- Author
- Bingham, Barry, The Hon. VC, Commander, RN
- Subjects
- Ship histories and stories, History - WW1
- Tags
- None noted.
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- September 1979 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
At 3.48 p.m. both sides opened fire almost simultaneously at 18,500 yards, and Admiral Beatty reduced speed to 21 knots, in order that the battleships of the Queen Elizabeth class might close up on him. Being only 24-knot ships, they had been left behind when the speed was increased to 27 knots by the Admiral on sighting the enemy.
In order to make certain our exact rate of speed, and thereby to obtain accurate data for their calculations, the Germans made an unsuccessful attempt to send a wireless signal ordering the British Fleet to steam at 23 knots.
From 4 o’clock onwards, the Lion and battle-cruisers altered course on two or three occasions one point to throw the enemy off the range. At 4.5 (approx.) HMS Indefatigable was hit by three shells falling together. She blew up and sank almost immediately.
When the action commenced, the Nestor was about half a mile ahead of the battlecruisers, from which position we had the best point of vantage for observing the enemy’s salvoes around the Lion. The enemy’s shooting appeared good, and it was clear that he was concentrating on Admiral Beatty’s flagship.
Shortly after 4 p.m. the admiral signalled that the flotilla of destroyers ahead was to attack the enemy’s battle-cruisers with torpedoes. Captain D in the Champion immediately repeated this order, adding that the Nestor and her division were to lead the attack. The attacking destroyers of the 13th, 10th and 9th Flotillas were as follows: Nestor, Nomad, Nicator, Narborough, Pelican, Petard, Obdurate, Nerissa, with Moorsom and Morris of the 10th Flotilla (Harwich Force). The Onslow was detached on special service with Engadine.
I immediately hoisted the signal for full speed and ordered the destroyers to form a single line astern of me. Then, shaping course a point and a half in towards the enemy, we ran full speed at 35 knots for half an hour, in order to reach an advantageous position on the enemy’s bows, such as would enable me to launch the torpedo attack with the greatest possible prospect of success.
On drawing out to this position, we observed the enemy’s fifteen destroyers coming out with the object of making a similar torpedo attack on our battle-cruisers.
At 4.40 p.m., having reached the desired position, I turned to N (approximately fourteen points to port), followed in succession by the rest of the destroyers, with this objective:
- to frustrate the intended torpedo attack by enemy destroyers on our battlecruisers by intercepting them and bringing them to action;
- to push home our torpedo attack on the enemy’s battle-cruisers.
The German destroyers then immediately turned on a course parallel to ours, and the destroyer action thus commenced at a range of 10,000 yards. I promptly manoeuvred to close this range.
At 4.45 Nomad, my immediate follower, was hit in the boiler room and hauled out of line disabled. We in the Nestor got the range very quickly from our 4-inch guns. Two German destroyers disappeared beneath the surface, and though it is unreasonable definitely to claim the credit of sinking a given ship where many are concerned, my control officer is still prepared to affirm that the Nestor’s guns accounted for one of them.
At 4.50 p.m. the enemy’s destroyers turned tail and fled. Pursued by the British they divided themselves into two portions, one half of which made for the head, while the other took cover under the tail, of the German battle-cruiser line. It must be remembered that although they were numerically superior to us, the enemy’s destroyers were neither so large nor so heavily armed.
The British boats promptly turned to chase the enemy’s fleeing TBDs, and while I proceeded with my division, now reduced to two boats (i.e. Nestor and Nictator), after those of the enemy’s destroyers who were making for the head of the battle-cruiser line, the other two divisions of the TBDs went after the remaining, and larger, portion of the German destroyers.
Just then the enemy’s battle-cruisers altered course four points to port, that is forty-five degrees to the left. Most probably this manoeuvre was prompted by the warning splashes that marked the discharge of the British torpedoes, of which the Nestor had just fired her first two.
Thus I found myself with the solitary Nictator hot in the track of the fleeing destroyers and now rapidly approaching the head of the German battle-cruiser line, who were not slow in giving us an extremely warm welcome from their secondary armament. At a distance of 3,000 to 4,000 yards the Nestor fired her third torpedo and immediately afterwards at 4.58 turned away eight points to starboard, in order to get clear of the danger zone and to regain the line of the British battle-cruisers.
Suddenly from behind the head of the enemy’s line there came a German light cruiser, who opened hot fire and straddled us. It was just about 5 o’clock when two boilers were put out of action by direct hits. From the bridge I saw at once that something of the kind had happened. A huge cloud of steam was rising from the boiler room, completely enshrouding the whole ship, and it was painfully apparent that our speed was dropping every second.
It is quite likely that one of these torpedoes actually struck the Lutzow. She was subsequently sunk, and her survivors at Wilhelmshaven, whilst in conversation with Nestor men, told them that a torpedo from Nestor’s division had struck them; this so reduced their speed that they became an easy prey for the 5th Battle Squadron’s gunfire.
Our speed died away gradually, until at 5.30 p.m. we came to a dead stop.
Nothing daunted, the engine room staff applied themselves with all the means in their power to the work of setting the engines in motion. But it was all without avail. The damage was of a nature which required, above all, time. Before anything could be done, the boilers had to be cooled off, and all pipes were in the overheated condition that results from a high speed run.
The German light cruiser having crippled us, almost immediately turned back and rejoined her own battle-cruisers.
Seeing our plight the Petard (Lieutenant- Commander E.C.O. Thompson), now returning from the chase of the major portion of the German flotilla, gallantly offered a tow; but I had no hesitation in refusing an offer which would have meant the exposure of two ships to the danger that properly belonged to one.