Battle of Heligoland Bight

ADMIRALTY, S. W.,
22nd September, 1914
D. 25088/14/

Sir,

I am commanded by My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to acquaint you that in the case of each ship which was engaged in the recent action in the Heligoland Bight whether damaged or not, the words "Heligoland August 28th. 1914" are to be painted in gold letters in some convenient place.

Further, in the case of HMS "Arethusa", My Lords have decided that the following verses are to be engraved upon a brass plate and fixed in a conspicuous place in the ship:-

Come all ye jolly Sailors bold,
Whose hearts are cast in honour's mould,
While English Glory I unfold,
Huzza for the "Arethusa"!
Her men are staunch
To their fav'rite launch,
And when the foe shall meet our fire,
Sooner than strike, we'll all expire
On board of the "Arethusa".

And now we've driven the foe ashore,
Never to fight with Britons more,
Let each fill his glass
To his fav'rite lass;
A health to our Captain and Officers true,
And all that belong to the jovial crew,
On board of the "Arethusa".

Action has already been taken in regard to H. M. Ships "Arethusa", "Fearless", "Laurel", "Liberty", "Laertes" and "Goshawk", which were damaged, and with the exception of the "Fearless", were subsequently repaired at H. M. Dockyard, Chatham. Approval has also been given for the inscription to be painted in H. M. Ships "Attack" and "Legion".

My Lords desire that you will cause the necessary steps to be taken to have the inscription placed in all the remaining vessels affected, the work being carried out by the Ship's Artificers or by the Dockyards as convenient.

These instructions will be included in the next issue of the Admiralty Weekly Orders.

Duplicates of this letter are being sent to the Vice Admirals Commanding, 1st., 2nd., 3rd., and 4th., Battle Squadrons, Vice Admirals Commanding Cruiser Force A, Rear Admiral Commanding Cruiser Force K, Admiral of Patrols, and Commodore (T), and Commodore (S).
I am,
Sir...

British Naval Forces
Admiral Sir David Beatty
Admiral Christian
Admiral Jellicoe
Commodore Keyes
Commodore Tyrwhitt
Commodore Goodenough

German Naval Force
Admiral von Ingenohl

The first great sea fight of the World War was fought on August 28, 1914, off Heligoland Bight, in the North Sea, resulting in a victory for the British.

A large fleet of German light cruisers, destroyers, and submarines was lying under the protection of the batteries on the island of Heligoland. From this naval base, German submarines had been operating against British shipping. Admiral Jellicoe conceived a plan to entice this German fleet away from the protection of the Heligoland fort, close in upon it from both flanks, and then destroy it in the open sea.

While squadrons of concealed British battleships, cruisers, and destroyers were guarding either side of the Bight, Commodore Keyes, on August 27, 1914, moved his flotilla of eight submarines and two destroyers toward Heligoland at midnight.

The next morning three of the British submarines, their hulls showing above water, steamed slowly toward the island fortress, followed by five submersed boats and two destroyers. A fleet of 21 German destroyers hastened out to give battle, and the visible British boats turned tail. A German airplane, operating above, signaled to the fort and soon a squadron of German light cruisers joined in the pursuit.

The three visible British submarines, acting as decoys, headed for the northwest, pursued by a flotilla of German submarines, destroyers, and torpedo boats, and a fleet of light cruisers. The odds seemed to please the Germans. But lying in wait for them were Commodore Tyrwhitt's two destroyer flotillas, Commodore Goodenough's light cruiser squadron, Admiral Christian's cruiser squadron, and behind these Admiral. Beatty's squadron of battleships with four destroyers.

The first shock of battle was borne by the British cruiser Arethusa, which gallantly engaged two German c...

The First Battle of Heligoland Bight was the first naval battle of the First World War, fought on 28 August 1914, after the British planned to attack German patrols off the north-west German coast.

The German High Seas Fleet remained largely in safe harbours on the north German coast while the British Grand Fleet remained in the northern North Sea. Both sides engaged in long-distance sorties with cruisers and battlecruisers, and close reconnaissance of the area of sea near the German coast, the Heligoland Bight, by destroyer. A plan was devised by the British to ambush some of these destroyers on their regular daily patrols, and a fleet of 31 destroyers and two cruisers under Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt and submarines commanded by Commodore Roger Keyes was dispatched for this purpose. This was supported at longer range by an additional six light cruisers commanded by William Goodenough, and five battlecruisers commanded by Vice Admiral David Beatty.

Three German light cruisers and one destroyer were sunk. Three more light cruisers were damaged, 712 sailors killed, 530 injured and 336 taken prisoner. The British suffered one light cruiser and three destroyers damaged, 35 killed and 40 wounded. The battle was regarded as a great victory in Britain, where the returning ships were met by cheering crowds. Publicly, Admiral Beatty was regarded as a hero, although he had taken little part in the action or planning of the raid, which was led by Commodore Tyrwhitt and conceived by him and Keyes, who had persuaded the Admiralty to adopt it. However, the raid might have led to disaster had not the additional forces under Beatty been sent by Admiral John Jellicoe at the last minute.

The effect upon the German government and in particular the Kaiser was to restrict the freedom of action of the German fleet, instructing it to remain in port and avoid any contact with superior forces.

Prelude

The battle took place less than a month after Britain's declaration of ...