IT was the biggest naval battle of the First World War and claimed the lives of no fewer than 8,000 men.

The Battle of Jutland – or the battle of the Skagerrak as it was known to Germans – would last just 36 hours but its impact on the First World War was significant.

Involving some 250 ships and 100,000 men, this maritime battle, which played out off Denmark’s North Sea coast in May 1916, was the only major naval surface engagement of World War I but it ensured that Britain’s naval blockade of Germany remained in place, forcing Germany to fight on in the face of hunger and raw material shortages.

The Battle of Jutland began in the afternoon of May 31, 1916, when the British fleet anchored at Scapa Flow, a natural harbour in the Orkney Islands, off the northern coast of Scotland, caught the German fleet some 75 miles off the Danish coast, after a newly created intelligence unit cracked German codes.

When the main warships met, British Admiral John Jellicoe manoeuvred his boats to take advantage of the fading daylight, scoring dozens of direct hits on the enemy, but not before the Royal Navy had lost two British battle cruisers, Indefatigable and Queen Mary, in the first hour of fighting, along with the loss of 2,200 men.

The German fleet, led by German Admiral Reinhard Scheer, was forced to retreat under the cover of darkness, but later proclaimed the battle as a victory for the Germans.

But despite the Royal Navy losing more ships and men, the Battle of Jutland left Britain in control of the North Sea as the German fleet made no further attempts to break the allied blockade or to engage the British fleet for the rest of the war. The German naval effort after 1916 was left to U-boats.

Exhibition to mark battle

This month marks the centenary of the battle and the First World War Centenary Partnership, led by Imperial War Museums is presenting a series of exhibitions, events and concerts throughout May and June up and down the country, including one event on the south coast.

To commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Jutland the National Museum of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, in partnership with Imperial War Museums, will open a new major exhibition this week entitled 36 Hours: Jutland 1916, The Battle That Won The War, and will give people in the south and opportunity to come together to remember those, on both sides, who lost their lives at Jutland and to recognise the pivotal role of the Royal Navy in the First World War.

Daily Echo:

HMS Warspite and HMS Malaya during the battle of Jutland

The display will feature objects including guns from British and German ships, battle ensigns stained with smoke and will tell the stories of the men and women involved in the battle. HMS Caroline, the last surviving ship from the Battle of Jutland, currently moored in Belfast, will also open to visitors following a restoration funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“36 Hours: Jutland 1916, The Battle that won the War” opens on Thursday with entry priced at £10 for adults, and £5 for children. Details at 1914.org.