which were conducting
an important volume of commerce from the ports of Norway with England
and Russia. It is not easy to see, however, why the High Seas Fleet
should be sent out on a mere commerce destroying raid. The Germans
had been out twice before, since April 1st of that year, and probably
it was considered good policy to send the fleet to sea every now
and then for the moral effect. The people could not relish the idea
of their navy being condemned to inaction in their own harbors,
and there was bad feeling over the fact that the government had
just yielded to President Wilson's protest on ruthless submarine
warfare. A victory over Beatty's battle cruisers, or some other
detached unit of the British fleet, would have been very opportune
in bracing German morale. At the same time Admiral von Scheer had
probably reckoned on being able to avoid battle with the Grand
Fleet by means of a swift retreat under cover of smoke screens
and torpedo attacks. Certainly the odds were too heavy to permit
of any other policy on his part.

_The First Phase_

[Illustration: CRUISING FORMATION OF THE BRITISH BATTLE FLEET

(After diagram by Lieut.-Comdr. H. H. Frost, U.S.N., _U. S. Naval
Institute Proceedings, Nov., 1919._)

Forces:
24 Dreadnought Battleships
3 Battle Cruisers
12 Light Cruisers
8 Armored Cruisers
51 Destroyers
Note: One destroyer accompanied each armored cruiser.]

At 2 p. m. of the 31st of May, 1916, the British main fleet, under
Admiral Jellicoe, was in Latitude 57 deg. 57' N., Longitude 3 deg. 45'
E. (off the coast of Norway), holding a south-easterly course.
It consisted of 24 battleships formed in a line of six divisions
screened by destroyers and light cruisers, as indicated in the
accompanying diagram. Sixteen miles ahead of the battle fleet was
the First Cruiser Squadron under Rear Admiral Arbuthnot and the
Second Cruiser Squadron under Rear Admiral Heath; these consisted of
four armored cruisers each. They were spread out at intervals of six
miles, with the _Hampshire_ six miles astern of the _Minotaur_
to serve as link ship for signals to and from the main fleet. Four
miles ahead was the Third Battle Cruiser Squadron of three ships
under Rear Admiral Hood. These were steaming in column, screened by
four destroyers and two light cruisers (_Chester_ and _Canterbury_).
The diagram on p. 388 shows the complete formation of the Battle
Fleet and Cruiser Squadrons, under Adm