Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)

Battle of Dogger Bank
Part of the First World War
Battle of Dogger Bank by Arthur Burgess
Date 24 January 1915 Location Dogger Bank, North Sea 54°33′28″N 05°27′50″E / 54.55778°N 5.46389°E / 54.55778; 5.46389 Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
David Beatty	Franz Hipper
Strength
5 battlecruisers 7 light cruisers 35 destroyers[1]	3 battlecruisers 1 armoured cruiser 4 light cruisers 18 torpedo boats[1] 1 Zeppelin
Casualties and losses
47 killed and wounded 1 battlecruiser disabled 1 destroyer disabled[2]	1,034 killed and wounded 189 captured 1 armoured cruiser sunk 1 battlecruiser damaged[2]
Battle class=notpageimage| The Battle of Dogger Bank location in the North Sea

The Battle of Dogger Bank was a naval engagement during the First World War that took place on 24 January 1915 near the Dogger Bank in the North Sea, between squadrons of the British Grand Fleet and the Kaiserliche Marine (High Seas Fleet). The British had intercepted and decoded German wireless transmissions, gaining advance knowledge that a German raiding squadron was heading for the Dogger Bank and ships of the Grand Fleet sailed to intercept the raiders.

The British surprised the smaller and slower German squadron, which fled for home. During a stern chase lasting several hours, the British caught up with the Germans and engaged them with long-range gunfire. The British disabled Blücher, the rearmost German ship and the Germans put the British flagship HMS Lion out of action. Due to inadequate signalling, the remaining British ships stopped the pursuit to sink Blücher; by the time the ship had been sunk, the rest of the German squadron had escaped.

The German squadron returned to harbour with some ships in need of extensive repairs. Lion made it back to port but was out of action for several months. The British had lost no ships and suffered few casualties; the Germans had lost Blücher and most of her crew. After the British victory, both navies replaced officers who were thought to have shown poor judgement and made changes to equipment and procedures because of failings observed during the battle.