The Battle of Dogger Bank was a naval engagement during the First World War that took place on 24 January 1915 near the Dogger Bank in the North Sea between squadrons of the British Grand Fleet and the Kaiserliche Marine (High Seas Fleet).
The British surprised the smaller and slower German squadron, which fled for home. During a stern chase lasting several hours, the British caught up with the Germans and engaged them with long-range gunfire. The German squadron returned to harbour, with some ships in need of extensive repairs. The Germans lost Blücher and most of her crew. The British flagship Lion was out of action for several months, but they lost no ships and suffered few casualties.
After the British victory, both navies replaced officers who were thought to have shown poor judgement and made changes to equipment and procedures because of failings observed during the battle.
| Royal Navy | Imperial German Navy | ||
|---|---|---|---|
8 × 13.5-in. main-battery broadside (28,500 tons, 28 kn.) 2 × (26,270 tons, 27.5 kn.) (18,500 tons, 25 kn.) (17,408 tons, 25.5 kn.) | 8 × 12-in. main-battery broadside (26,600 tons, 26.5 kn.) (24,988 tons, 26.5 kn.) (22,979 tons, 25.5 kn.) | ||
8 × 8.3-in. main-battery broadside (15,842 tons, 25.4 kn.) | |||
4 × (5,400 tons, 25.5 kn.) 3 × (3,512 tons, 28.5 kn.) | (4,834 tons, 27.5 kn.) (4,800 tons, 29.3 kn.) (4,500 tons, 27.5 kn.) (4,293 tons, 25.5 kn.) | ||
The German Navy's torpedo boats were of similar size and function to the destroyers in the Royal Navy, and are often referred as such.
Abbreviations for Officers’ Ranks
Adm / Admiral
VAdm / Vice-admiral : Vizeadmiral / VAdm
RAdm / Rear-admiral : Konteradmiral / KAdm
Cdre / Commodore : Kommodore / Kom
Capt / Captain : Kapitän zur See / KptzS
Cdr / Commander : Fregattenkapitän / FKpt
Lt Cdr / Lieutenant-commander : Korvettenkapitän / KKpt
Lt / Lieutenant : Kapitänleutnant / KptLt
SLt / Sub-lieutenant : Oberleutnant zur See / OLtzS
Other Abbreviations
AdC.: Aide de Camp to The King
C.B.: Companion of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
C.M.G.: Companion of The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
C.V.O.: Commander of The Royal Victorian Order
D.F: Destroyer Flotilla
D.S.C.: Distinguished Service Cross
D.S.O.: Distinguished Service Order
HMS: His Majesty's Ship
SMS: Seiner Majestät Schiff (German; translation: His Majesty's Ship)
K.C.B.: Knight Commander of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
M.V.O.: Member of The Royal Victorian Order
the Hon.: The Honourable
Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty, K.C.B., M.V.O., D.S.O.
(flagship): Capt Alfred E. M. Chatfield, C.V.O.
: Capt Henry B. Pelly, M.V.O.
: Capt Osmond de B. Brock, A.d.C.
Rear-Admiral Sir Archibald Moore, K.C.B., C.V.O.
(flagship): Capt Lionel Halsey, C.M.G., A.d.C.
: Capt Francis W. Kennedy
Commodore (2nd Class) William E. Goodenough, M.V.O.
: Cdre Goodenough
: Capt Charles B. Miller
: Capt Arthur A. M. Duff
: Capt Theobald W. B. Kennedy
Commododre (T) Reginald Y. Tyrwhitt, C.B.
(light cruiser) Cdre Tyrwhitt
Attached Destroyers
: Capt the Hon. Herbert Meade
: Cdr Rafe G. Rowley-Conwy
: Lt-Cdr Henry R. Clifton Mogg
: Lt-Cdr James L. Forbes
: Lt-Cdr Ernest H. B. Williams
: Cdr Reginald Henniker-Heaton
1st Destroyer Flotilla
Captain Wilmot S. Nicholson
(flotilla cruiser, Capt Nicholson)
1st Division/1st D.F.
