Action of 5 November 1916 The Action of 5 November 1916 was a naval engagement of the First World War . The action was fought between a Royal Navy submarine and a dreadnought squadron of the Imperial German Navy . This action took place in the months after the Battle of Jutland and is significant in that it signalled a major shift in German naval policy . Background . On 2 November 1916 , the German U - boat suffered a mechanical failure while patrolling off the Norwegian coast . She sent a distress signal which was answered by , which was returning from patrol northabout from Ireland . They met and both U - boats started for the Danish coast , where they were to be met off the Bovsberg Light . The British meanwhile had intercepted this wireless traffic , and dispatched a destroyer force to intercept them , but were unsuccessful . However , on 4 November , both U - boats went aground in evening fog . Concerned that the Danes would intern the two U - boats — or that the British would find them — and mindful of the reputation of " U - 20 " and her skipper as being responsible for the sinking of the ocean liner , Admiral Scheer — the commander of the High Seas Fleet — dispatched a salvage group , with a cover force , comprising destroyers of the 4th Half - Flotilla , with the battlecruiser . These were followed by the four dreadnought s of 3rd Battle Squadron ; , , and . This move was also detected by the British , who alerted the submarine , which was on patrol in the area . On the evening of 5 November , " J1 " encountered the Battle squadron and was able to attack . Action . On 5 November , " J1 " was submerged on patrol in the North Sea , south - west of Horns Reef . Her skipper — Commander NF Laurence — had been alerted to the approach of the German forces , and at 11 : 50 , in heavy seas , he spotted the four dreadnoughts of 3rd Battle Squadron just away . Laurence went deeper to manoeuvre into a firing position , but on rising to periscope depth he saw the dreadnoughts had changed course and were moving away . Surfacing to take advantage of " J1 " s higher surface speed , but risking detection by the Squadrons destroyer escort , Laurence again moved into a firing position and at 12 : 08 dived to launch a spread of four torpedoes . Two of these hit , striking " Grosser Kurfurst " astern and " Kronprinz " on the bow . Both were damaged , but were able to return to base under their own steam . " J1 " had not been seen by any of the screening destroyers during her approach and they were unable to make an effective counterattack . Laurence remained submerged until 14 : 30 , when he surfaced to an empty sea . The two damaged dreadnoughts were able to return to base , but both remained in dock under repair for several months . The other forces were able to return without incident . " U - 30 " was also able to return to base , but " U - 20 " as unrecoverable , and was scuttled to avoid capture . Laurence was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Service Order for this action . Aftermath . Following this action , Scheer came under criticism from Pless , the Naval chief of staff , and the Kaiser himself , who felt that risking so many capital ships of the High Seas Fleet , and having two dreadnoughts put out of action , for the sake of two U - boats , was inappropriate . However , Scheer defended himself robustly , stating that it was imperative to give the men of the U - boat arm the fullest possible support . He also stated that Germany ' s naval strategy should be to concentrate all her efforts on the U - boat offensive , and that henceforth the principal role of the German surface fleet should be to ensure the U - boat force was able to get to sea safely , and to return safely home . It was a striking demonstration of the shift in German naval policy from the pursuit of naval supremacy through her surface fleet , to the war on commerce by her U - boat arm .