Onboard the British battlecruiser *Tiger*, Vice Admiral David Beatty's countenance darkened to the point that it seemed almost capable of dripping with despair. The successive hits on his fleet had completely extinguished the smile that had briefly graced his face following the *Royal Princess*'s strike on the *Frederick Carl*.
It appeared that divine favor had eluded them. Against the might of the German navy, they remained at a distinct disadvantage.
"Damn it! How could this happen? How have the Germans suddenly become so formidable?" Vice Admiral Beatty nearly ground his teeth in frustration. While no ships had yet been lost, the current trajectory suggested that losses were imminent.
Although the British navy's accuracy had improved with the diminishing distance, the Germans had experienced an even more significant enhancement in their hit rate—far surpassing that of the British.
Onboard the *Mackensen*, Vice Admiral Hipper wore a slight smile, greatly pleased with his fleet's performance.
"Excellent, continue firing!" Hipper commanded, his confidence in the engagement growing stronger.
"General, the range has now been reduced to twelve thousand meters. Shall we close in further?" an officer inquired.
Hipper shook his head. "No need. Twelve thousand meters is our optimal firing distance. Should we close in further, the lethality of the British shells will also increase. We aim to sink their vessels while preserving our own."
The Germans had learned that British shells tended to detonate immediately upon impact, a design flaw revealed by Qin Tian. Since the armor of capital ships is typically robust, sufficient damage requires the use of armor-piercing shells, which detonate only after penetrating the enemy's defenses. The armor-piercing shells designed by Qin Tian ensured they penetrated the British vessels. In contrast, the British shells, due to their inherent design weaknesses, struggled to breach armor, thus inflicting minimal damage on German ships—an advantage that decidedly favored the German navy.
As the distance settled at twelve thousand meters, the British attempted to draw closer but were thwarted by the Germans, who clearly wished to maintain the current combat range. Given that the speeds of both fleets were nearly equal, closing the distance was nearly impossible.
Consequently, as time progressed, Vice Admiral Beatty's British battlecruiser squadron gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.
With a thunderous roar, Beatty felt a violent tremor beneath his feet, and he was thrown to the deck.
"Damn it, we've been hit!" Beatty's expression transformed in an instant.
A shell launched from the *Mackensen*, the flagship of the German first battlecruiser squadron, struck the *Tiger*. Despite being the mightiest battlecruiser in the British navy, it was still outmatched by the *Mackensen* class.
The 380mm shell fired from the *Mackensen* was beyond the armor capabilities of the *Tiger*, whose thickest armor measured only 254mm.
"Where were we hit? What are the damages?" Beatty asked anxiously.
"General, the port side has been struck, resulting in the loss of a 152mm secondary gun. Several sailors were killed in the explosion," a staff officer promptly reported.
Beatty exhaled, relieved. Such damage was insignificant for a vessel displacing nearly thirty thousand tons. However, he couldn't shake the concern that now the Germans had scored a hit, more would inevitably follow.
"Send a telegram to General Benjamin; we are being suppressed by the Germans and need him to expedite his arrival to the battlefield to assist in flanking the Germans!" Beatty ordered.
With the situation increasingly turning against them, Beatty had no choice but to pin his hopes on the three *Queen Elizabeth*-class battleships of the second battle squadron.
"Yes, sir," the communications officer replied, rushing to send the message.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The fierce battle raged on, with the German first battlecruiser squadron dominating the engagement against the British.
"Boom!"
In a cataclysmic explosion, the British *Invincible* battlecruiser was completely obliterated.
"What happened?" Beatty stared in disbelief. Although the *Invincible* was the weakest among their battlecruisers, it was an indispensable force in this naval engagement. Its loss would further tilt the balance against them.
"General, the *Invincible*'s forward main gun turret has been hit, and it seems the magazine has detonated," a staff officer reported.
A look of despair clouded Beatty's face. The *Invincible*, as the first class of British battlecruisers, had significant design flaws. Its excessive focus on speed and firepower resulted in abysmal defenses. Aside from the conning tower, which had 254mm armor, the turrets and waterline armor were merely 152mm thick. Such defenses could scarcely withstand even an armored cruiser, let alone the main guns of a battleship.
The *Invincible* became the first vessel sunk in this naval battle, leaving the British battlecruiser squadron with only five remaining. Following the sinking of the *Invincible*, the *Indomitable*, also of the *Invincible* class, was beset by German ships *Von der Tann* and *Leopold*.