Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918
The Russo-Japanese War and Tsushima, then the First World War at sea: Heligoland Bight, Coronel, the Falklands, the Dardanelles, Jutland, the U-boat war and Zeebrugge.
This chapter of Naval Battles holds 113 battles. For each one we give when and where it was fought, who fought it, the ships that took part, what happened, how it ended and why it is remembered. See all 2,188 battles on one page.
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This database was put together by Ai Refloat™, Marea’s own artificial intelligence, from naval histories, museums, official records and encyclopaedias in many languages. Ai Refloat is still young & like any teenager, it can be a little volatile and unpredictable at times, but above all, it is learning fast. So this list may well contain mistakes and we welcome the input of everyone who knows these battles better than we do.
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The battles
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Russo-Japanese War
Battle of Chemulpo Bay Fleet battle
9 February 1904 · Off Chemulpo (now Incheon), Korea
Fought between Japan against Russia
Commanders Uryū Sotokichi (Japan); Vsevolod Rudnev (Russia)
Forces Japan: 1 armoured cruiser, 5 protected cruisers, 1 aviso, 8 torpedo boats. Russia: the protected cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Korietz
Ships Varyag, Korietz
Losses Russia: 33 killed, 97 wounded; both ships scuttled after the battle. Japan: no casualties reported by the Japanese.
Result Japanese victory
At the opening of the Russo-Japanese War a Japanese squadron under Uryū Sotokichi engaged the Russian protected cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Korietz off Chemulpo. Both Russian ships were scuttled after the battle.
Why it is remembered It was one of the first actions of the Russo-Japanese War.
Sources differ Japanese sources report no casualties; Russian sources claim 1 Japanese torpedo boat and about 30 men lost.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Alexander Marshall (?) (1876 to 1906), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Russo-Japanese War
Dogger Bank incident Other action
Also known as North Sea Incident; Russian Outrage; Incident of Hull
21 to 22 October 1904 · Dogger Bank, North Sea
Fought between Russian Baltic Fleet against British fishing trawlers from Hull (mistaken for Japanese torpedo boats)
Forces The Russian Baltic Fleet against unarmed British trawlers
Ships Aurora
Losses British: 2 fishermen killed, 6 injured; 1 trawler sunk and 5 damaged. Russian: 1 sailor and an Orthodox priest aboard the cruiser Aurora killed by friendly fire.
Result Russia paid £66,000 in compensation after an international commission of inquiry
On its way to the Far East, the Russian Baltic Fleet mistook trawlers from Kingston upon Hull on the Dogger Bank for Japanese torpedo boats and opened fire. In the confusion Russian ships also fired on each other. One trawler was sunk and five damaged.
Why it is remembered The incident almost led to war between Britain and Russia and was settled by an international commission of inquiry under the Hague Convention.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Artist unknown; publisher: the Valentine Series, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Russo-Japanese War
Hitachi Maru Incident Blockade and raiding
Also known as Hitachi-maru jiken
15 June 1904 · Tsushima Strait
Fought between Russia against Japan
Commanders Petr Bezobrazov (Russia)
Forces 3 Russian armoured cruisers of the Vladivostok squadron against 3 unarmed Japanese transports
Ships Hitachi Maru
Losses Japan: 2 ships sunk, 1 grounded; 1,334 killed, 112 wounded. Russia: none.
Result Russian victory
The Vladivostok based Russian armoured cruiser squadron made a commerce raiding sortie into the Tsushima Strait and caught three Japanese military transports. Two were sunk and one ran aground, with heavy loss of life.
Why it is remembered The sortie cost Japan 1,334 dead without loss to the Russian cruisers.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Russo-Japanese War
Battle of Korsakov Single-ship action
20 August 1904 · Off Korsakov, southern Sakhalin
Fought between Japan against Russia
Commanders Takagi Sukeichi, Sentō Takenaka (Japan); Mikhail von Schultz (Russia)
Forces Japanese cruisers Chitose and Tsushima against the Russian protected cruiser Novik
Ships Novik, Chitose, Tsushima
Losses Japan: Tsushima damaged. Russia: Novik scuttled.
Result Japanese victory
After the Russian Pacific Squadron was scattered at the Battle of the Yellow Sea, the protected cruiser Novik tried to escape from Port Arthur and join the Russian cruiser squadron at Vladivostok. The Japanese cruisers Chitose and Tsushima caught her off Korsakov on Sakhalin. Tsushima was damaged and Novik was scuttled.
Why it is remembered It ended Novik's attempt to reach Vladivostok after the Yellow Sea battle.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Russo-Japanese War
Battle of Port Arthur Raid
Also known as Ryojunkō Kaisen
8 to 9 February 1904 · Off Port Arthur, Manchuria, China
Fought between Japan against Russia
Commanders Tōgō Heihachirō, Dewa Shigetō, Kamimura Hikonojō, Nogi Maresuke (Japan); Oskar Starck, Yevgeni Alekseyev, Wilgelm Vitgeft (Russia)
Forces Japan: 6 pre-dreadnought battleships, 9 armoured cruisers, 15 destroyers, 20 torpedo boats. Russia: 7 pre-dreadnought battleships, 1 armoured cruiser, 5 protected cruisers and escorts
Ships Mikasa, Shikishima, Fuji, Hatsuse, Retvizan, Tsesarevich, Pallada, Novik, Petropavlovsk, Poltava, Diana, Askold, Pobeda, Sevastopol, Boyarin
Losses Japan: 90 men and slight damage. Russia: about 150 casualties, 7 ships damaged.
Result Inconclusive
Japanese destroyers made a surprise night attack on the Russian fleet at anchor at Port Arthur, hitting Retvizan, Tsesarevich and Pallada with torpedoes. Next morning the Japanese fleet, with Mikasa as flagship, engaged the Russian ships and shore batteries, and several ships on both sides were damaged before the Japanese withdrew. No warship was sunk in the gun action.
Why it is remembered It opened the Russo-Japanese War; Japan declared war the following day.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Russo-Japanese War
Sinking of Hatsuse and Yashima Other action
Also known as Уничтожение японских броненосцев «Хацусэ» и «Ясима»
15 May 1904 · Yellow Sea, off Port Arthur
Fought between Russia against Japan
Commanders F. N. Ivanov, commanding the minelayer Amur (Russia)
Forces Russian minelayer Amur, which laid 50 mines the day before, against a Japanese battleship squadron
Ships Amur, Hatsuse, Yashima, Shikishima
Losses Japan: battleships Hatsuse and Yashima lost; 493 dead aboard Hatsuse. No figure is given for Yashima.
Result Russian success
On 14 May the minelayer Amur, hidden by fog, laid 50 mines about 11 miles off Port Arthur, further out than the 8 miles approved by Vitgeft. Next day Hatsuse struck mines and sank, and Yashima struck a mine soon after and lost power. Shikishima towed her away, but after her crew had left she capsized and sank, out of sight of Russian observers, and Japan kept the loss secret for a long time.
Why it is remembered It is counted as the greatest success of the Russian Pacific Squadron: Japan lost two of its six battleships in one day.
Sources Wikipedia (RU) · Wikipedia (JA)
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Russo-Japanese War
Battle off Ulsan Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of the Japanese Sea; Battle of the Korean Strait; Urusan'oki kaisen
14 August 1904 · Off Ulsan, Korea
Fought between Japan against Russia
Commanders Kamimura Hikonojō (Japan); Karl Jessen (Russia)
Forces 4 Japanese armoured cruisers and 2 protected cruisers against 3 Russian armoured cruisers
Ships Izumo, Azuma, Tokiwa, Iwate, Naniwa, Takachiho, Rossia, Gromoboi, Rurik
Losses Japan: 44 killed, 71 wounded; 3 cruisers slightly damaged. Russia: 343 killed, 652 wounded; 1 armoured cruiser sunk, 2 damaged.
Result Japanese victory
At dawn the Japanese 2nd Fleet caught the Vladivostok cruiser squadron returning north and concentrated its fire on Rurik, which lost her steering and most of her officers. Rossia and Gromoboi tried to cover her, but she was scuttled. Kamimura pursued the other two for about three hours before turning for Busan.
Why it is remembered Fought four days after the Battle of the Yellow Sea, it ended the Vladivostok squadron's threat to Japanese shipping.
Sources differ The main account states that Jessen decided to scuttle Rurik, while the Russian view is that her crew scuttled her after her steering was destroyed.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Nakamura Factory of Haibara, Tokyo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Russo-Japanese War
Battle of the Yellow Sea Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of 10 August; Kōkai kaisen
10 August 1904 · Yellow Sea, off the Shandong Peninsula, China
Fought between Japan against Russia
Commanders Tōgō Heihachirō, Dewa Shigetō (Japan); Wilgelm Vitgeft, killed, Pavel Ukhtomsky (Russia)
Forces Japan: 5 battleships, 6 armoured cruisers, 8 protected cruisers, 18 destroyers, 30 torpedo boats. Russia: 6 battleships, 4 protected cruisers, 14 destroyers
Ships Mikasa, Asahi, Fuji, Shikishima, Nisshin, Kasuga, Yakumo, Tsesarevich, Retvizan, Pobeda, Peresvet, Sevastopol, Poltava, Askold, Pallada, Diana, Novik
Losses Japan: 226 killed and wounded; 2 battleships severely and 1 slightly damaged, 1 protected cruiser slightly damaged. Russia: 340 killed and wounded; 1 battleship severely and 5 slightly damaged; several ships interned in neutral ports.
Result The Russian breakout was foiled and the fleet returned to Port Arthur
The Russian squadron at Port Arthur tried to break out and join the Vladivostok cruisers. Tōgō's fleet engaged it, and a 305 mm salvo struck the flagship Tsesarevich, killing Admiral Vitgeft and his staff and jamming her steering, so that she swung back into her own line. The Russian formation broke up; most of the battleships returned to Port Arthur, while Tsesarevich reached Tsingtao, Askold Shanghai and Diana Saigon, where they were interned.
Why it is remembered It ended the Port Arthur squadron's last real attempt to escape; four days later the Battle off Ulsan ended the Vladivostok sortie.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Russo-Japanese War
Battle of Tsushima Fleet battle
Also known as Naval Battle of the Sea of Japan
27 to 28 May 1905 · Tsushima Strait, between Korea and Japan
Fought between Japan against Russia
Commanders Tōgō Heihachirō, Kamimura Hikonojō, Kataoka Shichirō (Japan); Zinovy Rozhestvensky, captured, Nikolai Nebogatov, surrendered, Oskar Enqvist (Russia)
Forces Japan: 4 battleships, 29 cruisers, 4 gunboats, 21 destroyers, 45 torpedo boats, 22 auxiliaries. Russia: 8 battleships, 3 coastal battleships, 9 cruisers, 9 destroyers, 9 auxiliaries
Ships Mikasa, Fuji, Asahi, Asama, Knyaz Suvorov, Oslyabya, Imperator Aleksandr III, Borodino, Oryol, Navarin, Sissoi Veliky, Admiral Nakhimov, Vladimir Monomakh, Nikolai I, Apraksin, Senyavin, Izumrud, Donskoi, Grozniy, Byedoviy, Buyniy
Losses Japan: 117 dead, 583 injured; 3 torpedo boats sunk. Russia: 5,045 dead, 803 injured, 6,016 captured; 6 battleships, 1 coastal battleship and 14 other ships sunk; 2 battleships, 2 coastal battleships and 1 destroyer captured; 6 ships disarmed.
Result Japanese victory
The Russian Second Pacific Squadron had sailed some 18,000 nautical miles from the Baltic to reach Vladivostok. Tōgō's Combined Fleet met it in the Tsushima Strait on the afternoon of 27 May; Rozhestvensky was wounded early, and four Russian battleships, among them the flagship Knyaz Suvorov, were sunk by sunset. Japanese destroyers and torpedo boats attacked through the night, and on the morning of 28 May Nebogatov surrendered. All eleven Russian battleships were lost, and only one cruiser and two destroyers reached Vladivostok.
Why it is remembered It was the only decisive battle fought between modern steel battleship fleets and the first in which wireless played a critical part; it forced Russia to seek peace at Portsmouth in 1905. Tōgō's flagship Mikasa is preserved as a museum ship at Yokosuka, and the battle is the subject of the 1969 film Battle of the Japan Sea.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · French conquest of Morocco
Bombardment of Casablanca Landing or siege
Also known as Bombardement de Casablanca; قصف الدار البيضاء
5 to 7 August 1907 · Casablanca, Morocco
Fought between France against Morocco
Commanders Antoine Drude, Joseph Philibert (France); Abd al-Aziz al-Alawi, Abu Bakr bin Bouzid (Morocco)
Forces French cruisers, among them Galilée, Du Chayla and Gloire, and landing parties
Ships Galilée, Du Chayla, Gloire
Losses An estimated 1,500 to 7,000 Moroccan dead.
Result French conquest and occupation of Casablanca
On 30 July 1907 Shawiya tribesmen opposed to the French presence attacked European workers on the railway to the port. When the cruiser Galilée landed a party of 75 men on 5 August, the city rose. Galilée and Du Chayla shelled Casablanca with mélinite, hitting residential districts, especially the Tnaker quarter.
Why it is remembered It destroyed much of the city and opened a western front in the French conquest of Morocco.
Sources differ Estimates of Moroccan deaths range from 1,500 to 7,000.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Joseph Boussuge, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918
Revolt of the Lash Other action
Also known as Revolta da Chibata
22 November 1910 · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Fought between Mutinous sailors of the Brazilian Navy against the Brazilian government
Commanders João Cândido (mutineers)
Forces Mutineers held two dreadnoughts, one new cruiser and an older coastal defence ship
Result Amnesty granted and corporal punishment ended; many mutineers later discharged, jailed or sent to the Amazon rubber regions
Sailors, mostly Afro-Brazilian and mixed race men, rose against the flogging of crewmen by white officers. Led by João Cândido, they seized both of Brazil's new dreadnoughts, a new cruiser and a coastal defence ship in Rio de Janeiro harbour and demanded an end to what they called slavery in the navy. Congress, led by Senator Rui Barbosa, passed an amnesty and abolished corporal punishment.
Why it is remembered It ended flogging in the Brazilian Navy, though many of the mutineers were later punished despite the amnesty.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Italo-Turkish War
Battle of Preveza Raid
29 to 30 September 1911 · Off Preveza and at Gomenítza, Ionian Sea
Fought between Italy against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Guido Biscaretti di Ruffia (Italy); Captain Tevfik (Ottoman Empire)
Forces 5 Italian destroyers against 4 Ottoman torpedo boats and 1 armed yacht
Losses Italy: none. Ottoman Empire: about 10 killed; 3 torpedo boats sunk, 1 armed yacht captured.