: Cdr Brien M. Money
: Lt-Cdr Cyril Callaghan
: Lt-Cdr Robert S. Buchanan
: Lt-Cdr James V. Creagh
3rd Division/1st D.F.
: Cdr Geoffrey Mackworth
: Lt-Cdr Montague G. B. Legge
: Lt-Cdr Cecil H. H. Sams
: Lt-Cdr Roger V. Allison
4th Division/1st D.F.
: Cdr Cecil G. Chichester
: Lt-Cdr Paul Whitfield
: Lt-Cdr Francis G. C. Coates
: Lt-Cdr John C. Tovey
5th Division/1st D.F.
: Cdr Dashwood F. Moir
: Lt-Cdr Michael K. H. Kennedy
: Lt-Cdr Alexander H. Gye
3rd Destroyer Flotilla
Captain Francis G. St. John, M.V.O.
(flotilla cruiser, Capt St.John)
1st Division/3rd D.F.
: Cdr Arthur B. S. Dutton
: Lt-Cdr George W. Taylor
: Lt-Cdr Bruce Lloyd Owen
2nd Division/3rd D.F.
: Cdr George P. England
: Lt-Cdr Reginald B. C. Hutchinson D.S.C.
: Cdr Malcolm L. Goldsmith
: Lt-Cdr Ralph M. Mack
3rd Division/3rd D.F.
: Cdr Graham R. L. Edwards
: Lt-Cdr Arthur A. Scott
: Lt-Cdr George H. Knowles
: Lt-Cdr Richard W. U. Bayly
4th Division/3rd D.F.
: Lt-Cdr Claud F. Allsup
: Lt-Cdr Charles E. Hughes-White
Commododre (S) Roger Keyes
Destroyers
: Lt-Cdr Alfred B. Watts
: Cdr Wilfred Tomkinson
Deployed submarines
: Lt-Cdr E. W. Leir
: Lt-Cdr F. Fielmann
: Lt-Cdr F. H. H. Goodhart
: Lt-Cdr M. E. Nasmith
1st Scouting Group (I. Aufklärungsgruppe) (battlecruisers)
Konteradmiral Franz von Hipper
(flagship): Kapt.z.S. Moritz von Egidy (GE)
: Kapt.z.S. Magnus von Levetzow(GE)
: Kapt.z.S. Ludwig von Reuter
: F.Kapt. Alexander Erdmann[1]
2nd Scouting Group (II. Aufklärungsgruppe) (light cruisers)
Konteradmiral Georg Hebbinghaus[2]
(flagship): F.Kapt. Theodor Püllen (GE)
: F.Kapt. Viktor Harder
: Kapt.z.S. Johannes Hartog
: F.Kapt. Wilhelm Widenmann(GE)
5th Torpedo-Boat Flotilla (V. Torpedoboots Flottille)
K.Kapt. Bernd von dem Knesebeck
: Kptlt. Hans Loening
9th Half-Flotilla (9. halbflottille)
: Kptlt. Walter Hoffert
: Kptlt. Kurt Heeseler
: Kptlt. Wolf von Eichhorn
10th Half-Flotilla (10. halbflottille)
: K.Kapt. Oskar Heinecke
: Kptlt. Hans Anschütz
: Kptlt. Johannes Weineck
: Kptlt. Adolf Müller
: Kptlt. Gerhard Hoefer
8th Torpedo-Boat Flotilla (VIII. Torpedoboots Flottille)
: K.Kapt. Paul Hundertmarck
15th Half-Flotilla (15. halbflottille)
: K.Kapt. Georg Weißenborn
: Kptlt. Hans Hufnagel
: Kptlt. Carl August Claussen(GE)
18th Half-Flotilla (18. halbflottille)
: K.Kapt. Werner Tillessen (GE)
: Oblt.z.S. Hartmut Buddecke
: Kptlt. Otto Andersen
: Kptlt. Erich Steinbrinck
:
. History of the Great War based on Official Documents . Naval Operations . II . Julian Corbett . 1929 . 1921 . Longmans, Green . London . 2nd . 27 January 2016 . 220474040.