The triumph of the Will
The Royal Navy Victorious
Under the goals of plan ‘Achilles’, the Grand Home Fleet will be used as the main striking force, in so that the Grand Home Fleet shall be recalled to Portsmouth Harbour from its current operations in the channel. Most of the decoy vessels have entered Portsmouth except HMS Raja, which is barely seaworthy and having trouble reaching Portsmouth, though it is expected that she will arrive in the harbour tomorrow. The Grand Home Fleet and the Reserve Home Fleet are both steaming towards Portsmouth and are expected anchor tonight on the 3rd October 1914.
Portsmouth Harbour 3rd Ocober
When all ships are in Portsmouth Harbour, each shall be restocked and resupplied for the coming battle with the German High Seas Fleet.
Admiral Sir David Beatty, Commander of Grand Home Fleet
Sir John Fisher, Commander of Reserve Fleet
The 6th of October 1914 was a grand day for the Royal Navy, with her many great and powerful warships steaming out of Portsmouth harbour, with many banners and flags waving, and crowds waving and cheering from the shoreline, and the sun beginning to rise over the ships and vessels of the Royal Navy.
HMS Crown Imperial leaving Portsmouth
It was not until the evening that the decoy contingent left the safe confines of Portsmouth Harbour for the journey to the point just with the range of German Observers on the coast. If this did not garner the German’s attention, then an uncensored Admiralty communiqué would be ‘accidentally’ intercepted by the HGH SEECFLOTTE-BEFEHL (High Seas Fleet Command).
On the 8th October 1914, there was a radio communiqué from HMS Khartoum, that smoke columns that were most likely from German ships were spotted on the horizon, and so henceforth the Grand and Reserve Home Fleets were dispatched. It would appear that the German High Seas Fleet has taken the gambit of the decoy ships.
Elements of the Grand Home Fleet making steam for battle.
The Combined Home Fleets were steaming at full speed towards the location of the decoy ships. One tense day later, and after increasingly terse and frantic radio communiqués from HMS Khartoum, the ships and vessels of the combined Home Fleets reached the HMS Khartoum. And so the 9th October 1914, the combined Home Fleets trained their main armaments towards the ships of the German High Seas Fleet just on the horizon, and almost in unison
HMS Britannia launching her spotting aircraft
HMS Empire Dominions loosing the Royal Navy’s first shots of the war
More in the next chapter…