shortly after five o'clock
Beatty lost sight of the enemy's battle cruisers and ceased fire for
half an hour. Between 5.40 and six o'clock, however, conditions were
better and firing was opened again by the British ships, apparently
with good effect. Meanwhile clashes had already taken place between
the light cruiser _Chester_, attached to the Third Battle Squadron
of the main fleet, and the light cruisers of the enemy, which were
far in advance of their battle cruisers.

_The Third Phase_

We have already noted that as soon as Jellicoe learned of the presence
of the enemy he ordered Hood, with the Third Battle Cruiser Squadron,
to cut off the German retreat to the Skagerrak and to support Beatty.
Hood's course had taken him well to the east of where the action
was in progress. At 5.40 he saw the flashes of guns far to the
northwest, and immediately changed course in that direction. Fifteen
minutes later he was able to open fire on German light cruisers,
with his four destroyers darting ahead to attack with torpedoes.
These light cruisers, which had just driven off the _Chester_ with
heavy losses, discharged torpedoes at Hood's battle cruisers and
turned away. The latter shifted helm to avoid them and narrowly
missed being hit. One torpedo indeed passed under the _Invincible_.

At this point another group of four German light cruisers appeared
and Hood's destroyers advanced to attack them. The fire of the
cruisers damaged two destroyers though not before one of them,
the _Shark_, had torpedoed the German cruiser _Rostock_. The
_Shark_ herself was in turn torpedoed and sunk by a German
destroyer. At about the same time action had begun between the
ships of the armored cruiser squadron under Arbuthnot and another
squadron of German light cruisers.

A moment later (at 5.56) Beatty sighted the leaders of the Grand
Fleet and knew that contact with his support was established. At
once he changed course to about due east and put on full speed
in order to head off the German line, and by taking position to
the eastward, allow the battle fleet to form line astern of his
battle cruisers. Such an overwhelming force was now concentrated
on the German light cruisers that they turned back. Of their number
the _Wiesbaden_ had been disabled by a concentration of fire and
the _Rostock_ torpedoed. Hipper then made a turn of 180 deg. with his
battle cruisers in order to get back to the support of the battleships
which he had left fa