Result Italian victory
On 29 September five Italian destroyers met two Ottoman torpedo boats off Preveza, drove one aground and chased the other into port. Next day they raided Gomenítza, sank two more torpedo boats at anchor and took an armed yacht as a prize.
Why it is remembered It was the first naval action of the Italo-Turkish War. Austria-Hungary protested, and Italy later cited the dispute when it declared war on Austria-Hungary in 1915.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Italo-Turkish War
Battle of Tripoli Landing or siege
3 to 10 October 1911 · Tripoli, Tripolitania (now Libya)
Fought between Italy against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Luigi Faravelli, Umberto Cagni (Italy); Neshat Bey (Ottoman Empire)
Forces Italy: 1,700 troops, 4 battleships, 4 armoured cruisers, 1 protected cruiser. Ottoman Empire: 3,000 troops, 1 gunboat
Result Italian victory; Tripoli occupied
An Italian squadron arrived off Tripoli and landing forces of Italian Navy sailors went ashore and captured the city.
Why it is remembered It began the land campaign in Libya and the Italian colonisation of the country.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Italo-Turkish War
Battle of Beirut Raid
24 February 1912 · Off Beirut, Ottoman Empire (now Lebanon)
Fought between Italy against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Paolo Thaon di Revel (Italy); Ottoman commander unknown
Forces 2 Italian armoured cruisers against 1 Ottoman corvette and 1 torpedo boat
Ships Giuseppe Garibaldi, Francesco Ferruccio, Avnillah, Angora
Losses Italy: none. Ottoman Empire: 1 corvette, 1 torpedo boat and 6 lighters sunk; 49 to 55 killed, 108 wounded. Civilians: 66 killed.
Result Italian victory
Fearing that Ottoman ships at Beirut could threaten the approaches to the Suez Canal, Italy sent two armoured cruisers to destroy them. They sank the casemate corvette Avnillah and six lighters, withdrew, then returned and sank the torpedo boat Angora. The city suffered significant damage.
Why it is remembered It removed all Ottoman naval forces from the region and secured the approaches to the Suez Canal for Italy.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First Balkan War
Battle of Elli Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of the Dardanelles; Ναυμαχία της Έλλης; İmroz Deniz Muharebesi
16 December 1912 (3 December Old Style) · Off the mouth of the Dardanelles, Aegean Sea
Fought between Greece against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Pavlos Kountouriotis (Greece); Ramiz Bey (Ottoman Empire)
Forces Greece: 1 armoured cruiser, 3 ironclad battleships, 4 destroyers. Ottoman Empire: 3 battleships, 1 ironclad, 1 protected cruiser, 4 destroyers
Ships Averof, Hydra, Spetsai, Psara, Aetos, Ierax, Panthir, Barbaros Hayreddin, Turgut Reis, Mesudiye
Losses Greece: 2 killed. Ottoman Empire: 18 killed, 41 wounded; 1 battleship damaged.
Result Greek victory
The Ottoman fleet came out of the Dardanelles and met the Greek fleet. Impatient with his slow old ironclads, Kountouriotis hoisted the Z flag for independent action and took Averof ahead alone at 20 knots, crossing the Ottoman line and concentrating fire on the flagship Barbaros Hayreddin. The Ottoman fleet withdrew in disorder into the Straits.
Why it is remembered It was the largest sea battle of the Balkan Wars. It left the Aegean to Greece, opened the way to Lesbos, Chios, Lemnos and Samos, and stopped Ottoman reinforcement by sea.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Vasileios Hatzis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First Balkan War
Battle of Kaliakra Single-ship action
Also known as Attack of the Drazki; Атаката на Дръзки
21 November 1912 · Black Sea, 32 miles off Varna, near Cape Kaliakra, Bulgaria
Fought between Bulgaria against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Captain Dimitar Dobrev (Bulgaria); Captain Rauf Orbay (Ottoman Empire)
Forces 4 Bulgarian torpedo boats (Drazki, Letyashti, Smeli, Strogi) against the Ottoman cruiser Hamidiye and 2 destroyers
Ships Drazki, Letyashti, Smeli, Strogi, Hamidiye
Losses Bulgaria: 1 torpedo boat damaged, 1 wounded. Ottoman Empire: Hamidiye damaged; 8 killed, 30 wounded.
Result Bulgarian victory
The Ottoman navy was blockading the Bulgarian coast and Hamidiye had threatened to destroy Varna and Balchik. On 21 November four Bulgarian torpedo boats attacked an Ottoman convoy. The torpedoes of Letyashti, Smeli and Strogi missed and Smeli was hit by a 150 mm shell, but Drazki closed to within 100 metres and her torpedoes tore a 10 square metre hole in Hamidiye's starboard side. The cruiser stayed afloat thanks to her crew, strong bulkheads, working pumps and a calm sea, and was repaired within months.
Why it is remembered After the attack the Ottoman blockade of the Bulgarian coast was much loosened, and Bulgaria remembers it as the Attack of the Drazki.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Italo-Turkish War
Battle of Kunfuda Bay Fleet battle
7 to 8 January 1912 · Kunfuda Bay, Red Sea, Arabia
Fought between Italy against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Osvaldo Paladini (Italy); Ottoman commander unknown
Forces Italy: protected cruiser Piemonte and destroyers Artigliere and Garibaldino. Ottoman Empire: 6 gunboats, 1 armed tug, 1 armed yacht
Ships Piemonte, Artigliere, Garibaldino
Losses Italy: none. Ottoman Empire: 6 gunboats destroyed, 1 tug sunk, 1 yacht captured; 4 dhows captured.
Result Italian victory
Cruising the Red Sea, the Italian cruiser Piemonte and two destroyers found six Ottoman gunboats, a tug and a yacht in the harbour at Kunfuda. In more than three hours of fighting five Ottoman vessels were sunk and three damaged gunboats were run aground to save them from sinking. The Italians returned the next morning and destroyed the rest; the sunken yacht was later raised and taken by Italy.
Why it is remembered Italy then blockaded the Ottoman Red Sea ports until the end of the war.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First Balkan War
Capture of Lemnos Landing or siege
18 to 21 October 1912 · Lemnos, northern Aegean Sea
Fought between Greece against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Pavlos Kountouriotis (Greece)
Losses The small Ottoman garrison was taken prisoner.
Result Greek occupation of Lemnos and naval blockade of the Dardanelles
Greek forces occupied Lemnos, at the entrance of the Dardanelles, against little resistance and took the small Ottoman garrison prisoner. Mudros Bay became a forward base from which the Greek navy blockaded the Straits.
Why it is remembered It was the opening action between Greece and the Ottoman Empire in the Aegean and gave Greece the base for its naval dominance there. Greek possession of the island was confirmed by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First Balkan War
Blockade of Montenegro Blockade and raiding
10 April to 14 May 1913 · Montenegrin and Albanian coast from Bar to the mouth of the Drin, later to Durrës, Adriatic Sea
Fought between Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy and Britain against Montenegro
Commanders Sir Cecil Burney, Maximilian Njegovan, Paul Stupar (blockading powers); King Nicholas I, Prince Danilo, Prince Peter, Janko Vukotić, Radomir Vešović (Montenegro)
Forces A multinational squadron including the Austrian Aspern and Zenta, the British Dublin and 3rd Battle Squadron, the French Edgar Quinet, the German Breslau and the Italian Ammiraglio di Saint Bon
Ships Aspern, Zenta, Dublin, Edgar Quinet, Breslau, Ammiraglio di Saint Bon
A multinational squadron summoned by the Great Powers and commanded by Sir Cecil Burney blockaded the Montenegrin ports. Its purpose was to stop Montenegrin reinforcements and supplies from reaching the Albanian coast.
Why it is remembered A joint naval action by the Great Powers to control the outcome of the First Balkan War on the Albanian coast.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Baron Franz Nopcsa (1877 to 1933), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First Balkan War
Battle of Lemnos Fleet battle
Also known as Ναυμαχία της Λήμνου; Mondros Deniz Muharebesi
18 January 1913 (5 January Old Style) · Off Lemnos, Aegean Sea
Fought between Greece against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Pavlos Kountouriotis (Greece); Ramiz Bey (Ottoman Empire)
Forces Greece: 1 armoured cruiser, 3 ironclad battleships, 7 destroyers. Ottoman Empire: 2 pre-dreadnought battleships, 1 ironclad, 1 protected cruiser, 5 destroyers
Ships Averof
Losses Greece: 1 wounded. Ottoman Empire: 41 killed, 104 wounded; 2 battleships and 1 ironclad damaged.
Result Greek victory
The Ottoman fleet made its second and last attempt to break the Greek blockade of the Dardanelles and regain control of the Aegean. The Greek fleet under Kountouriotis, with the armoured cruiser Averof, defeated it and forced it back to its base inside the Dardanelles.
Why it is remembered It was the last naval battle of the First Balkan War; the Ottoman fleet did not come out again during the war, leaving the Aegean and its islands to Greece.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 22 September 1914 Air and submarine attack
Also known as Sinking of the Live Bait Squadron
22 September 1914 · Broad Fourteens, southern North Sea
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Otto Weddigen (Germany); John Drummond, Wilmot Nicholson, Robert Johnson, killed (Britain)
Forces German submarine U-9 against 3 British armoured cruisers of the 7th Cruiser Squadron
Ships U-9, HMS Aboukir, HMS Hogue, HMS Cressy
Losses Britain: 1,459 killed; 3 armoured cruisers sunk. Germany: none.
Result German victory
Three obsolete cruisers, manned mainly by Royal Naval Reserve men, were patrolling the southern North Sea when U-9 torpedoed Aboukir. Hogue was hit while picking up Aboukir's survivors, and Cressy was torpedoed soon after. Neutral ships and trawlers, among them the Dutch steamers Flora and Titan, rescued 837 men.
Why it is remembered The losses caused a public outcry in Britain and damaged the Royal Navy's reputation; the Admiralty began to take the U-boat threat seriously.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Mexican Revolution
Action of 9 April 1914 Air and submarine attack
Also known as Air attack on the gunboats at Topolobampo; bombardeo aéreo de Topolobampo; primer combate aeronaval
April 1914 (9, 14 or 15 April according to different accounts) · Topolobampo Bay, Sinaloa, Gulf of California, Mexico
Fought between Constitutionalists against the Huertista federal navy
Commanders Captain Gustavo Salinas Camiña, pilot, with the naval mechanic Teodoro Madariaga (Constitutionalists); Captain Torres of the gunboat Guerrero (Huertistas)
Forces One Constitutionalist biplane, the Glenn L. Martin pusher Sonora, against the federal gunboats Guerrero and Morelos
Ships Guerrero, Morelos, Tampico
Losses None on either side
Result No damage was done. Accounts differ on the effect: one says the blockade of Topolobampo continued, another that the attack caused panic aboard Guerrero and forced her to withdraw.
The Constitutionalist gunboat Tampico lay partly sunk and blockaded inside the bar at Topolobampo, watched by the federal gunboats Guerrero and Morelos. Salinas Camiña took off from an airfield behind the port in the biplane Sonora, which railway mechanics in Hermosillo had adapted to carry bombs, and flew over the two gunboats under rifle fire from their crews. From a height of more than 900 metres he dropped improvised bombs made of pipe, dynamite and grenades (five, in one account); none hit, though a couple burst near Guerrero.
Why it is remembered It is counted among the first naval actions involving aircraft and is called in Mexico the first aerial bombing in the country. The federal gunboats later had to leave the blockade to coal and resupply, and Tampico then fought Guerrero in the Fourth Battle of Topolobampo.
Sources differ Date: 9 April 1914 in the deleted the English account article; 14 April 1914 according to Ray Acosta, who found that J.H. Klein Jr's 1918 eyewitness account in US Naval Institute Proceedings had confused the date (Mex Files); 15 April 1914 according to Luz Noticias. Targets: both gunboats in the account of Wikipedia, only Guerrero in Luz Noticias. Result: 'Huertista victory, blockade continues' (Wikipedia) against a forced withdrawal of Guerrero (Luz Noticias).
Sources Wikidata · web.archive.org · mexfiles.net · luznoticias.mx
Image: Hopkins, No known copyright restrictions (Flickr Commons), via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Antivari Fleet battle
Also known as Action off Antivari
16 August 1914 · Off Antivari (Bar), Montenegro, Adriatic Sea
Fought between France and Britain against Austria-Hungary
Commanders Augustin Lapeyrère (France); Paul Pachner (Austria-Hungary)
Forces France and Britain: 2 dreadnoughts, 10 pre-dreadnoughts, 6 armoured cruisers, 1 protected cruiser, more than 20 destroyers. Austria-Hungary: 1 protected cruiser, 1 destroyer
Ships SMS Zenta, SMS Ulan
Losses France and Britain: 2 pre-dreadnoughts and 2 destroyers damaged. Austria-Hungary: 173 killed, more than 50 wounded; 1 protected cruiser sunk, 1 destroyer damaged.
Result Anglo-French victory
The old Austrian protected cruiser Zenta and the destroyer Ulan were blockading the Montenegrin port of Antivari when a large Anglo-French force that had entered the Adriatic surprised and cut them off. Zenta fought on and was sunk, giving Ulan the chance to escape, which she took. The Austrian fleet at Cattaro did not come out.
Why it is remembered Zenta's fight to cover Ulan's escape is the remembered part of the action. The French blockade of the Adriatic that followed was soon abandoned for lack of supplies.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Harry Heusser (1881, 1943), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I Blockade and raiding
Also known as First Battle of the Atlantic
8 August 1914 to 20 October 1918 · Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the seas around the British Isles and the coast of France
Fought between Germany against the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Canada, Brazil and other Allied navies
Forces German U-boats of the Imperial German Navy against Allied navies and merchant shipping
Ships SM U-20, RMS Lusitania
Losses Allies: about 4,000 ships and 8 million tons of shipping. Germany: 178 U-boats and 5,000 men
Result Allied victory
German submarines first attacked the warships of the British Grand Fleet enforcing the blockade of Germany, then turned on Allied merchant shipping when the blockade extended to food. The Allies answered with escorted convoys, the Dover Barrage and the North Sea Mine Barrage, decoy ships, indicator loops and air patrols. The campaign failed to cut Britain's supplies before the United States entered the war, and the U-boat bases were abandoned in late 1918.
Why it is remembered Known as the First Battle of the Atlantic, it cost the Allies about 4,000 ships and forced the adoption of escorted convoys, barrages and decoy ships. The sinking of RMS Lusitania by U-20 was part of it.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Bombardment of Belgrade Landing or siege
Also known as Бомбардовање Београда; Die Bombardierung von Belgrad
28 to 29 July 1914 · Belgrade, Serbia, from the Danube and Sava rivers
Fought between Austria-Hungary against Serbia
Commanders Colonel Emil von Baumgartner, Fregattenkapitän Friedrich Grund (Austria-Hungary); Major Vojislav Tankosić (Serbia)
Forces Austria-Hungary: 14th Infantry Brigade, the Danube Flotilla with 3 river monitors, and artillery at Zemun and Bežanija. Serbia: elements of the 18th Infantry Regiment, Chetnik units and about 200 border guards
Ships SMS Bodrog, SMS Temes, SMS Szamos
Losses Austria-Hungary: several killed or drowned. Serbia: one reported. Civilian casualties minimal.
