"'Your Excellency, the 'Irish' has been sunk by the Germans!' Vice Admiral David Beatty declared, his face ashen with despair.
Admiral John Jellicoe appeared numb, as yet another battleship succumbed to their losses, leaving only eleven remaining in their line, while the German Navy still boasted fourteen. Although the Royal Navy had struck several blows against the German vessels, aside from the severe damage inflicted on the 'Saxony,' the remaining ships had merely sustained minor injuries. Even the 'Saxony,' though left with but one turret, continued to fight valiantly.
'The situation grows increasingly dire for us,' Beatty remarked uneasily. 'Several of our ships are now under assault from the Germans. Continuing to hold our ground will be exceedingly challenging, especially since we are still facing a single German line. Another line is likely to join the fray shortly, further widening our disadvantage.' They could only watch helplessly as the German Navy's advantage expanded, leading inevitably to the Royal Navy's collapse—an outcome that was almost unbearable to contemplate.
Jellicoe nodded, having long since abandoned any hope of victory. Even the prospect of inflicting substantial damage on the German fleet seemed increasingly remote. With the current state of the battle, achieving their strategic objectives appeared nearly impossible. Yet, having reached this point in the conflict, what choice did they have? Even if they wished to withdraw, the Germans would not allow it.
Despite the presence of numerous smaller vessels, the German battlecruisers had commenced their assault on these smaller ships. Faced with such formidable opponents, the losses among the Royal Navy's smaller craft were substantial, unable to withstand even a single shot from the battlecruisers. While the torpedoes they carried posed a significant threat, the Germans similarly deployed smaller vessels to protect their larger ships, rendering the Royal Navy's numbers ineffective within the effective range of their battleships.
Repeated attempts by the smaller Royal Navy ships to launch torpedo strikes for a tactical advantage ended in disastrous losses, compelling them to adopt a more cautious approach.
'Your Excellency, shall we not attempt an immediate breakout? Perhaps we can manage to return some ships to Scapa Flow,' Beatty suggested. He was aware that the slower capital ships would likely not escape in time, but many of the smaller vessels could still make it back. At this point, the question was not how many ships could return, but rather if any could escape at all, which would be deemed a victory.
However, abandoning the capital ships would leave the Royal Navy with no chance whatsoever. Excluding their remaining eleven capital ships, they had only three severely damaged 'Queen Elizabeth-class' battleships, one 'Orion-class' battleship, one 'Giant-class' battleship, and the 'Tiger' battlecruiser, along with the untouched 'Dreadnought.' This amounted to a mere seven capital ships. Though not weak, they could scarcely hope to contend with the German fleet.
If Admiral Jellicoe had a choice, he would prefer to ensure that as many of the remaining capital ships as possible returned. Even in the event of a crushing defeat, it would afford the Royal Navy some room for maneuver.
'General Beatty, do you think we can hold out until nightfall?' Jellicoe inquired.
Beatty instantly grasped Jellicoe's intent. If they could endure until nightfall, they might be able to slip away under the cover of darkness. Of course, by then, they would have fewer capital ships left, but that would be preferable to being completely sunk.
'Your Excellency, while our capital ships are few, there are only a few hours until darkness falls. With some luck, we may endure until then. Let us order all ships to maximum speed; it will make it more challenging for the Germans to hit us,' Beatty advised.
When the battleships surged across the sea at high speed, the hulls would pitch violently, severely compromising accuracy. Of course, the Royal Navy's ships would face similar challenges. However, at this juncture, the British could not hope to defeat the Germans; merely evading hits would be a fortunate outcome.
Jellicoe nodded. 'Order the fleet to increase speed. Once night falls, we will seize any opportunity to withdraw.'
'Yes, Admiral,' Beatty replied, promptly issuing the command.
The Royal Navy's ships began to accelerate. Although their speed was inherently limited, achieving twenty knots was certainly feasible.
To continue their assault, the German Navy was also compelled to increase their speed, though this would result in a further decline in firing accuracy.
'Damn those British; are they preparing to flee?' Admiral Reinhard Scheer frowned.
His greatest fear was now materializing. In this naval battle, he was unafraid of the British Navy's determination to fight to the last; rather, he dreaded the possibility of their retreat when the tide turned against them. Should the British focus solely on escaping, it would prove exceedingly difficult for the Germans to capture them all. Once these British ships returned to safety, any hopes of encirclement in the future would be daunting. Thus, Scheer had striven to prevent this outcome.
Yet, despite their heavy losses, the British were inevitably forced to consider such a choice.