Sea battle near Heligoland (1917)

Second sea battle near Heligoland

Part of: First World War ( naval war )

HMS Calypso , damaged during the battle

date	November 17, 1917
place	German Bight , North Sea
output	Undecided termination of the battle

Parties to the conflict
United Kingdom	German Empire
Commander
Sir William Pakenham	Ludwig von Reuter
Troop strength
5 battleships 5 battle cruisers 2 large light cruisers 9 cruisers 30 destroyers	4 battleships 2 battle cruisers 5 cruisers 14 torpedo boats mine clearance boats
losses
1 large light cruiser damaged. 1 light cruiser badly damaged	1 auxiliary minesweeper sunk. 1 light cruiser badly damaged

The naval battle near Helgoland in November 1917 was a naval battle in the First World War between German and British naval forces in the waters off the island of Helgoland .

The unrestricted submarine war of the German Reich , declared since March 1917, led to British countermeasures, which consisted of increased mining of the outlet routes (see also the North Sea mine barrier ). For November 16, 1917, the German fleet chief ordered a stub to the central North Sea to check the mine-free route M for newly laid British mines. Because of the bad weather the company was postponed to the following day. The British admiralty had premature knowledge of the German action thanks to the reconnaissance work of Room 40 .

On November 17, 1917, German minesweepers were intercepted while attempting to create a path through a British minefield in the Helgoland Bay near the German coast by the light cruisers of the Royal Navy HMS Calypso and HMS Caledon . These should prevent such an evacuation. On the German side, the minesweepers were given the second reconnaissance group under Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter with the small cruisers SMS Königsberg , SMS Pillau , SMS Nürnberg and SMS Frankfurt as local security.

In addition, the two battleships SMS Kaiser and SMS Kaiserin were at Helgoland as remote backup. The two battle cruisers SMS Moltke and SMS Hindenburg were in readiness on the Jade , together with the small cruisers SMS Stralsund and SMS Graudenz . Their long-distance cover consisted of the two battleships SMS Friedrich der Große and SMS König Albert .

In the battle that was now developing, the German ships withdrew southwards in the direction of the large-line ships Kaiser and Kaiserin . The two British light battle cruisers HMS Courageous and HMS Glorious of the First Cruiser Squadron intervened in support of the British cruisers and fought the small cruisers of the German II reconnaissance group.

In addition, the British battle cruisers HMS Tiger , HMS Lion , HMS Princess Royal , HMS New Zealand and HMS Repulse , flagship of Admiral Sir William Pakenhams , of the First Battlecruiser Squadron were soon added. The British formations had their backing in the First Battle Squadron - albeit too far away - with the battleships HMS Revenge , HMS Royal Oak , HMS Resolution , HMS Emperor of India and HMS Benbow .

Neither side achieved decisive advantages in the battle, which was carried out in mine-contaminated waters, at high speeds (26–27  kn ), changing courses and additionally made more difficult by artificial fog and smoke. The Courageous fired more than 400 shells of 38.1 cm caliber without scoring a hit. The Repulse was able to score a heavy hit on the Königsberg , which penetrated all three chimneys and caused a strong bunker fire, which could only be extinguished after 30 minutes. On the German side, only the auxiliary minesweeper Kehdingen was lost. The second reconnaissance group had a total of 21 fallen, 13 seriously and 30 slightly wounded.

When the British light cruisers met the two German battleships (large-line ships), the Empress scored a heavy hit on the Calypso . Everyone on the bridge of the Calypso , including Commander Herbert Edwards, was killed by the 30.5 cm projectile. When the two battle cruisers Hindenburg and Moltke appeared , the British ships withdrew.

The empress's commander , Captain Kurt Graßhoff , was subsequently replaced in December 1917 - as the highest-ranking commanding officer on site - because he and his two ships were too far away to intervene in the event of unexpected enemy attacks can. This was subsequently changed by those responsible (BdA / BdS and I. FdT or II. FdT) and the coverage group was brought closer to the ships to be protected.

A decisive reason for the mutual failure is likely to be found in the unclear mine situation. In addition, there was the lack of clear commands on both sides - but far more on the German side - combined with inconsistent radio and signal traffic.

Web links

• Report on the activities of the German High Seas Fleet in November 1917 (Engl.)

Coordinates: 54 ° 2 ′ 24 ″  N , 8 ° 13 ′ 24 ″  E