1916, slipt into Hampton Roads, in the gray of early morning, and dropt anchor there under the guns of Fortress Monroe. Over the liner flew the naval ensign of the Imperial German Government, and on her bridge walked Lieutenant Berge of the German Naval Reserve. A German prize crew of twenty-two men stood guard over the Appam's company of 429. As wonderful as any exploit of the Emden or other raiders, was the tale which those aboard the Appam had to tell of another strange small German raider, which was credited with having slipt out of Kiel through the British North Sea Fleet into the open Atlantic, and cruised for days in the paths of British and French vessels, six of which it captured before their prisoners were put aboard the Appam.

On March 5 official announcement was made that the Appam's unidentified raider had arrived home and was the Möwe, which had on board 199 prisoners and 1,000,000 marks in gold bars. Count von Dohna, the Möwe's commander, was awarded the Iron Cross of the First Class and members of the crew the Iron Cross of the Second Class. The Möwe had performed one of the most spectacular feats of the war by reaching a German North Sea port in safety. Wilhelmshaven had been patrolled with ceaseless vigilance by British warships. Through waters which had been blocked off in districts for patrol by different British units the Möwe had threaded her way to safety. She had reached the North Sea by going around Iceland.

Later in the war a disguised commerce-raider named Crocodile and five armed trawlers were sunk by British destroyers in Kattegat waters. The Crocodile was a new vessel, of nearly 1,000 tons, with a crew of 100 men, and had been disguised as a neutral merchantman, carrying a deck load of casks. The British destroyers rescued about thirty men. The rest of the crew were killed in the fight.

8

8 Principal Sources: The Evening Post, The Times, New York; the Berliner Tageblatt; The Independent, The Literary Digest, New York; The Daily Mail (London); The Sun, The Journal of Commerce, New York; The Morning Post, The Standard, The Times, The Manchester Guardian, London; The World (New York), "Nelson's History of the War" by John Buchan, the "New International Year Book" (1914-16).

THE GREAT BATTLE OFF JUTLAND

May 31, 1916

OR almost twenty-two months, or from the day when the war began, the British public had looked forward without ceasing to a pitched battle between great ships at

sea.

Active command of the sea it was asserted could not be obtained, either by Great Britain or by Germany, until a fleet action had been fought by those powers and won by the strongest. The conditions in which the two navies had so long faced one another were not such, however, as had given promise to naval men of an early conflict on a large scale. The German flag had completely disappeared from the ocean, while the oversea traffic of the Allies had continued unmolested, save by submarines. British naval policy had in the main been directed to the destruction of German commerce and trade-that is to the enforcement of what, in all but name, was a blockade. So long as the Germans made no attempt to take to the sea in force, it was not easy to see how a decisive engagement could be brought about. Nevertheless, it was hoped that, as the blockade became more and more stringent, this condition, combined with others, would soon operate to force the Germans to risk a battle. For nearly two years the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea faced German bases and so had made secure the passage of Allied trade and troops unmolested. Campaigns for the possession of the German colonies had meanwhile been undertaken, and assistance rendered to Allied land forces in three continents without let or hindrance. The British fleet had also provided safeguards against an invasion of the British Islands, and had enforced what was almost strangulation of trade with Germany. Perils from mine and submarine menace had, however, always been present, and the

call upon the vigilance of flotillas and fleets on patrol service remained unremitting. The principal base of the Grand Fleet was Scapa Flow in the Orkneys.

While a predominant position at sea had thus been maintained by Great Britain, there was in being, within a short distance of her shores, the second strongest fleet in the world, manned by courageous and competent officers and men. The Germans believed their methods of training, their guns and mechanical equipment, and the armament and armor supplied them by Krupp, were superior to those of their opponents. Given that they could choose their own time and place for action, they believed these advantages would more than compensate for their deficiency in numbers of men and ships. Yet when tried in the ordeal of battle, the higher standards of technique, according to British experts, would be found on the other side. Neither in nerve nor in morale were the staying powers of the Germans equal to those of their opponents, nor had they proved the better in tactical efficiency, scientific gunnery, or the handling of ships and machinery.