Result Opening of hostilities on the Serbian front
Shortly after midnight on the day Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, the river monitor Bodrog opened fire on Belgrade, joined by Temes and Szamos and by artillery across the Sava.
Why it is remembered Bodrog's fire is widely regarded as the first shot of the First World War. News of the bombardment led Tsar Nicholas II to order general mobilisation.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Black Sea raid Raid
29 October 1914 · Russian Black Sea coast, including Sevastopol and Novorossiysk
Fought between Ottoman Empire, with German support, against Russia
Commanders Wilhelm Souchon (Ottoman Empire); Andrei Eberhardt (Russia)
Forces Ottoman Empire: 1 battlecruiser, 1 light cruiser, 1 protected cruiser, 1 torpedo cruiser, 4 destroyers, 1 gunboat. Russia: shore defences, 1 pre-dreadnought, 1 minelayer, 1 gunboat, 3 destroyers
Losses Ottoman Empire: 1 battlecruiser damaged. Russia: 1 minelayer scuttled, 1 gunboat sunk, 1 destroyer damaged, a number of merchant ships damaged or destroyed; human losses unknown.
Result Ottoman victory; Ottoman entry into the First World War
War Minister Enver Pasha, unable to win his government over to war, arranged with Admiral Souchon for the Ottoman fleet to put to sea on the pretext of manoeuvres. Instead of provoking an incident, Souchon raided the Russian coast, causing little lasting damage. Enver blocked attempts in Istanbul to apologise.
Why it is remembered Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 2 November, followed by Britain and France three days later.
Sources differ The number of merchant ships lost is disputed: Erickson and Sondhaus give 6, Dowling and Tucker 6 sunk and about 12 damaged, while McMeekin and Miller give 14 sunk at Novorossiysk alone, later lowered by McMeekin to 12. The Ottoman press claimed 75 sailors captured.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Cape Sarych Fleet battle
18 November 1914 · Off Cape Sarych, Crimea, Black Sea
Fought between Russia against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Andrei Eberhardt (Russia); Wilhelm Souchon (Ottoman Empire)
Forces 5 Russian pre-dreadnought battleships against an Ottoman battlecruiser and a light cruiser
Losses Russia: 34 killed, 24 wounded; 1 battleship damaged. Ottoman Empire: 13 to 115 killed, 58 wounded; 1 battlecruiser damaged.
Result Russian victory; the Ottoman battlecruiser withdrew
Two modern Ottoman warships, a battlecruiser and a light cruiser under the German admiral Souchon, met the Russian Black Sea Fleet with five older pre-dreadnoughts off Cape Sarych. After a short action in which both sides took hits, the battlecruiser withdrew.
Why it is remembered A short action in which the older Russian battleships drove off a far more modern opponent.
Sources differ Ottoman dead are given as between 13 and 115; the figures of 115 killed and 58 wounded were later obtained by Russian intelligence.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Cocos Single-ship action
9 November 1914 · Off Direction Island and North Keeling Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean
Fought between Australia against Germany
Commanders John Glossop (Australia); Karl von Müller (Germany)
Forces Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney against German light cruiser SMS Emden and her collier Buresk
Ships HMAS Sydney, SMS Emden, SS Buresk, HMAS Melbourne, HMS Minotaur, Ibuki, Ayesha, Empress of Russia
Losses Australia: 4 killed, 16 wounded; Sydney damaged. Germany: 134 killed, 69 wounded, 157 captured; Emden wrecked, Buresk scuttled.
Result Australian victory
Emden, which had captured or sunk 25 civilian ships, shelled Madras and destroyed two warships at Penang, sent a party ashore to wreck the wireless and cable station on Direction Island. The station got off a distress call, and HMAS Sydney was detached from a nearby troop convoy. Emden opened fire first at long range and scored several hits, but Sydney's heavier guns wrecked her in about an hour and a half, and von Müller ran her aground on North Keeling Island. When her ensign stayed up, Sydney fired two more salvoes; the German landing party escaped in the schooner Ayesha and eventually reached Constantinople.
Why it is remembered The defeat of the last German warship in the region let Australian warships go to other theatres and allowed troopships to sail unescorted between Australia and the Middle East.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Horace Nicholls, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Coronel Fleet battle
Also known as Seeschlacht bei Coronel
1 November 1914 · Off Coronel, central Chile
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Maximilian von Spee (Germany); Christopher Cradock, killed, John Luce (Britain)
Forces Germany: 2 armoured cruisers, 3 light cruisers. Britain: 2 armoured cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 1 armed merchant cruiser
Ships HMS Good Hope, HMS Monmouth, HMS Glasgow, HMS Otranto, SMS Scharnhorst, SMS Gneisenau, SMS Leipzig, SMS Dresden, SMS Nürnberg
Losses Britain: 1,660 killed, with no survivors from Good Hope or Monmouth; 2 armoured cruisers sunk, 1 light cruiser damaged. Germany: 3 wounded.
Result German victory
Von Spee's East Asia Squadron met Cradock's squadron off the Chilean coast, probably as a result of misunderstandings, since neither admiral expected to meet the other in full force. Cradock understood his orders as requiring him to fight to the end. The armoured cruisers Good Hope and Monmouth were sunk with all hands, while Glasgow and Otranto escaped. The victory cost von Spee almost half of his irreplaceable ammunition.
Why it is remembered Shock at the British losses led the Admiralty to send two modern battlecruisers, which destroyed von Spee's squadron at the Falkland Islands on 8 December. A memorial in Coronel and the Coronel Memorial Library at Royal Roads University in Canada recall the dead.
Sources differ The main account gives 1,660 British dead; the plaque on the 1989 memorial in Coronel gives 1,418.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Raid on Cuxhaven Air and submarine attack
Also known as Christmas Raid; Weihnachtsangriff
25 December 1914 · Cuxhaven and the Heligoland Bight, Germany
Fought between Britain against Germany
Forces Seaplanes of the Royal Naval Air Service carried by Royal Navy seaplane tenders, with the Harwich Force and the 8th Submarine Flotilla in support
Result Damage to shore installations
Royal Navy seaplane tenders carried aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service within range of the German coast on Christmas Day. The seaplanes flew over the Cuxhaven area, aiming at the Zeppelin base at Nordholz, and dropped bombs that damaged shore installations.
Why it is remembered It was a British ship based air raid on the German Navy, mounted from seaplane tenders at sea.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Norman Wilkinson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of the Falkland Islands Fleet battle
8 December 1914 · Off the Falkland Islands, South Atlantic
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Doveton Sturdee, John Luce (Britain); Maximilian von Spee, killed (Germany)
Forces Britain: 2 battlecruisers, 3 armoured cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 1 armed merchant cruiser, 1 grounded pre-dreadnought. Germany: 2 armoured cruisers, 3 light cruisers, 3 colliers
Ships HMS Invincible, HMS Inflexible, HMS Carnarvon, HMS Cornwall, HMS Kent, HMS Macedonia, HMS Bristol, HMS Glasgow, SMS Scharnhorst, SMS Gneisenau, SMS Nürnberg, SMS Leipzig, SMS Dresden, SS Baden, SS Santa Isabel, SS Seydlitz
Losses Britain: 10 killed, 19 wounded; 2 battlecruisers and 2 armoured cruisers damaged. Germany: 1,871 killed, 215 captured; 2 armoured cruisers and 2 light cruisers sunk, 2 colliers scuttled.
Result British victory; destruction of the German East Asia Squadron
After the British defeat at Coronel, a force under Sturdee was sent to find von Spee's squadron and had arrived at Stanley the day before the Germans came to raid it. In clear, calm weather the British battlecruisers and cruisers chased the German ships through the day. All except Dresden and the collier Seydlitz were caught and sunk, and von Spee was killed.
Why it is remembered It destroyed the German East Asia Squadron five weeks after Coronel. The battle is marked every 8 December as a public holiday in the Falkland Islands, and William Lionel Wyllie painted it.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Lionel Wyllie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Mexican Revolution
First Battle of Topolobampo Single-ship action
4 March 1914 · Off Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Gulf of California, Mexico
Fought between Constitutionalist rebels against the Huertista federal government
Commanders Hilario Malpica (Constitutionalists); Navio Torres (Huertistas)
Forces 1 Constitutionalist gunboat against 2 federal gunboats
Losses None on either side.
Result Huertista victory; the rebel gunboat was forced back into Topolobampo harbour
A gunboat that had mutinied and joined the Constitutionalist rebels fought two federal gunboats off Topolobampo on the morning of 4 March. The action was bloodless, and the rebel ship was driven back into the harbour. Both sides flew the same Mexican ensign.
Why it is remembered It was one of the few naval battles of the Mexican Revolution and the first of the naval campaign in the Gulf of California.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Mexican Revolution
Fourth Battle of Topolobampo Single-ship action
16 June 1914 · Off Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Gulf of California, Mexico
Fought between Constitutionalist rebels against the Huertista federal government
Commanders Hilario Malpica, killed (Constitutionalists); Navio Torres (Huertistas)
Forces 1 Constitutionalist gunboat against 1 Huertista gunboat
Losses Constitutionalists: 7 killed, about 30 wounded, unknown captured; 1 gunboat sunk. Huertistas: unknown wounded; 1 gunboat damaged.
Result Huertista victory
A Huertista gunboat sank a Constitutionalist gunboat off Topolobampo. The rebel commander Hilario Malpica was killed. United States Navy observers drew a map of the action.
Why it is remembered It was the last naval battle of the Topolobampo campaign.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Lieutenant Vance D. Chapline, United States Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Heligoland Bight Fleet battle
28 August 1914 · Heligoland Bight, south eastern North Sea
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders David Beatty, Reginald Tyrwhitt, Roger Keyes, William Goodenough (Britain); Franz Hipper, Leberecht Maass, killed (Germany)
Forces Britain: 5 battlecruisers, 8 light cruisers, 33 destroyers, 8 submarines. Germany: 6 light cruisers, 19 torpedo boats, 12 minesweepers
Ships SMS Mainz, SMS Cöln, SMS Ariadne, SMS V187, SMS Strassburg, SMS Stettin, SMS Frauenlob
Losses Britain: 35 killed, 55 wounded; 1 light cruiser and 3 destroyers damaged. Germany: 712 killed, 530 injured, 336 captured; light cruisers Ariadne, Cöln and Mainz and torpedo boat V187 sunk; 3 light cruisers and 3 torpedo boats damaged.
Result British victory
Tyrwhitt and Keyes planned to ambush the German destroyer patrols off the German coast with 31 destroyers, two cruisers and submarines. Supported at longer range by Goodenough's light cruisers and Beatty's battlecruisers, which Jellicoe sent at the last minute, the British caught the Germans by surprise. Three German light cruisers and a torpedo boat were sunk.
Why it is remembered It was the first Anglo-German naval battle of the war and was hailed as a great victory in Britain. The Kaiser afterwards restricted the High Seas Fleet from risking contact with superior forces.
Sources differ One account gives 530 German injured; another account gives 149 wounded.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War (East African campaign)
Battle of Lake Nyasa Single-ship action
13 August 1914 · Lake Nyasa, Africa
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Captain Edmund Rhoades (Britain); Captain Berndt (Germany)
Forces British gunboat SS Gwendolen against German gunboat Hermann von Wissman
Ships SS Gwendolen, Hermann von Wissman
Losses Britain: none. Germany: no human losses; 1 gunboat temporarily disabled.
Result British victory
The British gunboat Gwendolen engaged the German gunboat Hermann von Wissman on Lake Nyasa and put her temporarily out of action.
Why it is remembered It was one of the first naval engagements of the First World War.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Bombardment of Madras Raid
22 September 1914 · Madras (now Chennai), British India
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Karl von Müller (Germany)
Forces German light cruiser SMS Emden
Ships SMS Emden
Losses British side: 1 steamer sunk; 5 killed, 26 wounded; 5 oil tanks and 346,000 gallons of fuel destroyed. Germany: none.
Result German victory
On the night of 22 September Emden quietly approached Madras and entered the harbour area. Von Müller lit up six large oil tanks of the Burmah Oil Company with his searchlights and opened fire at 3,000 yards. In ten minutes Emden hit five tanks, then withdrew unharmed.
Why it is remembered Von Müller meant it as a demonstration to disturb British trade and prestige. The word Emden entered Tamil and Malayalam to describe someone powerful, frightening and ill intentioned.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Odensholm Single-ship action
Also known as Combat de l'île d'Odensholm; loss of SMS Magdeburg
26 August 1914 · Off Odensholm island, entrance to the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea
Fought between Russia against Germany
Commanders R. Habenicht (Germany)
Forces Russian cruisers Bogatyr and Pallada against the German cruiser Magdeburg and destroyer V26
Ships Magdeburg, V26, Bogatyr, Pallada
Losses Germany: Magdeburg lost; Habenicht and 56 sailors taken prisoner.
Result Russian victory
In fog at night the German cruiser Magdeburg ran aground off Odensholm, and neither her crew nor the destroyer V26 could free her. The Russian lighthouse crew raised the alarm, and while the Germans were preparing to scuttle her two Russian cruisers arrived; V26 escaped and the Russians partly destroyed Magdeburg. Russian officers recovered copies of the German naval code from the cabin and from the sea, together with maps and the signal book.
Why it is remembered One code book was sent to London; with British work in Room 40 it let the Allies read German naval signals while the Germans did not know their codes were compromised.
Sources Wikipédia (FR)
Image: Unknown photographer, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Raid on Odessa Raid
Also known as Battle of Odesa; Bataille d'Odessa (1914)
29 October 1914 · Port of Odessa, Black Sea
Fought between Ottoman Empire against Russia
Commanders Ayasofyali Ahmet, Ahmet Saffet (Ottoman Empire)
Forces 2 Ottoman destroyers against 1 Russian minesweeper and 2 gunboats
Ships Muâvenet-i Milliye
Losses Ottoman Empire: unknown. Russia: 1 minesweeper and 1 gunboat sunk, 1 gunboat damaged.
Result Ottoman victory
Two Ottoman destroyers attacked the Russian port of Odessa as part of a wider Ottoman naval operation against the Russian Black Sea Fleet and targets ashore. They sank a minesweeper and a gunboat in the harbour.
Why it is remembered Its main consequence was Russia's declaration of war on the Ottoman Empire on 1 November 1914.
