About two hundred and fifty ships, German and
British, were involved, the pride of their respective navies. Naval power was a powerful symbol of national
economical and military strength. The
battle had been the culmination of a deadly game of cat and mouse manoeuvres between
the British fleet and the numerically inferior German fleet. Each side tried to tempt the other into
making a mistake and the Germans nearly succeeded. Many of these battleships – as long as
Wembley Stadium – had giant guns capable of hitting a moving target twenty
kilometres away. In contrast to the
protracted land battles of the First World War, the Battle of Jutland was over
in just twelve hours but it was more significant than any land encounter.
The British lost more than six thousand sailors,
twice as many as the Germans. Half of
the British casualties died on three ships that were ripped apart by internal
explosions. HMS Indefatigable suffered explosions that travelled down to the
magazine resulting in the loss of one thousand and twenty-five men – all but
two of those on board. The ship sank in
ninety seconds. Minutes later HMS Queen
Mary blew up in similar circumstances.
In their haste to load the guns explosive material was left lying around
the turrets. Just eighteen out of a crew
of 1,284 survived. Two hours later HMS Invincible broke into two
and more than a thousand men met instant death.
Hundreds of teenagers were killed. The youngest Victoria Cross winner of the
war, Jack Cornwell (16) died on board HMS Cheshire. The youngest Irish soldier to die, Albert
Perkins from Co. Cork was also sixteen.
Eight Irish cadets were only seventeen when they perished at
Jutland. Ireland was then part of
Britain. At least three hundred and
fifty Irishmen were killed, a big proportion of them from Cork which had been
for generations a fertile recruiting ground for the Royal Navy.
British losses at Jutland were twice those of the
Germans in terms of men and ships. This
led Kaiser Wilhelm II to claim a great victory.
But the Germans were not able to overturn the British naval blockade
which was crippling Germany’s supply line. So despite the reverses suffered at
Jutland, Britain retained control of the seas.
Commemorations for the Battle of Jutland will no doubt be taking place
at all British naval bases on 31st May. Those taking place in Belfast will be an
all-Ireland affair. The ceremony takes
place on HMS Caroline, the last surviving ship from Jutland. It has had a major refit and is now expected
to be a major tourist attraction for Belfast.
The Royal Navy and the Irish Naval Service will stand side by side with
honour guards to mark all from the island of Ireland who served at sea. The most important guests will be the
hundreds of family members of those who died at Jutland.
Recently Ireland observed the Centenary of the
Easter Rising in 1916. Tuesday’s
commemorations in Ireland are a reminder that for thousands of grieving Irish
families 1916 was about much more than that.
No doubt the Jutland commemorations will be occasions when British and
German contacts will take place, further cementing relations between these two
countries. Irrespective of what the
results of the Referendum will be it is vital that every effort should be made
to further understanding and goodwill with all our neighbours. The arguments being put forward on either
side of the debate seem to feature almost entirely on the economy. Important as the economic issues are, the
European project was founded on a much broader vision of peace and
solidarity. The abysmal conflicts of the
First World War – which led in turn to the horrors of the Second World War –
should make us truly reach out for the great prize of co-operation and
togetherness and mutual good-will rather than being carried away by illusory
promises of self-interested financial gain.
