110th anniversary of the battle of Jutland

Today marks the 110th anniversary of the opening phases of the Battle of Jutland, which was the world’s biggest pre-aircraft carrier naval battle*.

A map showing the course of the Battle of Jutland.

I suspect that in the great of almost all naval wargamers there is a desire to recreate this battle, but its sheer size makes this very difficult. Avalon Hill’s board wargame about the battle certainly makes it a feasible project … but it uses counters rather than model ships and somehow it doesn’t quite ‘hit the spot’ for people like me.

The box art on Avalon Hill's board wargame about the Battle of Jutland.

Now, I have been extremely lucky over the years to have taken part in two re-fights of the battle using 1:1200th-scale model ship. (In my eyes, this is the best size of model ship to wargame with if one has the space … but as my recent blog post shows, I am rather biased!)

The first was not actually a true recreation of the Battle of Jutland: it was the so-called Second Battle of Jutland as staged by the United States Naval War College in the Queen’s House at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

The Queen's House at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

The second was staged in central London by the informal grouping of wargamers known as the Jockey’s Field Irregulars. I had the honour to command the Grand Fleet … and the sheer scale of this wargame is difficult to adequately describe. Even the photographs I took don’t do this wargame justice.

A photograph of the recreation of the Battle of Jutland at Jockey's Field.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to take part in such a huge naval wargame again ... but the memory of the game at Jockey's Field will live with me forever as one of the outstanding wargames I ever took part in.

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* This is almost an untrue statement! The seaplane carrier HMS Engadine ...

HMS Engadine.

... participated in the battle as part of the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron. One of her seaplanes (a Short Type 184 flown by Lieutenant Frederick Rutland) ...

A Short Type 184 seaplane.

... spotted three cruisers and five destroyers of the German II Scouting Group. This is thought to have been the first heavier-than-air reconnaissance mission during a naval battle.

During the battle, she came upon the heavily damaged armoured cruiser HMS Warrior, and assisted in rescuing approximately 750 of her crew before she sank.