Sources Wikipédia (FR)
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Bombardment of Papeete Raid
22 September 1914 · Port of Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
Fought between Germany against France
Commanders Maximilian von Spee (Germany); Maxime Destremau (France)
Forces Germany: armoured cruisers SMS Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. France: 160 infantry, 2 shore batteries, 1 gunboat, 1 freighter
Ships SMS Scharnhorst, SMS Gneisenau, Zélée, Walküre
Losses France: gunboat Zélée and freighter Walküre sunk; Papeete badly damaged; 2 civilians killed. Germany: none.
Result German victory; the French destroyed the coal stocks before the Germans could take them
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau entered the port of Papeete to seize its coal, sank the French gunboat Zélée and the freighter Walküre, and bombarded the town's defences. The French shore batteries resisted but were outgunned, and they set fire to the coal piles at the start of the action. Several buildings were destroyed and the town's economy was badly disrupted.
Why it is remembered It revealed the cruisers' position to the British Admiralty, which led to the Battle of Coronel, and the ammunition spent there contributed to their destruction at the Falklands.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Penang Raid
Also known as Бой у Пенанга; Combat de Penang; Schlacht von Penang
28 October 1914 · Penang Strait, off Penang, British Malaya
Fought between Germany against Russia and France
Commanders Karl von Müller (Germany); I. A. Cherkassov (Russia); Félix Théroinne, killed (France)
Forces German light cruiser SMS Emden against 1 Russian protected cruiser, 1 French cruiser and 2 destroyers
Ships SMS Emden, Zhemchug
Losses Russia and France: 135 killed, 157 wounded; 1 protected cruiser and 1 destroyer sunk. Germany: none.
Result German victory
During her commerce raiding operations in the Indian Ocean, Emden entered the Penang Strait by surprise and sank two Allied warships, the Russian cruiser Zhemchug and a destroyer. The French and Russians lost 135 killed; the Germans suffered no casualties.
Why it is remembered It was the only battle of the First World War fought in British Malaya.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Pursuit of Goeben and Breslau Other action
Also known as Naval Pursuit of Goeben and Breslau
4 to 10 August 1914 · Mediterranean Sea, ending at the Dardanelles
Fought between Britain and France against Germany
Commanders Berkeley Milne, Ernest Troubridge (Britain); A. B. de Lapeyrère (France); Wilhelm Souchon (Germany)
Forces Britain and France: 3 battlecruisers, 4 armoured cruisers, 4 light cruisers, 14 destroyers. Germany: 1 battlecruiser, 1 light cruiser
Ships SMS Goeben, SMS Breslau
Losses Britain and France: none. Germany: 4 sailors.
Result German victory; the German ships reached Constantinople
At the outbreak of war, ships of the British Mediterranean Fleet tried to intercept the German battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau, which had bombarded Philippeville on the Algerian coast. The German ships evaded them and passed through the Dardanelles to Constantinople, where they were handed over to the Ottoman Empire and renamed Yavuz Sultan Selim and Midilli. Their German commander then sent them to attack Russian positions, bringing the Ottoman Empire into the war on the side of the Central Powers.
Why it is remembered Though almost bloodless, the failed pursuit ended the careers of the two British admirals in charge. Churchill later wrote that Goeben had brought more slaughter, misery and ruin than any ship before her.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Wilhelm Malchin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Río de Oro Single-ship action
Also known as Sinking of SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse
26 August 1914 · Off Río de Oro, Spanish Sahara, north west Africa
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Henry T. Buller (Britain); Max Reymann (Germany)
Forces British protected cruiser HMS Highflyer against German auxiliary cruiser Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse
Ships HMS Highflyer, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse
Losses Britain: 1 killed, 6 wounded; Highflyer damaged. Germany: Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse scuttled.
Result British victory
The British cruiser Highflyer attacked the German auxiliary cruiser Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse off Río de Oro on the coast of north west Africa. The German ship was scuttled.
Why it is remembered A German auxiliary cruiser lost in the first month of the war.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Norman Wilkinson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War (East African campaign)
Battle of the Rufiji Delta Other action
October 1914 to 11 July 1915 · Rufiji Delta, German East Africa (now Tanzania)
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Max Looff (Germany); Sidney Robert Drury-Lowe (Britain)
Forces Germany: light cruiser SMS Königsberg, 1 supply ship, 1 freighter. Britain: 1 pre-dreadnought, 4 cruisers, 2 monitors, smaller craft, 1 blockship and 10 aircraft
Ships SMS Königsberg
Losses Germany: 33 killed, mostly by disease; light cruiser, supply ship and freighter sunk. Britain: 6 aircraft destroyed, mostly through attrition.
Result British victory
The German light cruiser Königsberg took refuge in the Rufiji delta and was blockaded there by British warships, which sank a ship in the river mouth to trap her. Over several months the British made a series of attempts to destroy her, using monitors and aircraft, and finally succeeded in July 1915.
Why it is remembered It ended the threat from Königsberg after a blockade of some nine months, in which the British used monitors and aircraft against her.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Paul Teschinsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby Raid
16 December 1914 · Scarborough, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool and Whitby, north east England
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Franz Hipper, Friedrich Ingenohl (Germany); George Warrender, David Beatty (Britain)
Forces Germany: 4 battlecruisers, 1 armoured cruiser, 4 light cruisers, 18 destroyers. Britain: 2 coastal batteries, 6 dreadnoughts, 4 battlecruisers, 4 armoured cruisers, 4 light cruisers, 2 scout cruisers, 7 destroyers
Ships Derfflinger, Von der Tann, Seydlitz, Moltke, Blücher, Kolberg, HMS Patrol, HMS Doon, HMS Forward, HMS C9
Losses Germany: 8 sailors killed, 12 wounded; 1 armoured cruiser and 2 light cruisers damaged. Britain: 122 civilians killed, 443 wounded; 5 soldiers and 2 sailors killed, 14 servicemen wounded; 1 scout cruiser and 3 destroyers damaged.
Result German victory
German battlecruisers shelled the English coast. Derfflinger and Von der Tann bombarded Scarborough and then Whitby, while Seydlitz, Moltke and Blücher shelled Hartlepool, where the scout cruiser Patrol was hit and beached; Kolberg laid mines off Flamborough Head. The British fleet failed to intercept the raiders.
Why it is remembered The civilian deaths caused outrage in Britain against the German Navy, and against the Royal Navy for failing to stop it. Remember Scarborough became a recruiting slogan.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Edith Kemp-Welch (1870, 1941), Public domain, via Wikipedia (en)
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Mexican Revolution
Second Battle of Topolobampo Blockade and raiding
13 March 1914 · Off Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Gulf of California, Mexico
Fought between Constitutionalist rebels against the Huertista federal government
Commanders Lieutenant Hilario Malpica (Constitutionalists); Captain Navio Torres (Huertistas)
Forces 1 Constitutionalist gunboat against 2 federal gunboats
Losses None on either side.
Result The blockade was not lifted
A rebel Constitutionalist gunboat tried to break the federal blockade of Topolobampo. The attack pushed the federal gunboats further off but did not lift the blockade.
Why it is remembered The second of four naval actions off Topolobampo in 1914.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle off Texel Fleet battle
Also known as Action off Texel; Action of 17 October 1914
17 October 1914 · Off the Dutch island of Texel, North Sea
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Captain Cecil Fox (Britain); Korvettenkapitän Georg Thiele, killed (Germany)
Forces 1 British light cruiser and 4 destroyers against 4 German torpedo boats of the 7th Half Flotilla
Ships HMS Undaunted, HMS Lance, HMS Lennox, HMS Legion, HMS Loyal, S115, S117, S118, S119
Losses Britain: no deaths; 4 or 5 wounded, 3 destroyers lightly damaged. Germany: 218 killed, 31 captured; all 4 torpedo boats sunk.
Result British victory
A British light cruiser and four destroyers on routine patrol met the German 7th Half Flotilla on its way to lay mines off the British coast. The outgunned German boats tried to flee, then fought a desperate action, and all four were sunk.
Why it is remembered It stopped the mining of busy shipping lanes such as the mouth of the Thames and shook German faith in their torpedo boat flotillas in the North Sea.
Sources differ One account gives 5 British wounded; another account says only four British sailors were wounded.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Mexican Revolution
Third Battle of Topolobampo Single-ship action
31 March 1914 · Off Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Gulf of California, Mexico
Fought between Constitutionalist rebels against the Huertista federal government
Commanders Captain Hilario Malpica (Constitutionalists); Captain Navio Torres (Huertistas)
Forces 1 Constitutionalist gunboat against 1 Huertista gunboat
Ships Tampico
Losses Constitutionalists: no casualties; gunboat Tampico sunk. Huertistas: 3 wounded; 1 gunboat damaged.
Result Huertista victory
After failing in the first two battles, the Constitutionalist gunboat Tampico again tried to break the federal blockade of Topolobampo. She was sunk by a Huertista gunboat in an action lasting a few hours.
Why it is remembered The third of four naval actions off Topolobampo in 1914.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Trindade Single-ship action
Also known as Sinking of SMS Cap Trafalgar
14 September 1914 · South Atlantic
Fought between Britain against Germany
Forces British armed merchant cruiser HMS Carmania against German auxiliary cruiser Cap Trafalgar, both converted ocean liners
Ships HMS Carmania, Cap Trafalgar
Losses Germany: Cap Trafalgar sunk.
Result British victory
Cap Trafalgar, a Hamburg Süd liner launched in 1913 and converted into an auxiliary cruiser, met the British armed liner HMS Carmania in the South Atlantic. After a fierce action Cap Trafalgar was sunk.
Why it is remembered It was the first battle between two former ocean liners.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Siege of Tsingtao Landing or siege
Also known as Belagerung von Tsingtau; 青島の戦い; 青岛战役
27 August to 7 November 1914 · Qingdao (Tsingtao), Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory, China
Fought between Japan and Britain, with French naval support, against Germany and Austria-Hungary
Commanders Mitsuomi Kamio, Sadakichi Kato (Japan); Nathaniel Barnardiston (Britain); Alfred Waldeck, surrendered (Germany)
Forces Japan and Britain: 24,500 men, 1 seaplane carrier, 5 battleships, 2 battlecruisers, 1 protected cruiser, 2 destroyers, 2 aircraft. Germany and Austria-Hungary: 3,750 men, 1 protected cruiser, 1 unprotected cruiser, 1 torpedo boat, 4 gunboats, 2 aircraft
Losses Japan and Britain: 727 killed, 1,335 wounded; 1 protected cruiser and 1 destroyer sunk, 1 battleship damaged, 1 aircraft destroyed. Germany and Austria-Hungary: 199 killed, 504 wounded, 3,047 captured; 2 cruisers, 1 torpedo boat and 4 gunboats scuttled. Chinese civilians: 98 killed, 30 wounded by Japanese forces.
Result Anglo-Japanese victory; Japanese occupation of Qingdao
Japan and Britain attacked the German port of Qingdao from Jiaozhou Bay, with a seaplane carrier, battleships and cruisers supporting the troops ashore. The German garrison held out for more than two months before surrendering, and its warships were scuttled.
Why it is remembered It was the first clash between Japanese and German forces, the first Anglo-Japanese operation of the war, and the only major land battle in the Asian and Pacific theatre.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Raid on Yarmouth Raid
3 to 4 November 1914 · Off Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Franz von Hipper (Germany); David Beatty (Britain)
Forces Germany: 3 battlecruisers, 2 armoured cruisers, 4 light cruisers. Britain: 3 destroyers, 1 minesweeper, 3 submarines
Ships HMS D5
Losses Britain: 21 killed, 3 wounded; 1 submarine sunk; 3 fishing trawlers sunk. Germany: 235 killed, in the loss of an armoured cruiser on German mines.
Result Inconclusive
German ships laying mines off Great Yarmouth were interrupted by British destroyers and shelled the town, but their shells fell on the beach and did little damage. The British submarine D5 struck a mine and sank as she left harbour to attack. On the way home a German armoured cruiser struck two German mines outside her own port and sank.
Why it is remembered The German shells fell on the beach and did little harm; the heaviest loss of the day was the German cruiser sunk on her own side's mines.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Atelier Heinr. Meents, Wilhelmshaven, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Zanzibar Raid
20 September 1914 · Zanzibar harbour, Indian Ocean
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Max Looff (Germany); John Ingles (Britain)
Forces German light cruiser SMS Königsberg against the British protected cruiser HMS Pegasus and the picket tug HMS Helmuth
Ships SMS Königsberg, HMS Pegasus, HMS Helmuth
Losses Germany: none. Britain: 39 killed, 55 wounded; Pegasus sunk, Helmuth damaged.
Result German victory
While coaling in the Rufiji delta, Königsberg learned that HMS Pegasus had put in at Zanzibar for repairs. She slipped past the picket ship Helmuth and opened fire on Pegasus, which was taken by surprise and badly damaged before she could reply. Königsberg's guns outranged those of Pegasus, which sank later that day.
Why it is remembered A one sided early success for the German cruiser in East Africa.
Sources differ One account gives 38 British dead; another account gives 39 killed.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 10 May 1915 Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of the Bosporus
10 May 1915 · Black Sea, about 25 miles north of the Bosporus
Fought between Russia against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Andrei Eberhardt (Russia); Richard Ackermann (Ottoman Empire)
Forces 5 Russian pre-dreadnought battleships against the Ottoman battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim
Ships Yavuz Sultan Selim
Losses Russia: none. Ottoman Empire: Yavuz Sultan Selim lightly damaged.
Result Indecisive; the Russian operation was disrupted
During a Black Sea Fleet operation to shell the Bosporus forts, the Russian pre-dreadnought squadron met the battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim. After a brief exchange of fire the Ottoman ship withdrew.
Why it is remembered The battlecruiser's sortie interrupted the Russian bombardment, though she did no significant damage to the Russian fleet.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Bombardment of Ancona Raid
23 to 24 May 1915 · Ancona and nearby coast and islands, Adriatic Sea, Italy
Fought between Austria-Hungary against Italy
Forces Austria-Hungary: 3 dreadnoughts, 8 pre-dreadnoughts, 2 scout cruisers, more than 9 destroyers and more than 8 torpedo boats. Italy: 1 armed merchant cruiser, 1 protected cruiser, 1 destroyer, 2 airships, 1 flying boat
Losses Austria-Hungary: 1 scout cruiser damaged; dead unknown. Italy: 63 killed; 1 destroyer sunk, 1 airship damaged.
Result Austro-Hungarian victory
In response to Italy's declaration of war, the Austro-Hungarian Navy attacked and bombarded military and civilian targets across Ancona and other communities and islands nearby.
