a's_ wireless report to Beatty, that there was smoke to the
eastward, was caught by the wireless receivers aboard the _Iron Duke_,
Jellicoe's flagship; whereupon Jellicoe ordered steam to be raised for
full speed.

Beatty at once turned east and made straight for Hipper, to cut him off
from his base, force him to fight, and lure Scheer back to save him.
This would give Jellicoe time to come up and get in the knock-out blow
for which he prepared by ordering the Battle Fleet to clear for action
at 3.10. At 3.30 a British seaplane, sent up by Beatty, and flying
within two miles of the nearest German craft, reported five battle
cruisers steaming south. At the same moment Jellicoe thrilled his own
command by signalling that a battle was expected. Hipper was hurrying
to join Scheer's battle fleet, which now was racing north as Jellicoe's
was racing south. Beatty then formed his six battle cruisers in
line-ahead ("follow-my-leader") while his four fast _Queen Elisabeth_
battleships followed as hard as they could. He thus had ten
dreadnoughts to fight Hipper's five. But he and Hipper were racing
south toward Scheer and away from Jellicoe. Yet that could not be
helped. Hipper must not be allowed to escape; and Scheer must first be
found and then lured on toward Jellicoe.

At twelve minutes to four both sides began firing at a range of eight
miles and a speed of nearly thirty (land) miles an hour. Jutland was a
gunner's battle, just as the naval experts had foretold; though
torpedoes played their part. It was much too fast and furious for
submarines; and the thickening mist made aircraft useless. Hipper's
five ships hit hard at Beatty's six; and one big German shell reached
the vitals of the _Indefatigable_, which blew up like a mine. There
was a shattering crash, an enormous spurt of flame, a horrid "flurry"
on the water; and ship and crew went down. That left five all. But,
after the battle cruisers had been at it for twenty minutes, the four
_Queen Elizabeths_ (that is, battleships of the same kind as the
"Q.E.") began heaving shells from eleven miles astern. Ten minutes
later the central German dreadnought turned out of line a mass of
seething fire. But, after five minutes more, the magnificent _Queen
Mary_, Beatty's champion shooting battle cruiser, was simply torn in
two by the explosion of her magazine. This left four all in battle
cruisers, with the four fast British battleships straining their last
tur