Raid on Yarmouth
Encyclopedia
The Raid on Yarmouth, which took place on 3 November 1914, was an attack by the German Navy
on the British
North Sea
port and town of Great Yarmouth
. Little damage was done to the town since shells only landed on the beach after German ships laying mines offshore were interrupted by British destroyers. One British submarine was sunk by a mine as it attempted to leave harbour and attack the German ships, while one German armoured cruiser was sunk after striking two mines outside its own home port.
had more ships than Germany, so it was felt inadvisable to enter into any direct fleet to fleet engagement. Instead the Germans sought ways to attack British ships individually or in small groups. The Kaiser had given orders that no major fleet action was to take place, but small groups of ships might still take part in raids.
The raids had several objectives. One was to lay mines which later might sink passing British ships. Another was to pick off any small ships encountered, or to entice larger groups into giving chase and lead them back to where the German High Seas Fleet
would be waiting in relatively safe waters near to Germany. A further consideration was that raiding British coastal towns might force the British to alter the disposition of its ships to protect those towns. The British had adopted a strategy of keeping the greater part of the Grand Fleet always together, so it would always have superiority whenever it engaged the enemy. Germany hoped to encourage Britain to split more ships from the main fleet for coastal defence, thereby giving Germany more chances to catch isolated ships.
The Yarmouth raid was carried out by the German battlecruiser
squadron commanded by Admiral Franz von Hipper
with the battlecruisers , and , the slightly smaller armoured cruiser and the light cruiser
s , , and . On this occasion, mines were to be laid off the coast of Yarmouth and Lowestoft
, but the ships were also to shell Yarmouth.
. Two squadrons of German dreadnought
battleships followed them from harbour slightly later, to lay in wait for any ships which the battlecruisers might be able to entice back chasing them. By midnight, the squadron was sufficiently north to be passing fishing trawlers from various countries. By 06:30 on 3 November, the patrol sighted a marker buoy at 'smith's Knoll Watch', allowing them to determine their exact position and close in to Yarmouth.
Yarmouth coast was patrolled by the minesweeper and the old destroyers and . Halcyon spotted two cruisers, which she challenged. The response came in the form of shellfire, first small, then from larger calibre guns. Lively some two miles behind started to make smoke to hide the ships. German shooting was less accurate than it might have been because all the battlecruisers fired upon her at once, making it harder for each ship to tell where their own shells were landing and correct their aim. At 07:40, Hipper ceased firing at Lively and instead directed some shells towards Yarmouth, which hit the beach. Once Stralsund had finished laying mines, the ships departed.
Halcyon, out of immediate danger, radioed a warning of the presence of German ships. The destroyer moved to join them, while three more destroyers in harbour started to raise steam. The submarines , and —inside the harbour—moved out to join the chase, but D-5 struck a mine and sank. At 08:30, Halcyon returned to harbour and provided a report of what had happened.
At 09:55, Admiral Beatty
was ordered south with a British battlecruiser squadron, with squadrons of the Grand Fleet following from Ireland. By then, Hipper was 50 mi (43.4 nmi; 80.5 km) away heading home. German ships returning home waited overnight in Schillig Roads for fog to clear to return to harbour. In the fog, the armoured cruiser —which was traveling from the Jade Bay
to Wilhelmshaven—went off course and hit two mines. A number of the crew survived by sitting on the wreck of the ship, which had sunk in shallow water, but 235 were killed.
for the success of the raid, but then refused to wear it, feeling little had been accomplished. Although the results were not spectacular, German commanders were heartened by the ease with which Hipper had arrived and departed with little resistance and were encouraged to try again. In part, the lack of reaction from the British had been due to news received that morning of a much more serious loss at the Battle of Coronel
, and the fact that Admiral Jellicoe
—commander of the Grand Fleet—was on a train at the time of the raid returning to his ships. Also, according to First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill
, the British could not believe there was nothing more to the raid than briefly shelling Yarmouth, and were waiting for something else to happen,
, destroyer, destroyer, destroyer, submarine, submarine, submarine
German Navy:, battlecruiser, flagship, battlecruiser, battlecruiser, armoured cruiser, light cruiser, light cruiser, light cruiser, light cruiser
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
port and town of Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
. Little damage was done to the town since shells only landed on the beach after German ships laying mines offshore were interrupted by British destroyers. One British submarine was sunk by a mine as it attempted to leave harbour and attack the German ships, while one German armoured cruiser was sunk after striking two mines outside its own home port.
Prelude
In October 1914, the German Navy was seeking ways to attack the British fleet. The Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
had more ships than Germany, so it was felt inadvisable to enter into any direct fleet to fleet engagement. Instead the Germans sought ways to attack British ships individually or in small groups. The Kaiser had given orders that no major fleet action was to take place, but small groups of ships might still take part in raids.