Why it is remembered It was Austria-Hungary's immediate answer to Italy's entry into the war, and August von Ramberg painted it.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: August von Ramberg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Baralong incidents Other action
19 August and 24 September 1915 · Irish Sea and Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Godfrey Herbert, A. Wilmot-Smith (Britain); Bernd Wegener, killed, Klaus Hansen, killed (Germany)
Forces British Q-ship HMS Baralong, with 2 steamers, against 2 German U-boats
Ships HMS Baralong, U-27, U-41, Nicosian
Losses Britain: 2 steamers damaged. Germany: U-27 and U-41 sunk; all survivors of U-27 shot.
Result British success
The Q-ship Baralong sank U-27 while she was attacking the merchant ship Nicosian. About a dozen of the U-boat's crew escaped from the sinking boat, and Lieutenant Godfrey Herbert ordered them to be fired on; all were shot by Baralong's crew and marines, including several who had reached Nicosian. A month later Baralong, under Andrew Wilmot-Smith, sank U-41 in an incident also described as a British war crime.
Why it is remembered The killing of the U-27 survivors is remembered as a war crime.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War (East African campaign)
Battle for Lake Tanganyika Single-ship action
26 December 1915 to July 1916 · Lake Tanganyika, Africa
Fought between Britain and Belgium against Germany
Commanders Geoffrey Spicer-Simson (Britain); Georges Moulaert (Belgium); Gustav Zimmer (Germany)
Forces Britain: 2 steamers and 3 armed boats, including the motor boats Mimi and Toutou. Belgium: 1 steamer, 1 armed boat, 1 armed barge, 1 whaler, 4 aircraft. Germany: 2 steamers, 1 ferry, dhows, a fort and shore batteries
Ships HMS Mimi, HMS Toutou, Kingani (later HMS Fifi), Hedwig von Wissmann, Graf von Götzen, Alexandre del Commune (later HMS Vengeur)
Losses Britain: no human losses; 1 armed boat damaged. Belgium: 1 steamer sunk (later raised). Germany: about 12 killed, 2 wounded, 32 captured; 1 steamer sunk, 1 ferry scuttled, 1 steamer captured.
Result British and Belgian victory
The British motor boats Mimi and Toutou were shipped to South Africa and carried by rail, river and overland through the bush to the lake, under Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Spicer-Simson. On 26 December 1915 they damaged and captured the German steamer Kingani, which became HMS Fifi, and in a second action they sank Hedwig von Wissmann. The large German ship Graf von Götzen was attacked without result by Belgian aircraft and later scuttled.
Why it is remembered It ended German dominance of Lake Tanganyika, and control of the lake passed to the British and Belgians.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Dogger Bank Fleet battle
24 January 1915 · Near the Dogger Bank, North Sea
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders David Beatty (Britain); Franz Hipper (Germany)
Forces Britain: 5 battlecruisers, 7 light cruisers, 35 destroyers. Germany: 3 battlecruisers, 1 armoured cruiser, 4 light cruisers, 18 torpedo boats, 1 Zeppelin
Ships HMS Lion, HMS Princess Royal, HMS Tiger, HMS New Zealand, HMS Indomitable, SMS Seydlitz, SMS Moltke, SMS Derfflinger, SMS Blücher, SMS Kolberg, SMS Rostock, SMS Stralsund, SMS Graudenz
Losses Britain: 47 killed and wounded; 1 battlecruiser and 1 destroyer disabled. Germany: 1,034 killed and wounded, 189 captured; Blücher sunk, 2 battlecruisers damaged.
Result British victory
Having decoded German wireless signals, the British knew a German raiding squadron was heading for the Dogger Bank and sent Beatty's battlecruisers to intercept. The Germans fled for home and were caught in a long stern chase. A shell from Lion started an ammunition fire in Seydlitz that knocked out both rear turrets and killed 165 men, and the rearmost German ship, Blücher, was disabled; Lion herself was put out of action. Beatty's flag signals were misread as an order to finish off Blücher, so the British broke off the pursuit and the rest of the German squadron escaped.
Why it is remembered Both sides replaced officers judged to have done badly and changed equipment and procedures in the light of it. The flooding of Seydlitz's magazines by Wilhelm Heidkamp saved her from blowing up.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
First Battle of Durazzo Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Durazzo (1915)
28 to 29 December 1915 · Off Durazzo (now Durrës), Albania, Adriatic Sea
Fought between Italy, Britain and France against Austria-Hungary
Commanders Rear Admiral Bellini (Italy); Heinrich Seitz (Austria-Hungary)
Forces Allies: 4 light cruisers, 9 destroyers, 1 submarine. Austria-Hungary: 1 light cruiser, 5 destroyers, 1 submarine
Ships HMS Dartmouth
Losses Allies: 1 submarine sunk, 1 light cruiser damaged. Austria-Hungary: 2 destroyers sunk, 1 light cruiser and 1 destroyer damaged.
Result Allied (Italian) victory
Ships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy fought Italian, British and French warships off Durazzo at the end of December 1915. The Austro-Hungarians lost two destroyers.
Why it is remembered An action of the Adriatic campaign in which Austria-Hungary lost two destroyers.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Gotland Fleet battle
2 July 1915 (19 June Old Style) · Off Gotland, Sweden, Baltic Sea
Fought between Russia and Britain against Germany
Commanders Mikhail Bakhirev (Russia); Johannes von Karpf (Germany)
Forces Russia: 3 armoured cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 1 destroyer, with 1 British submarine. Germany: 3 armoured cruisers, 1 cruiser, 2 light cruisers, 7 torpedo boats
Ships SMS Albatross, SMS Roon, SMS Augsburg, SMS Lübeck, SMS Prinz Adalbert, SMS Prinz Heinrich, Admiral Makarov, Bayan, Oleg, Bogatyr, Rurik, Novik, HMS E9
Losses Germany: 2 armoured cruisers damaged, 1 cruiser run aground; 27 dead, 49 wounded. Russia: minor damage.
Result Russian and British victory
The Russians intercepted and decoded Karpf's wireless report, and Bakhirev dropped a planned bombardment of Klaipėda to hunt the German minelayers. The damaged minelayer Albatross was ordered to seek shelter in Swedish waters, but Bogatyr and Oleg caught her and she ran aground on fire near Östergarn. The British submarine E9 torpedoed Prinz Adalbert as she came out to reinforce the German squadron, but she was not sunk.
Why it is remembered It is regarded as the first use of Russian signals intelligence in battle. It was fought off the coast of neutral Sweden.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of the Gulf of Riga Fleet battle
8 to 20 August 1915 · Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea
Fought between Russia and Britain against Germany
Commanders Vasily Kanin (Russia); Franz von Hipper (Germany)
Forces Russia: 1 battleship, 1 armoured cruiser, 16 destroyers, 4 gunboats, 1 minelayer, 6 submarines. Germany: 4 battleships, 3 battlecruisers, 2 armoured cruisers, 4 light cruisers, 56 torpedo boats, 14 minesweepers
Ships Slava
Losses Russia: 150 killed, wounded and captured; 2 gunboats sunk; 1 battleship and 1 destroyer damaged. Germany: 65 killed and wounded; 1 destroyer, 1 torpedo boat and 3 minesweepers sunk; 1 battlecruiser damaged.
Result Russian and British victory; the German fleet withdrew
The German High Seas Fleet entered the Gulf of Riga to destroy the Russian naval forces there before landing troops to help take Riga. The German fleet failed in its objective and returned to its bases.
Why it is remembered Riga stayed in Russian hands until the German Army took it on 1 September 1917.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War (Sweden neutral)
Hvalen incident Other action
21 October 1915 · Øresund
Fought between Sweden against Germany
Commanders Captain B. Zander (Sweden)
Forces Swedish submarine HSwMS Hvalen against 3 German auxiliary cruisers, one of which opened fire
Ships HSwMS Hvalen
Losses Sweden: 1 sailor killed; Hvalen damaged. Germany: none.
Result Settled diplomatically
While on patrol, the Swedish submarine Hvalen was mistaken for an enemy vessel by a German auxiliary cruiser and fired on. One Swedish sailor was killed.
Why it is remembered A brief clash between a neutral navy and a belligerent that was settled by diplomacy without escalating.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Kirpen Island Single-ship action
10 December 1915 · Off Kefken Island, Ottoman Empire, Black Sea
Fought between Russia against the Ottoman Empire
Forces 3 Russian destroyers (Derzky, Gnevny, Bespokoiny) against 2 Ottoman gunboats (Taşköprü, Yozgat)
Ships Derzky, Gnevny, Bespokoiny, Taşköprü, Yozgat, UC-13
Losses Ottoman Empire: 2 gunboats sunk. Russia: unknown.
Result Russian victory
On 29 November 1915 the German U-boat UC-13 ran aground off the mouth of the Sakarya River in bad weather while shadowing Russian merchant ships. Admiral Souchon sent two gunboats to recover the wreck. The Russian destroyers Derzky, Gnevny and Bespokoiny met the gunboats Taşköprü and Yozgat and, firing quickly and accurately, sank both.
Why it is remembered A small Black Sea action fought over the wreck of a stranded German U-boat.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Raid on Lowca and Parton Raid
16 August 1915 · Harrington Coke toluene works near Lowca and Parton, Cumbrian coast, England
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Rudolf Schneider (Germany)
Forces German submarine U-24
Ships U-24
Losses Britain: minimal damage to the works; a local dog killed. Germany: none.
Result Indecisive
The German submarine U-24 fired 55 shells at the Harrington Coke toluene works near Lowca and Parton on the Cumbrian coast, then left without British interference. The damage was minimal.
Why it is remembered It was one of the few naval operations in the Irish Sea in the war and probably the first time Britain was bombarded by a submarine. It also figured in the spying case against Hildegare Burnyeat, the German born wife of the MP William Burnyeat, who was convicted and later pardoned.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Más a Tierra Single-ship action
14 March 1915 · Cumberland Bay, Más a Tierra, Juan Fernández Islands, Chile
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders John Luce (Britain); Fritz Lüdecke (Germany)
Forces British armoured cruiser HMS Kent, light cruiser HMS Glasgow and auxiliary cruiser Orama against the German light cruiser SMS Dresden
Ships HMS Kent, HMS Glasgow, Orama, SMS Dresden
Losses Britain: 15 wounded. Germany: 4 killed, 14 wounded, 315 interned; Dresden scuttled.
Result British victory
A British squadron cornered the German light cruiser Dresden in Cumberland Bay at the Chilean island of Más a Tierra, and she was scuttled.
Why it is remembered Dresden was the last remnant of the German East Asia Squadron, which had escaped from the Falkland Islands.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action off Noordhinder Bank Single-ship action
Also known as Battle off Noordhinder Bank
1 May 1915 · Noordhinder Bank, southern North Sea
Fought between Britain against Germany
Forces 4 British naval trawlers, later supported by 4 destroyers of the Harwich Force, against 2 German A-class torpedo boats of the Flanders Flotilla
Ships Columbia
Losses Britain: trawler Columbia sunk. Germany: both torpedo boats sunk.
Result British victory
Two German torpedo boats sent to rescue the crew of a seaplane forced down with engine trouble went on to attack four British naval trawlers. They sank Columbia with a torpedo, and return fire from the other trawlers damaged one torpedo boat, which temporarily lost steam. Four British destroyers then arrived and sank both torpedo boats as they turned for home.
Why it is remembered The loss demoralised the German Flanders Flotilla; the A-class boats were relegated to coastal patrol and heavier V25-class torpedo boats were sent instead.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Otranto Barrage Blockade and raiding
1915 to the end of the First World War · Strait of Otranto, between Brindisi and Corfu, Adriatic Sea
Fought between Allies (mainly Britain and France, with Italy, Australia and the United States) against Austria-Hungary and Germany
Commanders Commodore Algernon Walker-Heneage-Vivian, Rear Admiral Alfredo Acton (Allies); Commodore Miklós Horthy (Austria-Hungary)
Forces Over 200 vessels at its height, including up to 60 drifters armed with a 6-pounder gun and depth charges, with destroyers and aircraft in support
Ships SMS Novara, SMS Helgoland, SMS Saida, Csepel, Balaton, UC-25, HMS Dartmouth, HMS Bristol, Boutefeu, Gowanlea, SMS Szent István
Losses In the raid of 14 and 15 May 1917, 14 of 47 drifters on duty were sunk and three seriously damaged; the French destroyer Boutefeu was mined and sank with all hands. Submarines caught: U-6 in the nets; UB-53, and probably UB-44 and U-30, sunk by mines.
Result Surface ships were kept in the Adriatic, but submarines from Cattaro passed with little hindrance
From 1915 the Allies stretched lines of net-laying drifters across the Strait of Otranto, backed by destroyers and aircraft, to stop the Austro-Hungarian fleet and submarines leaving the Adriatic. Austria-Hungary raided the line repeatedly, most heavily on 14 and 15 May 1917, when Horthy's cruisers sank 14 drifters and then fought British, Italian and French ships in the Battle of the Otranto Straits; Novara was disabled and Horthy badly wounded. A planned battleship attack in June 1918 was cancelled after SMS Szent István was torpedoed and sunk by an Italian torpedo boat on 10 June.
Why it is remembered Skipper Joseph Watt won the Victoria Cross defending his drifter Gowanlea against Novara. The barrage has been called a large sieve through which U-boats passed with impunity.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 19 August 1916 Fleet battle
18 to 20 August 1916 · North Sea
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders John Jellicoe, David Beatty (Britain); Reinhard Scheer, Franz von Hipper (Germany)
Forces Britain: 29 battleships, 6 battlecruisers, 5 armoured cruisers, 26 light cruisers, 70 destroyers, 1 minelayer, 1 seaplane carrier, 1 submarine. Germany: 18 battleships, 2 battlecruisers, 7 light cruisers, 56 torpedo boats, 2 Zeppelins, 3 submarines
Losses Britain: 39 killed; 2 light cruisers sunk. Germany: 1 battleship damaged.
Result Indecisive
After Jutland, the High Seas Fleet came out again to try to catch part of the Grand Fleet, this time with strong reconnaissance: four Zeppelins scouted between Scotland and Norway, four more ahead of the German ships, and 24 submarines watched the English coast, the southern North Sea and the Dogger Bank. The British lost two light cruisers and the Germans had one battleship damaged.
Why it is remembered It was one of two German attempts in 1916 to engage part of the Grand Fleet after Jutland.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 29 February 1916 Single-ship action
29 February 1916 · North Sea
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Thomas Wardle (Britain); Rudolf Tietze (Germany)
Forces Britain: 1 light cruiser, 2 armed merchant cruisers, 1 destroyer. Germany: the auxiliary cruiser SMS Greif
Ships RMS Alcantara, SMS Greif
Losses Britain: 72 killed; Alcantara sunk. Germany: 187 killed, 125 captured; Greif sunk.
Result British victory
The German commerce raider Greif tried to break out through the North Sea, and Jellicoe sent warships to intercept her. The armed merchant cruiser Alcantara fought Greif at close range and both were badly damaged before British reinforcements arrived. Both ships sank.
