UKC

So spoke Admiral Beatty as he watched three of his battleships blow up due direct hits causing flashbacks to the magazines in the opening stages of the Battle.

Remembering the 8,500 British and German sailors who died in the Battle of Jutland 100 years ago.

In reply to Trangia:

I was listening to this on the radio the other day. Apparently Beatty's crews hadn't been able to have much practice at gunnery (not sure why) and so had adopted several unsafe measures to make up for their slow rate of firing, including leaving flash doors open and leaving cordite fuses where they could be retrieved quickly but were exposed to flash... which is why the ships exploded so quickly.

There must have been some unimaginably horrible ways to die on those boats.

In reply to Trangia:

Odd, this morning I was wondering what was happening 100 years ago...

Mick

In reply to Trangia:
Especially Jack Cornwell who refused to leave his post as the sole survivor on his gun, and having shell fragments sticking out of his chest, until it was clear that his ship, HMS Chester, had retired from the action. He died of his wounds sustained 100 yrs ago today on 2nd June 1916. Posthumously awarded the VC.

He was 16.

16.

In reply to Trangia:
Some documentary links while they are still free:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/jutland-wwis-greatest-sea-battle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07dps1x/battle-of-jutland-the-navys-b...

Plus the usual...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jutland