Battleship

:This article is about the type of warship. See also Battleship (game).

World War I

A naval arms race had been ongoing between Germany and the United Kingdom since the 1890s. The building of Dreadnought actually helped Germany in this, as instead of having a lead of 15 or so ships of the latest type, Britain now had a lead of just one. Furthermore, Britain's policy of maintaining a navy larger than the world's second and third largest navies combined was becoming unsustainably expensive. All other battleship navies switched over in the next few years to building Dreadnought-type ships as well.

Related Topics:
Arms race - Germany - United Kingdom - 1890

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At this point in time, the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom had ruled the seas for several centuries, but the German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II and his naval minister, Alfred von Tirpitz, set out to change that, in part for strategic reasons, but mainly due to a simple desire to challenge Britain. The culmination of this race led to a stalemate in World War I. The German High Seas Fleet and the British Grand Fleet were too valuable to be risked in battle and so both spent the majority of the war in port, waiting to respond should the other go to sea. Paradoxically, the ships were too valuable (strategically, at least) to leave at port, and too expensive to use in battle. Apart from some operations in the Baltic against Russia, Germany's main fleet limited itself to making battlecruiser raids on the British east coast, in an attempt to lure part of the British fleet out so that it could be defeated by the waiting High Seas Fleet. In their turn, the British made sweeps of the North Sea, and both sides laid extensive minefields. Although there were several naval battles, the only engagement between the main British and German fleets was the abortive Battle of Jutland, a German tactical victory (fourteen British ships were sunk to eleven German) but a British strategic victory, as the High Seas Fleet fled and mostly remained in port for the rest of the war.

Related Topics:
Royal Navy - Kaiser Wilhelm II - Alfred von Tirpitz - World War I - German High Seas Fleet - British Grand Fleet - Baltic - North Sea - Minefield - Battle of Jutland

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After World War I, the Armistice with Germany required that most of the High Seas Fleet be interned at Scapa Flow, Scotland. Most of these ships were subsequently scuttled by their German crews on 21 June 1919 just before the formal surrender of Germany. As far as the German sailors were concerned, they were undefeated; it was felt that their ships should not fall into the hands of the British.

Related Topics:
Armistice with Germany - Scapa Flow - Scotland - Scuttled - 21 June - 1919

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