Gefecht auf der Doggerbank

The german armoured cruiser SMS Blücher sinks after receiving multiple hits from British warships at the Battle of Dogger Bank on 25 January 1915.

Map showing British and German ships and movements at the Battle of Dogger Bank, 24 January 1915.

'On board a light cruiser, six inch gun in action'; probably on the 'Aurora' at the Battle of the Dogger Bank, 24 January 1915 Inscribed, as title, and signed by the artist, 'W L Wyllie from nature', lower right. This is a fairly finished drawing of a scene on an 'Arethusa'-class light cruiser which is beyond reasonable doubt the 'Aurora' (1913), since a related one in colour wash (PAF1849) is almost identical and titled 'Aurora 6" gun in action Dogger Bank'. The present monochrome version was certainly reproduced by Wyllie in his and M.F Wren's Sea Fights of the Great War' (1918), f. p. 136, as one of the illustrations to its account of that battle so may well have been done specifically for that purpose. The 'Aurora' briefly engaged the German light cruiser 'Kolberg' (1908) of the 2nd Scouting Group in the early morning of 24 January 1915 and started the action that became known as the Battle of Dogger Bank. Wyllie was, of course, not present at the action and the related drawing mentioned is a preliminary study, probably done from watching a practice drill.

This shows the sinking of the German armoured cruiser Blücher at the Battle of Dogger Bank, 24 January 1915. Blücher is shown capsizing to port, with the British battlecruiser Tiger of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron in the right background. Incorrectly, the main armament of Tiger is shown trained fore and aft. The British destroyer on the left is much too close to Blücher at this stage, a case of artistic licence on Wyllie's part for compositional effect. The gunnery action commenced at 09.00 and Blücher capsized at 12.07, having sustained many shell hits and a reported seven torpedoes: 189 crew members were rescued by British destroyers. This drawing was reproduced in colour, with the title as given here, in Sea Fights of the Great War (1918), the book which Wyllie wrote with M.F. Wren, and for which Wyllie provided drawings and watercolours for the 24 colour and 26 black and white illustrations. It is fairly clear that not all were done specifically for the book, though this one may have been given that it (unusually) bears a close execution date. 'The last of Blücher'

Battle of Dogger Bank January 1915.

A Trafalgar Day visit to the RN Museum (1)

Batalla de Dogger Bank

British Ships of the First World War HMS NEW ZEALAND. INDEFATIGABLE class battlecruiser. Built for the Royal New Zealand Navy but presented to the Royal Navy on completion in 1912. Fought at Dogger Bank and Jutland.

British Ships of the First World War HMS NEW ZEALAND. INDEFATIGABLE class battlecruiser. Built for the Royal New Zealand Navy but presented to the Royal Navy on completion in 1912. Fought at Dogger Bank and Jutland.

Doggerbank, Seeschlacht

Royal Scots Territorials firing a salute over the grave of Captain Erdmann, Commander of the SMS Bluecher sunk at the Battle of Dogger Bank

De Britse slagkruiser HMS Lion (1912-1924), naamgever van haar klasse, nam deel aan de zeegevechten bij Doggersbank (1915) en in 1916 bij Jutland

Treffer und Auswirkungen auf einem kapitalen Kriegsschiff im ersten Weltkrieg.

Skizze über Manöver deutscher und britischer Kriegsschiffe im Seegefecht auf der Doggerbank, Stellungen um 12:10 Uhr. (Erster Weltkrieg, 24. 01. 1915)

Skizze über Manöver deutscher und britischer Kriegsschiffe im Seegefecht auf der Doggerbank. (Erster Weltkrieg, 24. 01. 1915, Stellung 12:10 Uhr)

Deutsche Schlachtkreuzer im Gefecht an der Doggerbank am 24. Januar 1915

Skizze der Bewegungen deutscher und britischer Kriegsschiffe im Seegefecht auf der Doggerbank, 24 Januar 1915 (09:45-12:06 GMT)

Skizze über Bewegungen der Kriegsschiffe im Seegefecht von Doggerbank, 24. Januar 1914

Bewegungen der Kriegsschiffe im Seegefecht auf der Doggerbank, 24. Januar 1914 (09:45-12:06 GMT)

Omschrijving: Eerste Wereldoorlog, propaganda, ansichtkaarten, prentbriefkaarten. Zeeoorlogen. Foto van het grote Duitse oorlogsschip de kruiser S.M.S. Blücher dat getroffen door Engelse oorlogsschepen op zijn kant ligt en weldra zal zinken. Slag bij de Doggersbank, 24 januari 1915.

Der Krieg 1914-19 in Wort und Bild, published 1919.

HMS 'Lion' and 'Abdiel' Wyllie would have had many opportunities to draw or paint watercolours of HMS ‘Lion’ during World War I when she was part of the First Battlecruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet, as flagship of Vice-Admiral Beatty, taking part in the Battles of the Heligoland Bight, 1914, the Dogger Bank, 1915, and Jutland, 1916. His painting, 'Bringing in the wounded Lion', exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1915, shows the damaged 'Lion' returning to the Firth of Forth after the battle of the Dogger Bank. Wyllie wrote vividly of seeing HMS ‘Lion’ when he was with the fleet in 1915: 'When the ship began to swing to the flood I got a moving picture through my scuttle. First, 'Lion' with Sir David Beatty's flag at the fore. Many hoists of bright bunting were mounting in graceful curves to her masthead, but as I looked my picture drew away to the left, the bows of the flagship were hidden, and instead the quarterdeck and ladder came into view. Crowds of seamen were as busy as bees, barges and picket-boats were rushing up, and there was a constant coming and going of officers. But now this scene slipped farther to the left...' (W. D. Kirkpatrick, C. Owen and W. L. Wyllie, ‘More Sea Fights of the Great War' [London: Cassell & Company Ltd., 1919]). This rough 'wet-work' study of the ship at moorings, from off the starboard bow, is post-Jutland, since her torpedo nets have been removed and these were taken away during the repairs to her Jutland battle damage. Her initial repairs were completed on 20 July 1916 but without Q-turret, which was not replaced until 23 September. As Q-turret is shown in this drawing the date has to be later than September 1916 and before the fitting of the searchlight towers to her mainmast in mid-1917. The destroyer leader 'Abdiel', sketched in the top right corner, was completed in March 1916 and is shown in her minelayer configuration. HMS Lion

HMS Attack (1911) flying the flag of Vice-Admiral Beatty at the Battle of Dogger Bank

HMS Lion was the flagship of Rear Admiral David Beatty during the Battle of Dogger Bank on 24 January 1915. image: The British battlecruiser HMS Lion in action at sea, with large splashes in the water off her starboard side as a result of enemy fire. Another warship is visible in the background to the left.