Why it is remembered A close range duel between two armed merchant ships in which both were lost.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Template:Charles Dixon, R.A., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 5 November 1916 Air and submarine attack
5 November 1916 · Off Horn Reef, North Sea
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Noel Laurence (Britain)
Forces British submarine HMS J1 against a German squadron of 4 battleships
Ships HMS J1
Losses Britain: none. Germany: 2 battleships damaged; casualties unknown.
Result British victory
In the months after Jutland the Royal Navy submarine J1 attacked a squadron of German dreadnoughts off Horn Reef and damaged two battleships.
Why it is remembered It is regarded as marking a major shift in German naval policy.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 8 January 1916 Single-ship action
8 January 1916 · Black Sea
Fought between Russia against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Andrei Eberhardt (Russia); Wilhelm Souchon (Ottoman Empire)
Forces Russia: dreadnought Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya and 2 destroyers. Ottoman Empire: battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim and 1 collier
Ships Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya, Yavuz Sultan Selim
Losses Ottoman Empire: 1 collier sunk, Yavuz Sultan Selim damaged. Russia: none.
Result Russian victory
The Russian dreadnought Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya met the Ottoman battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim in the Black Sea. After a brief exchange of fire the Ottoman ship withdrew, and a collier was sunk.
Why it is remembered A brief clash between a Russian dreadnought and the Ottoman battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Russian Post, Publishing and Trade Centre "Marka", Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Bombardment of Balchik (1916) Landing or siege
Also known as Морски бой при Балчик (1916)
13 December 1916 · Off Balchik, Bulgarian Black Sea coast
Fought between Russia against Bulgaria
Forces A detachment of ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet against Bulgarian coastal and field artillery, aircraft and naval forces
Losses Bulgaria: 4 civilians killed, 5 wounded; heavy damage to the port and civilian buildings. Russia: no serious damage.
Result Russian success
A Russian naval detachment fought Bulgarian coastal guns, aircraft and naval units for about an hour and a half off Balchik. The Russian ships shelled and destroyed the port and the mill of a local industrial company, both important to the supply of the Bulgarian army in Dobruja, and withdrew under their own power.
Why it is remembered Because it did not fit the official view of Russian friendship, the action was censored and barely studied in Bulgaria under Communist rule from 1944 to 1989.
Sources bg.wikipedia.org
Image: Australian armed forces, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Dogger Bank (1916) Fleet battle
10 February 1916 · Near the Dogger Bank, North Sea
Fought between Germany against Britain
Forces Three German torpedo boat flotillas against the British 10th Sloop Flotilla
Ships HMS Arabis, HMS Arethusa
Losses Britain: sloop HMS Arabis sunk; light cruiser HMS Arethusa lost on a mine on the way back to port.
Result German victory
Three German torpedo boat flotillas sortied into the North Sea and met the British 10th Sloop Flotilla near the Dogger Bank, mistaking the minesweeping sloops for cruisers. Outgunned, the British tried to escape, and Arabis was sunk in the chase. As the Harwich Force cruisers returned to port, Arethusa struck a mine, ran aground and broke in two.
Why it is remembered The Germans inflated the victory by claiming to have sunk two cruisers.
Sources differ German reports claimed two cruisers sunk; the ship sunk was the sloop Arabis.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Dover Strait Raid
Also known as First Battle of Dover Strait
26 to 27 October 1916 · Dover Strait
Fought between Germany against Britain
Forces Two and a half flotillas of German torpedo boats of the Flanders Flotilla against the destroyers and drifters of the Dover Barrage
Ships HMS Flirt
Losses Britain: 1 destroyer, 1 transport and several drifters lost. Germany: minor damage to 1 torpedo boat.
Result German victory
German torpedo boats raided the Dover Strait to disrupt the Dover Barrage and destroy any Allied shipping they found. The destroyer HMS Flirt challenged them and was sunk, and the Germans attacked the barrage drifters. A flotilla of British destroyers sent to repel them was also fought off, and the Germans withdrew.
Why it is remembered A successful German night raid on the Dover Barrage.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War (Romanian Campaign)
Flămânda Offensive Landing or siege
Also known as Flămânda Maneuver
29 September to 5 October 1916 · Ryahovo, across the Danube from Flămânda, Ruse Province, Bulgaria
Fought between Romania against Germany, Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary
Commanders Alexandru Averescu and Constantin Niculescu-Rizea (Romania); August von Mackensen and Robert Kosch (Germany); Karl Lucich (Austria-Hungary)
Losses Austro-Hungarian: 1 river monitor disabled, 2 river monitors and 1 patrol boat damaged, 1 barge sunk and 1 damaged, 3 killed and 5 wounded. Other losses unknown
Result Central Powers victory; Romanian withdrawal
The Romanian 3rd Army crossed the Danube at Flămânda into Bulgaria, supported by Romanian coastal artillery, in an attempt to stop Mackensen's offensive from the south. Austro-Hungarian Danube monitors were engaged: one was disabled and two damaged, and a patrol boat and two barges were also hit. The battle ended as a tactical victory for the Central Powers and the Romanians withdrew.
Why it is remembered It was a major Romanian attempt to halt the Central Powers' southern offensive in 1916, and one of the river actions of the Danube front.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Funchal Raid
3 and 16 December 1916 · Port of Funchal, Madeira
Fought between Germany against Portugal
Commanders Max Valentiner (Germany); Sales Henriques (Portugal)
Forces German submarine U-38 against the Portuguese coastal batteries
Ships U-38
Losses Portugal and the Allies: 13 killed, 38 injured; 3 Allied ships and 1 Portuguese ship sunk. Germany: none.
Result German victory
On 3 December 1916 the German submarine U-38 attacked the port of Funchal, sank three Allied ships and one Portuguese ship, and shelled the town before the Portuguese coastal batteries could respond. On 16 December she returned and bombarded the town again, damaging the telegraph station.
Why it is remembered It brought the war at sea directly to Madeira.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Jutland Fleet battle
Also known as Skagerrakschlacht; Battle of the Skagerrak
31 May to 1 June 1916 · North Sea, off the coast of Denmark's Jutland Peninsula
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Sir John Jellicoe, Sir David Beatty (Britain); Reinhard Scheer, Franz Hipper (Germany)
Forces Britain: 151 combat ships, including 28 dreadnought battleships, 9 battlecruisers, 8 armoured cruisers, 26 light cruisers and 78 destroyers. Germany: 99 combat ships, including 16 dreadnought battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 6 pre-dreadnoughts, 11 light cruisers and 61 torpedo boats
Ships HMS Iron Duke, HMS Lion, HMS Indefatigable, HMS Queen Mary, HMS Invincible, HMS Defence, HMS Warrior, HMS Nestor, HMS Nomad, HMS Petard, SMS Lützow, SMS Wiesbaden, SMS Pommern, SMS Frauenlob, SMS Elbing, V27, V29
Losses Britain: 6,094 killed, 674 wounded, 177 captured; 3 battlecruisers, 3 armoured cruisers and 8 destroyers sunk (113,300 tons). Germany: 2,551 killed, 507 wounded; 1 battlecruiser, 1 pre-dreadnought, 4 light cruisers and 5 torpedo boats sunk (62,300 tons).
Result Inconclusive; both sides claimed victory
The Germans planned to use Hipper's battlecruisers to lure Beatty's squadrons onto the guns of the High Seas Fleet, but British signal intelligence warned of the operation and Jellicoe sailed early with the Grand Fleet. In the afternoon of 31 May Beatty lost Indefatigable and Queen Mary to magazine explosions before turning back and drawing the Germans onto the Grand Fleet. Between 18:30 and nightfall the two fleets, some 250 ships, clashed twice, and Invincible and Defence were sunk. In the night Scheer broke through the British light forces and returned to port; fourteen British and eleven German ships were sunk, with 9,823 casualties.
Why it is remembered It was the largest naval battle of the war, the only full scale clash of battleships, and the last major battle fought mainly by battleships. Britain lost more ships and men but kept the German fleet contained, and Germany turned to unrestricted submarine warfare, which helped bring the United States into the war in 1917.
Sources differ The outcome is disputed: both sides claimed victory and some accounts call it inconclusive. British wounded are given as 674 in one account and 510 in another.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Night action at the Battle of Jutland Fleet battle
31 May to 1 June 1916 · North Sea, off Denmark, towards Horns Reef
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Sir John Jellicoe, Sir David Beatty (Britain); Reinhard Scheer, Franz Hipper (Germany)
Forces The British Grand Fleet against the German High Seas Fleet
Ships SMS Pommern, SMS Frauenlob, SMS Elbing, SMS Lützow, SMS Posen, SMS Westfalen, SMS Rostock, HMS Southampton, HMS Tipperary, HMS Sparrowhawk, HMS Broke, HMS Marksman, HMS Turbulent
Losses Ships lost in the night included the German Frauenlob, Elbing and Lützow and the British destroyers Tipperary, Sparrowhawk and Turbulent; Pommern was torpedoed and broke up.
Result The German fleet escaped to its home waters
After dark Scheer took the shortest route home, by Horns Reef, which meant passing across the rear of the British fleet. German torpedo boats made diversionary attacks, and better German searchlights, star shell and recognition signals told in a series of confused clashes with the British light forces. Frauenlob was torpedoed by Southampton, Elbing was torpedoed and then rammed by Posen, Turbulent was rammed by Westfalen, and Pommern was torpedoed by the Twelfth Flotilla. Jellicoe did not receive the specific Admiralty intelligence about Horns Reef, many destroyer encounters went unreported, and the German fleet reached its own minefields by about 03:30.
Why it is remembered The escape of the High Seas Fleet in the night denied Jellicoe the renewed battle he hoped for next morning.
Sources differ One account gives the night action as a British victory, while accounts of Jutland as a whole call it inconclusive. One gives 510 British wounded, another 674.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: photographer not identified, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft Raid
Also known as Lowestoft Raid
24 to 25 April 1916 · North Sea, off Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, England
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Friedrich Boedicker, Reinhard Scheer (Germany); Reginald Tyrwhitt, David Beatty, John Jellicoe (Britain)
Forces A German battlecruiser squadron with cruisers and destroyers, backed by the High Seas Fleet at sea; British local forces, with the battlecruisers and Grand Fleet too distant to intervene
Losses Britain: 25 killed, 19 wounded; 2 light cruisers damaged, 1 submarine sunk, 200 houses shelled. Germany: 11 killed; 1 cruiser damaged, 1 submarine sunk, 1 submarine captured.
Result Inconclusive
A German battlecruiser squadron under Rear Admiral Boedicker bombarded Yarmouth and Lowestoft, hoping to draw out British ships that could be destroyed by the battlecruisers or by the High Seas Fleet waiting at sea. The nearby British forces were too small to challenge them and largely kept clear, and the Germans withdrew before British battlecruisers or the Grand Fleet could arrive.
Why it is remembered One of the German coastal raids that preceded the Battle of Jutland a month later.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Hans Bohrdt (11 February 1857, 19 December 1945), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 10 March 1917 Blockade and raiding
10 March 1917 · Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Germany against Britain and New Zealand
Commanders Nikolaus Schlodien (Germany); Archibald Smith, killed (Otaki)
Forces German merchant raider SMS Möwe against the defensively armed New Zealand Shipping Company cargo ship Otaki and a second steamer
Ships SMS Möwe, Otaki
Losses British side: 6 killed, 200 captured; 1 steamer sunk, 1 scuttled. Germany: 5 killed, 10 wounded; Möwe badly damaged.
Result German victory
The German raider Möwe met the cargo ship Otaki, which carried a defensive gun. Otaki fought back and was sunk, but Möwe was badly damaged; Otaki's master Archibald Smith was among the dead.
Why it is remembered A defensively armed cargo ship was sunk only after badly damaging the German raider.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 11 to 12 December 1917 Convoy battle
11 to 12 December 1917 · North Sea, off Bergen, Norway, and the British east coast war channel
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Reinhard Scheer, Paul Heinrich (Germany); J. R. C. Cavendish, Vincent Molteno (Britain)
Forces Germany: 3rd Half-Flotilla (G101, G103, G104, V100) and the 5 destroyers of the 4th Half-Flotilla. Britain: Pellew, Partridge, Ouse and Garry, with escort trawlers
Ships HMS Pellew, HMS Partridge, HMS Ouse, HMS Garry, G101, G103, G104, V100
Losses Britain: Partridge sunk with 97 killed and 52 captured; Pellew 4 killed; 61 naval and merchant prisoners in all; the six ship convoy off Norway destroyed, and one freighter sunk on the British coast. Germany: 3 wounded.
Result German victory
The German 2nd Flotilla, with the biggest and most modern destroyers, attacked the Scandinavian convoy route in two places. Off Norway the 3rd Half-Flotilla destroyed a convoy of six ships escorted by two destroyers and four trawlers. On the British east coast the 4th Half-Flotilla sank one freighter, damaged another and attacked four trawlers.
Why it is remembered It followed the action off Lerwick as a second German success against the Scandinavian convoys.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 15 August 1917 Single-ship action
15 August 1917 · Off the Humber estuary, North Sea
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Thomas Crisp, killed, and William Manning, missing (Britain); possibly Karsten von Heydebreck (Germany)
Forces 2 British armed smacks, Nelson and Ethel & Millie, against 1 German U-boat, believed to be UC-63
Ships Nelson, Ethel & Millie, UC-63
Losses Britain: 1 killed, 7 missing; both smacks sunk. Germany: unknown.
Result Both British vessels sunk
A German U-boat, believed to be UC-63, fought the two armed fishing smacks Nelson and Ethel & Millie in the North Sea off the Humber. Both smacks were sunk; Thomas Crisp was killed and William Manning was posted missing.
Why it is remembered An action between a U-boat and armed fishing boats.
Sources differ The identity of the U-boat is uncertain; it is believed to have been UC-63.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 15 October 1917 Single-ship action
15 October 1917 · Off Mine Head, Ireland, Celtic Sea
Fought between United States against Germany
Commanders W. N. Vernou (United States); Victor Dieckmann (Germany)
Forces American destroyer USS Cassin against German submarine U-61
Ships USS Cassin, U-61
Losses United States: 1 killed, 9 wounded; Cassin damaged. Germany: U-61 damaged.
Result American victory
The American destroyer Cassin and the German submarine U-61 fought off Mine Head, Ireland. Cassin was damaged, with one man killed and nine wounded, and U-61 was also damaged.
