns north to engage them with Tiger following. Helgoland has suffered numerous 15" shells and has lost four of her six 30,5 cm turrets.
1055 V28, V27 and S51 launch torpedoes at Barham! Tiger, damaged, slows to 19 knots. Princess Royal is heavily damaged and her list to port is increasing!
1109 Barham lists to port, Princess Royal has a pronounced list of seven degrees to port.
1118 Helgoland is listing to starboard and down to 10 knots (82%/42% starboard flooding).
1120 Moltke and following BCs (all except Derfflinger) turn away from a torpedo attack.
1129 Princess Royal is silent as she rolls over, but at the last she fires a couple of secondary rounds before she sinks at 1136.
Tiger heads north; Queen Mary and Barham steer towards Hessen.
1145 The Grosse Kreuzers cease fire to conserve ammunition. The remnants of the BCF are slowed and listing.
1147 Helgoland hits Queen Mary, which is now heavily damaged, listing four degrees to starboard and making 16 knots.
1157 Barham has turned north and begins to slowly sink, in full view of the Grand Fleet battleline, which is struggling to pursue, but only gaining on Hessen and Helgoland.
Our Grosse Kreuzers turn away under fire from the GF battleline!
Derfflinger and Moltke are each hit once.
1205 Queen Mary is listing twelve degrees, Tiger is listing five degrees and Barham is sinking. Helgoland reports status: Damage control 78%, steering 5%, power/propulsion 13% persistent, port flooding 3% persistent, starboard flooding 51%/42% and she has nothing to fight back with (all remaining turrets are out of ammo).
1212 Queen Mary sinks.
1214 Barham's crew abandons her.
1218 Barham sinks. Tiger is no longer visible but was listing badly with the sea reaching more holes as she lists further to port (six degrees at our last sighting).
1239 Bayern hits Centurion (an over).
1241 KGV fires on Helgoland.
1245 Bayern hits Ajax (her target)
1304 Bayern hits Centurion (over easy
!
1120 Most of our battleline is beyond their vision, we come around to course 180.
1121 The GF battleline turns to course 239, towards brave Helgoland, Hessen and the rest of the Sceond Battle Squadron.
The question is now: Do we save the fleet, sacrificing these brave men or do we stand and fight?
Stay tuned for the next installment of Skagerrakschlacht, June 3!