The raids had several objectives. One was to lay mines which later might sink passing British ships. Another was to pick off any small ships encountered, or to entice larger groups into giving chase and lead them back to where the German High Seas Fleet
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
would be waiting in relatively safe waters near to Germany. A further consideration was that raiding British coastal towns might force the British to alter the disposition of its ships to protect those towns. The British had adopted a strategy of keeping the greater part of the Grand Fleet always together, so it would always have superiority whenever it engaged the enemy. Germany hoped to encourage Britain to split more ships from the main fleet for coastal defence, thereby giving Germany more chances to catch isolated ships.
The Yarmouth raid was carried out by the German battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
squadron commanded by Admiral Franz von Hipper
Franz von Hipper
Franz Ritter von Hipper was an admiral in the German Imperial Navy . Franz von Hipper joined the German Navy in 1881 as an officer cadet. He commanded several torpedo boat units and served as watch officer aboard several warships, as well as Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht Hohenzollern...
with the battlecruisers , and , the slightly smaller armoured cruiser and the light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s , , and . On this occasion, mines were to be laid off the coast of Yarmouth and Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
, but the ships were also to shell Yarmouth.
Raid
At 16:30 on 2 November 1914, the battlecruiser squadron left its home base on the Jade RiverJade River
The Jade is a 22 km long river in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany. Its source is near Oldenburg, and it flows into the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, near Varel.- Literature :* Klaus Dede: An der Jade...
. Two squadrons of German dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
battleships followed them from harbour slightly later, to lay in wait for any ships which the battlecruisers might be able to entice back chasing them. By midnight, the squadron was sufficiently north to be passing fishing trawlers from various countries. By 06:30 on 3 November, the patrol sighted a marker buoy at 'smith's Knoll Watch', allowing them to determine their exact position and close in to Yarmouth.
Yarmouth coast was patrolled by the minesweeper and the old destroyers and . Halcyon spotted two cruisers, which she challenged. The response came in the form of shellfire, first small, then from larger calibre guns. Lively some two miles behind started to make smoke to hide the ships. German shooting was less accurate than it might have been because all the battlecruisers fired upon her at once, making it harder for each ship to tell where their own shells were landing and correct their aim. At 07:40, Hipper ceased firing at Lively and instead directed some shells towards Yarmouth, which hit the beach. Once Stralsund had finished laying mines, the ships departed.
Halcyon, out of immediate danger, radioed a warning of the presence of German ships. The destroyer moved to join them, while three more destroyers in harbour started to raise steam. The submarines , and —inside the harbour—moved out to join the chase, but D-5 struck a mine and sank. At 08:30, Halcyon returned to harbour and provided a report of what had happened.
At 09:55, Admiral Beatty
David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty
Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy...
was ordered south with a British battlecruiser squadron, with squadrons of the Grand Fleet following from Ireland. By then, Hipper was 50 mi (43.4 nmi; 80.5 km) away heading home. German ships returning home waited overnight in Schillig Roads for fog to clear to return to harbour. In the fog, the armoured cruiser —which was traveling from the Jade Bay
Jadebusen
The Jade Bight, is a bay on the North Sea coast of Germany. It was formerly known simply as Jade or Jahde.About 180 km² in area, the Jade was largely created by storm floods during the 12th and 16th centuries. During this period it was connected in the East to the river Weser...
to Wilhelmshaven—went off course and hit two mines. A number of the crew survived by sitting on the wreck of the ship, which had sunk in shallow water, but 235 were killed.
Aftermath
Admiral Hipper was awarded an Iron CrossIron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
for the success of the raid, but then refused to wear it, feeling little had been accomplished. Although the results were not spectacular, German commanders were heartened by the ease with which Hipper had arrived and departed with little resistance and were encouraged to try again. In part, the lack of reaction from the British had been due to news received that morning of a much more serious loss at the Battle of Coronel
Battle of Coronel
The First World War naval Battle of Coronel took place on 1 November 1914 off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. German Kaiserliche Marine forces led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee met and defeated a Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher...
, and the fact that Admiral Jellicoe
John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe
Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO was a British Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I...
—commander of the Grand Fleet—was on a train at the time of the raid returning to his ships. Also, according to First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, the British could not believe there was nothing more to the raid than briefly shelling Yarmouth, and were waiting for something else to happen,
Order of Battle
Royal Navy:, minesweeper, flagshipFlagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
, destroyer, destroyer, destroyer, submarine, submarine, submarine
German Navy:, battlecruiser, flagship, battlecruiser, battlecruiser, armoured cruiser, light cruiser, light cruiser, light cruiser, light cruiser
See also
- Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and WhitbyRaid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and WhitbyThe raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby, which took place on 16 December 1914, was an attack by the Imperial German Navy on the British seaport towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, and Whitby. The attack resulted in 137 fatalities and 592 casualties, many of which were civilians...
(1914) - Bombardment of Yarmouth and LowestoftBombardment of Yarmouth and LowestoftThe Bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft was a naval battle fought during the First World War between the German Empire and the British Empire in the North Sea....
(1916)