There were two battles I believe were of importance in WW1. The first being the Battle of Dogger Bank, and the second- the biggest sea battle in history- the Battle of Jutland. The Battle of Dogger Bank was fought in 1915 in Dogger Bank- which has halfway between Germany and Britain. The British army manages to intercept German radio and as a result, the British Royal Fleet (BRF) manages to successfully attack the Germans by surprise. The total amount of casualties stood at 950 for Germany and 15 British deaths. Germany’s huge amount of casualties and obvious defeat boosted the morale of the British public. The Battle of Jutland also led to Germany’s decision to keep most of its fleet in home waters for fear that they would lose more ships. This decision led to an increase in submarines (U-Boats) used in the Germany navy.
In the next years, the use of U-Boats became increasingly popular, which is a point I shall go on to examine later on in this essay. However, in the following year of 1916, despite the success of the U-Boats, the new admiral of the German navy wanted to make full use of Germany’s fleet, and therefore decided to introduce the capital ships back into the naval scene. In May 1916, the Germans devised a plan to lure the British into the North Sea and to destroy their fleet. The Germans tried to capture British army by luring them with the smaller squadrons then surrounding them with the German High Seas Fleet (GHSF). However, Britain got wind of this and soon the entire BRF was deployed against Germany. This battle resulted in 2500 casualties for the Germans and 6000 casualties for the British. Though the Germans might have had a tactical victory, in the long-run, Britain emerged as the true victor. Britain’s strategic victory left her with sole control of the North Sea. This victory helped shaped much of the outcome of the war, owing to the fact that, if Britain had lost, they would’ve faced a major threat of isolation and invasion from Germany, and might’ve had all trade supplies cut off.
U-Boats formed a crucial part of Germany’s naval army. The main weapon of the U-Boat was its torpedo. The torpedo could be launched while the submarine was submerged, and therefore gave it a huge advantage over its enemies. However, this unfair advantage made other neutral countries repellent towards the idea of U-Boats, and was intensified when Berlin declared an “Unrestricted submarine” policy, which stated that within the war zone the Germans had declared around the British Isles, the U-Boats would be authorized to attack merchant ships. This gave German U- Boat captains a mandate to torpedo Allied merchant and passenger craft entering the war zone without prior warning. This was proven when a U-Boat attacked the Lusitania, a British commercial liner. There were 1198 deaths, 128 of which were American citizens.
The American public was outraged by this and for a while, war seemed a likely possibility, and this was one of the contributing factors that led the USA to join the war later on. However, for now, the Kaiser ordered restriction in submarine operations in order to stop the US involvement in war and war was very narrowly averted, though the relationship between the US and Germany was strained after the incident. In the following month the British and French retaliated by declaring their intent to detain and take into port all ships "carrying goods of presumed enemy destination, ownership, or origin."This blockade stopped all commerce and overseas trade going in and out of Germany, and this was what indirectly decided the outcome of the war.
With a poor harvest in the United States in 1916 it appeared possible to prevent grain from other neutrals entering the British Isles. In that hope the German government at the end of January 1917 announced unrestricted submarine warfare and knowingly brought the United States into the war. Germany believed that their submarine blockade would bring victory before the Americans could raise and transport an army to Europe. Cut off from food, coal and oil, the Germans endured cold, starvation and disease. There were frequent food riots and morale amongst the people was low. Ersatz, or substitute food was eaten by the people. The British Blockade caused the people of Germany, long before the military, to surrender and demand for peace.
From May- Dec 1917, German submarines sank a total of 500 British merchant ships, worth 2400000 tons altogether. As a result of this, the British decided to introduce the convoy system.
In 1917- 1918, the first convoy system was introduced. The convoy system was a method in which merchant ships traveled in formation. They were escorted by warships, destroyers, trawlers- which would detect submarines, destroyers and other ships. Using the convoy system, the supply imports were under a higher guarantee and protection. It was important that the exports got across as the British were highly reliant on imported food. In June 1917, 16539 ships were escorted in convoy, of which only 154 were torpedoed.
In conclusion, naval warfare influenced much of the outcome of the war. From Jutland, to the U-Boats, to the Blockade- all of these events were key contributing factors that greatly influenced WW1. Without these incidents, the Blockade in particular, the war might’ve still dragged on, until both sides came to a stalemate, and the people would’ve just had their suffering prolonged. Therefore, in my opinion, naval warfare was an important and integral part of WW1, and ultimately, had a hand in shaping the Great War we now know today.