Why it is remembered An action between an American destroyer and a German U-boat off the Irish coast.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 16 March 1917 Single-ship action
16 March 1917 · About 200 miles north east of the Faroe Islands, Norwegian Sea
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Francis Martin-Leake (Britain); Hans von Laffert, killed (Germany)
Forces British armoured cruiser HMS Achilles and armed boarding steamer SS Dundee against the German auxiliary cruiser SMS Leopard
Ships HMS Achilles, SS Dundee, SMS Leopard
Losses Britain: 6 killed, the men of a boarding party. Germany: Leopard sunk with all 319 hands.
Result British victory
Leopard was the former British steamer Yarrowdale, captured by Möwe in 1916 and converted into a raider. Sailing in March 1917 to relieve Möwe, she tried to slip round the north of Scotland past the British Northern Patrol. Caught at a serious disadvantage by Achilles and Dundee, she made a determined attempt to fight and was sunk with all hands, together with a British boarding party.
Why it is remembered No one aboard Leopard survived.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 17 March 1917 Raid
17 March 1917 · Strait of Dover near the Goodwin Sands, and the harbours of Ramsgate and Margate
Fought between Germany against Britain
Forces Two flotillas of German torpedo boats from Flanders against British drifters and destroyers
Ships HMS Paragon, HMS Llewellyn
Losses Britain: HMS Paragon sunk, HMS Llewellyn damaged. Germany: no casualties.
Result German victory
Two German torpedo boat flotillas left the Flanders coast and split up. One attacked the British drifters and destroyers patrolling near the Goodwin Sands, torpedoing the destroyers Paragon and Llewellyn; the other shelled Ramsgate and Margate and the shipping in their harbours. Paragon sank and the Germans withdrew without loss.
Why it is remembered One of a series of German torpedo boat raids from Flanders on the Dover Strait.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 17 November 1917 Single-ship action
17 November 1917 · North Atlantic Ocean
Fought between United States against Germany
Commanders Frank Berrien, Arthur S. Carpender (United States); Gustav Amberger (Germany)
Forces US destroyers USS Fanning and USS Nicholson against German submarine U-58
Ships USS Fanning, USS Nicholson, U-58
Losses Germany: 2 killed, 39 captured; U-58 sunk. United States: none.
Result American victory
Two United States Navy destroyers engaged the German submarine U-58 in the North Atlantic. The U-boat was sunk and her crew taken off; two Germans died.
Why it is remembered A photograph of U-58's crew abandoning their boat recorded the action.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 4 May 1917 Air and submarine attack
4 May 1917 · North Sea
Fought between Britain and Australia against Germany
Commanders John Dumaresq (Australia); Hermann Kraushaar (Germany)
Forces Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney, British light cruiser HMS Dublin and 4 destroyers against the Zeppelin L.43 and 2 submarines
Ships HMAS Sydney, HMS Dublin, L.43
Losses None on either side.
Result Indecisive
A naval force led by HMAS Sydney was attacked by the Zeppelin L.43 and several German submarines. The action ended when the Zeppelin had dropped all its bombs and the cruisers had used all their anti-aircraft ammunition.
Why it is remembered It was a naval and air engagement between cruisers and a Zeppelin, without casualties on either side.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Charles David Jones Bryant, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Operation Albion Landing or siege
12 to 20 October 1917 · West Estonian Archipelago (Saaremaa, Hiiumaa, Muhu), Baltic Sea
Fought between Germany against Russia and Britain
Commanders Oskar von Hutier, Hugo von Kathen, Ludwig von Estorff, Ehrhard Schmidt (Germany); Mikhail Bakhirev, Vasily Altvater (Russia)
Forces Germany: 1 battlecruiser, 10 dreadnoughts, 9 light cruisers, 1 mine cruiser, 50 torpedo boats, 6 U-boats, 19 transports, 6 airships, 102 aircraft and 24,500 soldiers. Russia: 2 pre-dreadnoughts, 3 cruisers, 21 destroyers, 3 gunboats, 3 submarines and 24,000 soldiers
Ships Slava, Grom, HMS C32, S 64
Losses Germany: torpedo boat S 64, 7 minesweepers and 9 trawlers and auxiliaries lost, 5 aircraft shot down; 156 navy and 54 army killed, 60 navy and 141 army wounded. Russia: battleship Slava, destroyer Grom and British submarine C32 lost; 20,130 captured, 141 guns and 40 aircraft lost.
Result German victory
After extensive operations to clear mines and silence coastal batteries, German troops landed at Tagga Bay on Saaremaa on 12 October and secured the island by 16 October. Muhu was evacuated by the Russians on 20 October and Hiiumaa was taken after a landing. The Russian Baltic Fleet withdrew from the Suur Strait after its losses at the Battle of Moon Sound.
Why it is remembered It gave Germany the islands that dominated the central and northern Baltic. The Germans claimed 20,000 prisoners and 100 guns.
Sources differ The German claim was 20,000 prisoners and 100 guns; one account gives 20,130 captured and 141 guns lost. Another account says Hiiumaa was landed on 12 October after two failed attempts and taken next day.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action off Bjerregaard Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Bjerregård; Seegefecht vor Bjerregaard; Kampen ved Bjerregaard
1 September 1917 · Off Bjerregaard, west coast of Denmark, near Horns Reef
Fought between Britain against Germany
Forces Britain: about 10 warships. Germany: 2 U-boats, 4 auxiliary minesweepers, 2 naval aircraft
Losses Germany: 4 auxiliary minesweepers.
Royal Navy ships clashed with German naval forces and naval aircraft off the Danish coast at Bjerregaard. Four German auxiliary minesweepers were driven ashore on the Danish coast.
Why it is remembered Willy Stöwer painted the action.
Sources Wikipedia (DE)
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action off Lerwick Convoy battle
17 October 1917 · North Sea, off Lerwick, Shetland
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Max Leonhardi, Siegfried Westerkamp (Germany); Charles Fox, killed, Edward Brooke (Britain)
Forces German light minelaying cruisers SMS Brummer and Bremse against a convoy of 12 merchant ships escorted by 2 destroyers and 2 naval trawlers
Ships SMS Brummer, SMS Bremse
Losses Britain: 135 Royal Navy men killed; 2 destroyers sunk. Neutral shipping: 36 mariners killed; 9 freighters sunk.
Result German victory
Brummer and Bremse attacked a westbound Scandinavian convoy of colliers and other merchant ships off Shetland. Both escorting destroyers left the convoy to engage the superior German force and were sunk, and nine neutral Scandinavian ships were sunk without time for their crews to abandon ship. Room 40 had uncovered the cruisers' call signs, but the Admiralty did not pass on the information promptly, and other British ships were not in a position to intercept.
Why it is remembered The British called the attack on neutral ships an outrage, and Beatty severely criticised the Admiralty for failing to pass on the code breakers' intelligence. The Germans denied firing on survivors in the water despite gunshot wounds found on some.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Moon Sound Fleet battle
16 October to 3 November 1917 · West Estonian Archipelago and Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea
Fought between Germany against Russia and Britain
Commanders Ehrhard Schmidt (Germany); Mikhail Bakhirev (Russia)
Forces Germany: 10 battleships, 1 battlecruiser, 9 light cruisers, 1 mine cruiser, 50 destroyers, 6 submarines. Russia: 2 pre-dreadnoughts, 3 cruisers, 3 gunboats, 21 destroyers, with 3 British submarines
Ships Slava
Losses Germany: 156 killed, 60 wounded; 2 dreadnoughts damaged, 1 torpedo boat and 7 minesweepers sunk. Russia: 1 pre-dreadnought heavily damaged and scuttled, 1 destroyer and 1 submarine sunk; casualties unknown.
Result German victory
During Operation Albion the German fleet fought the much weaker Russian naval forces in and around Moon Sound to destroy them and occupy the West Estonian Archipelago. The Russian pre-dreadnought Slava was crippled by German fire off Saaremaa on 17 October and scuttled, and the Russians withdrew.
Why it is remembered The Germans achieved both of their aims, destroying the Russian forces and taking the islands.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Scuttling of SMS Cormoran Other action
7 April 1917 · Apra Harbor, Guam
Fought between United States against Germany
Commanders Roy Campbell Smith (United States); Adalbert Zuckschwerdt (Germany)
Forces United States: auxiliary cruiser USS Supply and shore artillery. Germany: the interned auxiliary cruiser Cormoran
Ships SMS Cormoran, USS Supply
Losses Germany: 9 killed; Cormoran scuttled; the surviving crew captured. United States: none.
Result American victory
The German raider Cormoran had been interned at Guam. When the United States entered the war she was scuttled in Apra Harbor; nine Germans died and the surviving crew were captured.
Why it is remembered It was the only hostile encounter between American and German forces in the Pacific during the First World War.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Second Battle of Dover Strait Single-ship action
Also known as Battle of Dover Strait (1917)
20 to 21 April 1917 · Dover Strait
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Edward Evans (Britain); Theophil Gautier (Germany)
Forces British destroyers HMS Broke and HMS Swift against 6 German torpedo boats
Ships HMS Broke, HMS Swift, G42
Losses Britain: 21 killed; Broke severely damaged, Swift slightly damaged. Germany: 71 killed, 141 taken prisoner; 2 torpedo boats sunk.
Result British victory
Two Royal Navy destroyers met a superior force of German torpedo boats in the Dover Strait at night. Broke rammed G42, and two German torpedo boats were sunk while both British destroyers were damaged.
Why it is remembered Two British destroyers defeated a superior force of German torpedo boats.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Second Battle of Heligoland Bight Fleet battle
Also known as Action in the Helgoland Bight; Zweite Seeschlacht bei Helgoland
17 November 1917 · Heligoland Bight, North Sea
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Trevylyan Napier, William Pakenham (Britain); Ludwig von Reuter (Germany)
Forces Britain: 3 battlecruisers, 8 light cruisers, 10 destroyers. Germany: 2 battleships, 4 light cruisers, 8 destroyers, 14 minesweepers
Ships HMS Calypso
Losses Britain: 22 killed, 43 wounded; 1 light cruiser damaged. Germany: 21 killed, 40 wounded, 22 taken prisoner; 1 minesweeper sunk, 2 light cruisers damaged.
Result Indecisive
British and German squadrons fought an inconclusive engagement in the Heligoland Bight. The British light cruiser Calypso was severely damaged, and the Germans lost a minesweeper.
Why it is remembered William Lionel Wyllie drew Calypso in the action.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Lionel Wyllie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of the Strait of Otranto Raid
15 May 1917 · Strait of Otranto, Adriatic Sea
Fought between Austria-Hungary and Germany against Italy, Britain and France
Commanders Miklós Horthy, wounded (Austria-Hungary); Alfredo Acton (Italy)
Forces Austria-Hungary and Germany: 1 armoured cruiser, 3 scout cruisers, 4 destroyers, 3 submarines. Allies: 2 light cruisers, 1 protected cruiser, 3 scout cruisers, 10 destroyers, 1 seaplane carrier, 47 drifters
Ships Novara, Saida, Helgoland, Csepel, Balaton, Sankt Georg, Budapest, U-4, U-27, UC-25, HMS Dartmouth, HMS Bristol, Aquila, Carlo Mirabello, Marsala, Borea, Boutefeu, Europa
Losses Allies: 2 destroyers, 14 drifters and 1 cargo ship sunk; 1 light cruiser, 1 destroyer, 4 drifters and 1 cargo ship damaged. Austria-Hungary: 2 scout cruisers damaged.
Result Tactical Austro-Hungarian victory; strategically indecisive
Horthy led three light cruisers and two destroyers in a raid on the Otranto Barrage of drifters, nets and mines, aiming to open the way for U-boats into the Mediterranean. They sank 14 drifters, and in a separate action the Italian destroyer Borea was sunk; the French destroyer Boutefeu struck a mine laid by UC-25. An Allied force from three navies heavily damaged Novara, but the approach of the Austro-Hungarian relief force led Acton to break off.
Why it is remembered It was the largest surface action in the Adriatic in the First World War.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 14 October 1918 Convoy battle
14 October 1918 · Atlantic Ocean, 200 miles from Ponta Delgada, Azores
Fought between Portugal against Germany
Commanders Carvalho Araújo, killed (Portugal); Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière (Germany)
Forces Portuguese naval trawler NRP Augusto de Castilho escorting the civilian steamer São Miguel, against the German submarine U-139
Ships NRP Augusto de Castilho, São Miguel, U-139
Losses Portugal: Augusto de Castilho sunk; 6 dead and several wounded. Germany: U-139 damaged; casualties unknown.
Result The Portuguese trawler was sunk but the steamer was protected
The German submarine U-139 attacked the Portuguese steamer São Miguel and her escort, the naval trawler Augusto de Castilho. The trawler fought the submarine and was sunk, with her commander Carvalho Araújo among the dead, but the steamer was saved.
Why it is remembered The trawler was lost with her commander, but the steamer she was escorting was saved.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 14 to 15 February 1918 Raid
Also known as Action of 15 February 1918
14 to 15 February 1918 · Strait of Dover minefield, English Channel
Fought between Germany against Britain
Commanders Ludwig von Schröder, Oskar Heinecke (Germany); Roger Keyes, A. E. Berry (Britain)
Forces Germany: 4 destroyers and 4 torpedo boats. Britain: 58 drifters, 10 trawlers and 2 paddle minesweepers of the Dover Patrol
Ships G 102
Losses Britain: 22 killed, 54 missing, 13 wounded; 1 trawler, 7 drifters and 1 paddle minesweeper sunk, 6 drifters damaged. Germany: G 102 slightly damaged.
Result German victory
A German destroyer flotilla struck the vessels of the Dover Patrol guarding the minefield in the Strait of Dover. It sank a trawler, seven drifters and a paddle minesweeper and withdrew with only slight damage to G 102.
Why it is remembered A one sided night raid on the small craft of the Dover Patrol.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Photographer not identified., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 18 June 1918 Blockade and raiding
Also known as Acció del 18 de juny de 1918
18 June 1918 · Near Bermuda, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Germany against the United States and the Allies
Forces A German U-boat against an Allied merchant ship and an American auxiliary cruiser
Losses Allies: 1 merchant ship sunk.
Result Merchant ship sunk; the American auxiliary cruiser survived
A U-boat of the Imperial German Navy attacked two Allied ships near Bermuda. It sank a merchant ship but could not destroy the American auxiliary cruiser that came to the merchant ship's aid.
Why it is remembered A U-boat attack far out in the western Atlantic.
Sources Viquipèdia (CA)
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 21 May 1918 Single-ship action
Also known as Acció del 21 de maig de 1918
21 May 1918 · Atlantic Ocean, off Spain
Fought between United States against Germany
Forces An American armed yacht against a German U-boat
An American armed yacht fought a German U-boat in the Atlantic off the coast of Spain.
Why it is remembered A small anti-submarine action of the US Navy in European waters.