The event so anxiously expected, and which, altho not a complete victory, was sufficient to demonstrate the superiority of the British fleet and of British seamanship, occurred on May 31, 1916, when, for the first time, two modern warfleets came into a great conflict, and the superdreadnought was put to the test of battle. The action occurred in the North Sea off the coast of Jutland in an engagement which began on both sides with battle-cruisers, and ended with battleships. The battle-cruiser was a new type of vessel that aimed to combine the highest speed with the greatest gun-power. Naturally something had to be sacrificed in such ships, and so it was defensive armor that suffered. A battleship such as the British Warspite had a belt of 1312-inch armor, while a battle-cruiser such as the Queen Mary, a ship almost as large, had an armor of only 9 inches. Battle-cruisers usually carried eight guns of 12-inch caliber, as on the Invincible, and of 1312-inch, as on the Queen Mary, and could make 26 or more knots an hour. Their weakness was that they could not stand punishment as a regular battleship could. For safety the battle-cruiser

not seriously hit and was able to sink one of her opponents. Her captain in due course recovering control of the vessel, brought her around, so that she followed her consorts. In the meantime, the Barham, Valiant and Malaya had turned short to avoid the danger spot where the Queen Mary and Invincible were lost, and for an hour while waiting for Jellicoe to arrive fought a delaying action against the High Seas fleet. The Warspite joined them about 5.15 o'clock. All four ships were so successfully maneuvered that no hits of a disabling character were received. They had a speed over their opponents of fully four knots, and so were able

to draw away from part of the long line of German battleships, which almost filled up the horizon. At this time the Queen Elizabeths were steadily firing at the flashes of German guns at a range which varied from 12,000 to 15,000 yards, especially against those nearest them. The Germans being enveloped in a mist only smoke and flashes were visible.9

The visibility at 6.50 was not more than four miles. Soon after that the German ships were temporarily lost

From a detailed account printed in The Herald (Glasgow) and cabled to The Times (New York).

call upon the vigilance of flotillas and fleets on patrol service remained unremitting. The principal base of the Grand Fleet was Scapa Flow in the Orkneys.

While a predominant position at sea had thus been maintained by Great Britain, there was in being, within a short distance of her shores, the second strongest fleet in the world, manned by courageous and competent officers and men. The Germans believed their methods of training, their guns and mechanical equipment, and the armament and armor supplied them by Krupp, were superior to those of their opponents. Given that they could choose their own time and place for action, they believed these advantages would more than compensate for their deficiency in numbers of men and ships. Yet when tried in the ordeal of battle; the higher standards of technique, according to British experts, would be found on the other side. Neither in nerve nor in morale were the staying powers of the Germans equal to those of their opponents, nor had they proved the better in tactical efficiency, scientific gunnery, or the handling of ships and machinery.

The event so anxiously expected, and which, altho not a complete victory, was sufficient to demonstrate the superiority of the British fleet and of British seamanship, occurred on May 31, 1916, when, for the first time, two modern warfleets came into a great conflict, and the superdreadnought was put to the test of battle. The action occurred in the North Sea off the coast of Jutland in an engagement which began on both sides with battle-cruisers, and ended with battleships. The battle-cruiser was a new type of vessel that aimed to combine the highest speed with the greatest gun-power. Naturally something had to be sacrificed in such ships, and so it was defensive armor that suffered. A battleship such as the British Warspite had a belt of 131⁄2-inch armor, while a battle-cruiser such as the Queen Mary, a ship almost as large, had an armor of only 9 inches. Battle-cruisers usually carried eight guns of 12-inch caliber, as on the Invincible, and of 1312-inch, as on the Queen Mary, and could make 26 or more knots an hour. Their weakness was that they could not stand punishment as a regular battleship could. For safety the battle-cruiser