The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-06
STORY, Of '"The Grand Fleet"

progress in launching aircraft from yes.
. sells at sea rose to such perfection that
nearly all the warships built in the last
year of the war were fitted with Launching
platforms. 1t was the experience Of the
Grand Fleet that airplanes worked better
with the fleet than the seaplanes. AS to
the improvements in wireless communities
ton, Admiral Jellicoe states that at the
beginning of the war Hten minutes to q
quarter of an hour would elapse before ]
could be sure that all ships had received
a maneuvring wireless signal addressed
to the whole Battle Fleet. In 1916 the
time rarely exceeded two minutes" And
to revert one more to foresghtedness
on the part of, Jenieoe, it may be emen.
toned thatg b soon as he assumed lcon!
mand Of the Grand Fleet he began issuing
a series of battle orders for just such an
action as eventually befell at Jutland.
How complete they were is proved by q
remark made to Jellicoe by his chief Of
staff, at the height of the battle of Jut.
land. 1t was: "This is all going accord
ing to programme" The programme,
worked out in the early autumn of 1914,
was from the viewpoint of the High Sea
Fleet Fighting retiring battle; which
is naval. officers professional locution
for what civilian would call running
away" y
Nv.
As to the revelations of the battle Of
Jutland regarding the superiority of the
German materiel, they are very discon-
certing even at this day, when the war is
won and the British naval idea of supe.
nor type of capital ship and the heavier
cahbre of guns won over Germany's con-
ception of these elements Admiral JelIi-
coe states that previous to the war the
British navy knew that the Germans were
always little way behind them in battle
ship design and In gun power, but the
English officers knew the Germans made
efforts to atone for this by strengthening
their defensive armor. That they sue
ceeded was demonstrated at the battle Of
Jutland; for German ships were fire.
quently badly hit in that action and yet
made port, while ships of the Grand Fleet
suffering the same kind of hits were lost.
The British navy took lesson from this
point and materially strengthened the
armor OF its ships, particularly in the
detail OF the deck plating, as a protec-
ton against "high angle" fire. Another
development of the German motSriel was
shell with slow action fuse that would
penetrate the amor of the. British ships
and explode inside the vessel The best
British shells in use exploded when they
struck the armor of the German ships and
consequently rarely did so much damage.
This lesson was also taken advantage of
by the British ordnance officers. Still an
Other German novelty, first displayed in
that action, was the use Of star shells in
the night fighting as against the British
searchlights, which simply made a fine
mark for the enemy. AS none of these
things were mentioned in the official des
patch of the action it is through the
pages Of this narrative that the world
learns of them first.
Jellicoe gives detailed description of
the loss of the Hampshire with Lord
Kitchener aboard and declares that after
much reflection over the possibilities of
having prevented that national calamity
he has come to this conclusion: That the
only way to have prevented it was to re-
fuse permission for the ship to 90 to sea,
thing he felt sure Kitchener would not
have tolerated. Jellicoe says he would
have taken his feet to sea over the same
course had it been necessary, so certain
did he feel of its ability TO weather the
storm then in progress.
In conclusion, it is only common justice
to say that Admiral Jellicoe's book is the
most important war book that has been
published up to the present. In its field
it is complete and authoritative, and it
will remain for all time as the source book
Ill A.xI. Il