Sources Viquipèdia (CA)
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 4 April 1918 Convoy battle
Also known as Acció del 4 d'abril de 1918
4 April 1918 · Atlantic Ocean
Fought between United States against Germany
Forces Three armed troop transports of the US Army and Navy against an unidentified German U-boat
Losses Germany: the U-boat sunk. United States: no damage.
Result American victory
An unidentified German U-boat attacked three armed American troop transports somewhere in the Atlantic. It failed to damage them and was sunk.
Why it is remembered An attack on armed troop transports in which the U-boat, not the transports, was lost.
Sources Viquipèdia (CA)
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 5 September 1918 Single-ship action
Also known as Acció del 5 de setembre de 1918
5 September 1918 · North Atlantic, about 170 nautical miles off the coast of France
Fought between United States against Germany
Forces A German U-boat against American warships
A German U-boat and American warships fought an action in the North Atlantic about 170 nautical miles off the French coast.
Why it is remembered One of the US Navy's anti-submarine actions in the Atlantic in 1918.
Sources Viquipèdia (CA)
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of 8 May 1918 Single-ship action
Also known as Action du 8 mai 1918; Azione dell'8 maggio 1918
8 May 1918 · Off Algiers, Mediterranean Sea
Fought between United States and Britain against Germany
Forces An American armed yacht and a British destroyer against the German submarine UB-70
Ships UB-70
Losses Germany: UB-70, credited as sunk.
Result Allied victory
An American armed yacht and a British destroyer met the German submarine UB-70 off Algiers and engaged her.
Why it is remembered The action was first judged inconclusive and only later counted a victory, when the Allied warships were credited with sinking UB-70.
Sources differ The result was at first considered inconclusive before the sinking of UB-70 was credited to the Allied ships.
Sources Wikipédia (FR) · Wikipedia (IT)
Image: Publishers' Photo Service., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Bakar mockery Raid
Also known as Beffa di Buccari; Bakar raid
10 to 11 February 1918 · Bakar, Austria-Hungary (now Croatia), Adriatic Sea
Fought between Italy against Austria-Hungary
Commanders Costanzo Ciano (Italy)
Forces 3 Italian motor torpedo boats against the coastal defences of Bakar
Losses Austria-Hungary: 1 cargo ship slightly damaged. Italy: none.
Result Italian propaganda victory
Three Italian motor torpedo boats made a raid into the Austro-Hungarian harbour of Bakar. Little material damage was done; one cargo ship was slightly hit.
Why it is remembered A bold venture that lifted Italian morale, which was low after the defeat at Caporetto a few months before.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
First Ostend Raid Raid
Also known as Operation ZO (Ostend)
23 to 24 April 1918 · Ostend, Belgium
Fought between Britain and France against Germany
Commanders Hubert Lynes, Alfred Godsal (Britain)
Forces A British raiding force with two obsolete cruisers as blockships against German shore defences
Losses Unknown; German losses negligible.
Result German victory
In conjunction with the Zeebrugge Raid, the Royal Navy tried to block the canal entrance at Ostend, which led to Bruges, by sinking two obsolete cruisers in its mouth. The German marines defending the port were well prepared and drove the British assault ships off course, and the operation was abandoned at the last stage.
Why it is remembered It was a complete failure. A second attack three weeks later sank a blockship at the canal entrance but did not close Bruges, which was only cleared when Allied troops liberated it in the last days of the war.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
German bombardment of Monrovia Raid
9 to 10 April 1918 · Monrovia, Liberia
Fought between Germany against Liberia and Britain
Commanders Hermann Gerke (Germany); President Daniel Edward Howard and Mayor Thomas J. R. Faulkner (Liberia)
Forces German submarine U-154 with two 105 mm guns against the Liberian armed schooner Lark and the British steamer SS Burutu
Ships U-154, Lark, SS Burutu
Losses Liberia: schooner Lark (President Howard) sunk; 4 to 7 civilians killed. Britain: SS Burutu damaged; 1 passenger killed, 1 boy drowned, 3 passengers injured. Germany: none.
Result French wireless station and several buildings destroyed; the bombardment ended when a British steamer appeared
The German submarine U-154 arrived off Monrovia and demanded that the Liberian government destroy the French wireless station and haul down the French flag. When the ultimatum was not met, she shelled the city, destroying the station and several buildings in the centre and killing residents. The arrival of a British steamer ended the bombardment.
Why it is remembered It brought the First World War to the capital of Liberia.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Battle of Imbros Raid
20 January 1918 · Off Imbros, Aegean Sea
Fought between Britain and Greece against the Ottoman Empire and Germany
Commanders Henry F. Kitchener (Britain); Aristeidis Moraitinis (Greece); Hubert Paschwitz (Ottoman Empire and Germany)
Forces Allies: 2 monitors, 2 destroyers, 12 aircraft. Ottoman Empire: 1 battlecruiser, 1 light cruiser, 1 protected cruiser, 4 destroyers, 10 aircraft
Ships Yavuz Sultan Selim, Midilli, HMS Raglan, HMS M28, HMS Tigress, HMS Lizard
Losses Allies: 139 killed; monitors Raglan and M28 sunk; 1 aircraft destroyed. Ottoman Empire: 330 killed, 172 captured; Midilli sunk, Yavuz Sultan Selim disabled, 1 destroyer damaged, 3 aircraft destroyed.
Result Allied victory
With no heavy Allied warships nearby, Yavuz Sultan Selim and Midilli sortied from the Dardanelles and sank the British monitors Raglan and M28 at Imbros before heading for the base at Mudros. On the way they ran into a minefield: Midilli was sunk and Yavuz Sultan Selim was heavily damaged. She beached herself inside the Dardanelles and endured days of air attack before being towed to safety.
Why it is remembered With its most modern cruiser sunk and its only battlecruiser out of action, the Ottoman Navy lost its offensive power for the rest of the war.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · Russian Civil War
Battle of Lake Baikal Fleet battle
16 August 1918 · Lake Baikal, off Mysovsk, Siberia
Fought between Czechoslovak Legion against Soviet Russia
Commanders Radola Gajda (Czechoslovak Legion)
Forces Czechoslovak Legion: 2 steamships armed with 4 howitzers. Soviet forces: the ships Baikal and Angara, the defences of Mysovsk and an armoured train
Ships Baikal, Angara
Losses Czechoslovak Legion: 19 killed or missing. Soviet forces: Baikal severely damaged; harbour and railway station destroyed.
Result Czechoslovak victory
The Czechoslovak Legion armed two steamships with howitzers and fought the Soviet ships Baikal and Angara, the defences of Mysovsk and an armoured train on Lake Baikal. Baikal was severely damaged and the harbour and railway station were destroyed.
Why it is remembered A naval battle fought by the Czechoslovak Legion in the heart of Siberia.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Attack on Orleans Blockade and raiding
21 July 1918 · Atlantic Ocean off Orleans, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States
Fought between Germany against the United States
Commanders Richard Feldt (Germany)
Forces The German submarine U-156 against the tug Perth Amboy, three barges and the schooner Lansford, with United States Navy seaplanes in support
Ships U-156, Perth Amboy, Lansford
Losses United States: tug Perth Amboy damaged, the schooner Lansford and three barges sunk. Germany: none.
Result German victory
The U-boat U-156 surfaced off Orleans and fired on a tug towing three barges and a schooner. The tug was badly damaged and the barges and schooner were sunk. United States Navy flying boats from a nearby base bombed the submarine but scored no hits. Some shells fell ashore around Orleans.
Why it is remembered It was the only attack on the contiguous United States during the war, and the first time the country had been shelled by a foreign power since the Siege of Fort Texas in 1846.
Sources differ One account says two flying boats attacked the U-boat; another account lists 9 Curtiss HS seaplanes. One account says several crewmen were wounded; another account says there were no casualties.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Action of Premuda Raid
Also known as Battle of Premuda; Impresa di Premuda; Entreprise de Premuda
10 June 1918 · Off the island of Premuda, Adriatic Sea
Fought between Italy against Austria-Hungary
Commanders Luigi Rizzo, with Armando Gori and Giuseppe Aonzo; Lorenzo Cusani (Italy); Miklós Horthy (Austria-Hungary)
Forces Italian motor torpedo boats MAS 15 and MAS 21 against an Austro-Hungarian battle squadron heading for the Strait of Otranto
Ships MAS 15, MAS 21, SMS Szent István, SMS Tegetthoff
Losses Austria-Hungary: Szent István sunk; 1 officer and 13 sailors dead, 3 officers and 72 sailors missing, 29 wounded. Italy: none.
Result Italian victory
At dawn on 10 June the two MAS boats under Luigi Rizzo slipped in among the ships of an Austro-Hungarian force making for the Strait of Otranto. They torpedoed and sank the battleship Szent István. Her sister Tegetthoff was also hit by a torpedo, but its firing mechanism failed and she did not sink.
Why it is remembered Two small motor torpedo boats sank a dreadnought battleship at sea.
Sources Wikipédia (FR) · Wikipedia (IT)
Image: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Raid on Pula Raid
31 October to 1 November 1918 · Pula (Pola), the main Austro-Hungarian naval base, Adriatic Sea
Fought between Italy against the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (the former Austro-Hungarian fleet)
Commanders Costanzo Ciano, with the frogmen Raffaele Rossetti and Raffaele Paolucci (Italy); Janko Vuković, killed
Forces Two Italian frogmen with the Mignatta human torpedo
Ships Viribus Unitis, Wien
Losses Viribus Unitis and the passenger ship Wien sunk; an estimated 300 to 400 killed. Italy: 2 captured.
Result Italian victory
On the night of 31 October Rossetti and Paolucci entered Pula harbour on the Mignatta human torpedo and placed two explosive charges. The day before, the fleet had been handed over to the National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, which had declared neutrality, and Viribus Unitis, now under Captain Janko Vuković, was lit up at anchor. The two frogmen were caught, held aboard the flagship and released, but the charges sank Viribus Unitis and the former barracks ship Wien.
Why it is remembered It sank the former flagship of the Austro-Hungarian Navy days before the Armistice of Villa Giusti, after the fleet had passed to the South Slav National Council. Rossetti and Paolucci received the Gold Medal of Military Valour.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Courtesy of the International Naval Research Organization, PD, via Wikipedia (en)
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Second Battle of Durazzo Landing or siege
Also known as Bombardment of Durazzo; Battle of Durazzo (1918)
2 October 1918 · Durazzo (now Durrës), Albania, Adriatic Sea
Fought between Italy, Britain, the United States and Australia against Austria-Hungary
Commanders Osvaldo Paladini, Charles P. Nelson (Allies); Heinrich Pauer (Austria-Hungary)
Forces Italy: 1 battleship, 3 armoured cruisers, 3 light cruisers, 7 destroyers, 8 torpedo boats, MAS boats and aircraft. Britain: 5 light cruisers, 14 destroyers. United States: 12 submarine chasers. Australia: 2 destroyers. Austria-Hungary: 3 shore batteries, 2 destroyers, 1 torpedo boat, 2 submarines, 1 hospital ship
Ships Dante Alighieri
Losses Allies: 5 light cruisers and 1 destroyer damaged. Austria-Hungary: 1 steamer sunk; 2 destroyers, 1 torpedo boat, 2 submarines and 2 steamers damaged; 3 shore batteries destroyed.
Result Allied victory; Durazzo evacuated by Austro-Hungarian forces
A large Allied fleet led by the Italian Navy attacked the Austro-Hungarian held port of Durazzo, destroyed the shore defences and skirmished with a small naval force. Most of the city was destroyed in the bombardment.
Why it is remembered It was the largest naval battle in which the United States took part during the war.
Sources Wikipedia
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Second Ostend Raid Raid
Also known as Operation VS
9 May 1918 · Ostend, Belgium
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Roger Keyes (Britain)
Forces 1 blockship, 4 monitors, 8 destroyers and 5 motor launches with air support, against German shore defences
Ships HMS Vindictive
Losses Britain: 1 motor launch sunk, 8 dead, 10 missing, 29 wounded. Germany: 3 killed, 8 wounded.
Result German victory
The Royal Navy made a second attempt to block the channel into Ostend, a German U-boat base, three weeks after the failed first raid of 23 April 1918. The Germans had removed the navigation buoys, and in poor weather the British struggled to find the narrow entrance. Under heavy German fire the old cruiser HMS Vindictive was sunk as a blockship but only partly blocked the channel.
Why it is remembered Although it failed, the raid was presented in Britain as a daring gamble that came close to success. Three Victoria Crosses were awarded to men who took part.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, No known restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Tondern raid Air and submarine attack
Also known as Operation F.7
19 July 1918 · Tondern, Germany (now Tønder, Denmark)
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders Richard Phillimore (Britain)
Forces 7 Sopwith Camels flown from the carrier HMS Furious, against 2 airships and a captive balloon at the Tondern base
Ships HMS Furious
Losses Britain: 1 pilot drowned, 3 interned, 1 aircraft damaged, 2 abandoned and 1 lost at sea. Germany: 4 wounded, Zeppelins L 54 and L 60 and a captive balloon destroyed, 2 hangars damaged.
Result British victory
Seven Sopwith Camels took off from HMS Furious, a converted battlecruiser, to bomb the German naval airship base at Tondern. They destroyed the Zeppelins L 54 and L 60 in their sheds, along with a captive balloon. One airman was lost and several aircraft did not return to the ship.
Why it is remembered It was the first attack in history by aircraft flown from an aircraft carrier.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Photographer not identified. "Official photograph"., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918 · First World War
Zeebrugge Raid Raid
Also known as Aanval op de haven van Zeebrugge; Raid sur Zeebruges
23 April 1918 · Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium
Fought between Britain against Germany
Commanders John Jellicoe, Roger Keyes, Reginald Bacon (Britain); Ludwig von Schröder (Germany)
Forces Britain: 1,700 Royal Marines and sailors with the old cruiser Vindictive, the ferries Iris II and Daffodil, 3 blockships, 2 submarines and supporting ships
Ships HMS Vindictive, HMS Iris II, Daffodil, HMS Thetis, HMS Intrepid, HMS Iphigenia, HMS C1, HMS C3, HMS North Star
Losses Britain: 227 killed, 356 wounded; destroyer North Star sunk. Germany: 8 killed, 16 wounded.
Result German victory
The Royal Navy tried to block the canal from Bruges at Zeebrugge, a base for the Flanders U-boats, by sinking old ships in its entrance. While Vindictive and the ferries landed men on the mole as a diversion, the submarine C3 blew up the viaduct linking the mole to the shore, and two of the three concrete filled blockships were scuttled in the canal. They were sunk in the wrong place, and within a few days German submarines could pass at high tide.
Why it is remembered Fought on St George's Day, it brought eight Victoria Crosses. It is commemorated at Zeebrugge and at St James's Cemetery in Dover, and W. L. Wyllie painted the storming of the mole; the Royal Marines have never again raised a 4th Battalion.
Sources Wikipedia
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