In 1914, Britain's Royal Navy had 29 modern battleships, compared with Germany's 17. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Admiral John Jellicoe, commander of the Grand Fleet, was intensely conscious that his warships were Britain's only defense against a possible German invasion and must at all costs be preserved. The Colosseum. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Well, let’s take a look at the first naval battle of WWI, the Battle of Heligoland Bight, 28-Aug-1914 and see if it has lessons to offer us today. With the Prussian gunboats unable to keep pace and far behind, the Austrian and Danish squadrons passed each other at a distance of about 1 nautical mile (1.9 km), exchanging furious fire. Battle of Heligoland Bight (28th Aug 1914), Entente – 5 battlecruisers, 8 light cruisers, 33 destroyers, 8 submarines, Central Powers – 6 light cruisers, 19 torpedo boats, 12 minesweepers, Entente – 1 light cruiser and 3 destroyers damaged. He subsequently led the reform of the Austrian naval establishment. British submarines were deployed as bait to lure German patrol boats under the guns of a force of destroyers and light cruisers, but once German cruisers arrived at the scene the Royal Navy ships took a battering. The Danish squadron was enthusiastically welcomed in Copenhagen, while in Austria, Tegetthoff was awarded with his promotion to rear admiral. Posted by princehorus on September 17, 2017, https://horushistory.wordpress.com/2017/09/17/the-battle-of-heligoland-bight-1914/. The Allies also set about clearing the oceans of German and Austro-Hungarian merchant shipping and roaming warships. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. When the Danish forces had caused the flagship of the Austrian commander, Freiherr von Tegetthoff, to burst into flames, he withdrew his squadron to neutral waters around Heligoland. European War 6: 1914. See The Battle of the Heligoland Bight at:... Thread by: Fred Wilson , Jul 6, 2014 , 3 replies, in forum: Air War in Western Europe 1939 - 1945 Showing results 1 to 1 of 1 Aurora had observed the action and stood ready to protect the neutrality of the British Heligoland waters, so that Suenson had to abandon his pursuit at about 16.30 p.m. Suenson waited outside the British zone of 3 nautical miles (5.6 km), but the Austrian-Prussian squadron was able to escape during the night to Cuxhaven at the mouth of the Elbe. Ya, we broke the 10,000 members ceiling a while ago.Easytech getting popular! Strategy of Command. Commanders at the British naval base at the North Sea port of Harwich planned an operation off the German coast at Heligoland. A minefield was laid across the Straits of Dover with lanes patrolled by submarines and airships. By the end of Aug 1914, the war on land for the Entente looked grim. In Denmark as in Austria, the outcome of the battle was regarded as a victory. Germany engaged in rapid naval expansion from around 1900, but the growth of its fleet was more than matched by Britain. Change ), To contact the blog administrator email : A blockade was imposed on all goods, even food and medicine. At about 15.30 p.m., Schwarzenberg caught fire and was unable to continue. The North Sea was declared a war zone patrolled by destroyers, submarines and weaponised trawlers. To counter bad news from France, First Sea Lord Winston Churchill a ordered a flotilla from Harwich to ambush a regular patrol north of the main German base at Willhelshaven. This was the first full-scale naval battle of the Great War. 35 dead, 45 wounded Central… Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It was the last significant naval battle fought by squadrons of wooden ships and also the last one involving Denmark.