Chapter I: The Relative Standing of the British and German Fleets

The relative strength of the British and German navies at the moment when war was declared is of historical interest.

The appended particulars have been prepared from “Fighting Ships, 1914,” and brought up-to-date by the inclusion of the two Turkish battleships and the two Chilian destroyer leaders, which were purchased on the outbreak of hostilities by the British Government.

BRITISH NAVY.

Super-Dreadnought battleships 11
Super-Dreadnought battle-cruisers 3
-- 14
Dreadnought battleships 13
Dreadnought battle-cruisers 5
-- 18
--
Total of ships of Dreadnought era: 32

(Three more super-Dreadnoughts near completion, and due to commission
late in 1914.)

Pre-Dreadnoughts:

Powerful ships all completed between 1905 and 1908 8

Older and less powerful ships completed between 1895
and 1904 30
--
38
--
Total battleships 70

Armoured Cruisers:

Big, heavily-armed ships completed between 1905 and
1908 9

“County” class, slower and less powerful, completed
between 1903 and 1905 15

“Drake” and “Cressy” class, bigger and better, but
slightly older ships, completed between 1901 and 1903 10
--
Total armoured cruisers 34

Cruisers:

Big protected cruisers, “Diadem” class, 21 knots, 6in.
guns (1889-1902) 6

Older and smaller (1890-1892) 9
-- 15

Fast Light Cruisers:

“Arethusa” class, 3,500 tons, 30 knots, burning oil,
completed 1914 8

“Town” class, 5,400 to 4,800 tons, 25 knots (1910-
1914) 15

25-knot ships, round about 300 tons (1903-1907) 15

-- 30

20-knot ships, 2,100 to 5,400 tons (1896-1900) 16

19-knot ships, 5,600 tons (1895-1896) 9

Older ships, 2,500 to 4,300 tons, 16·5 to 19·5 knots
(1890-1893) 9
--
Total protected cruisers 87

Destroyers, 36 to 25½ knots (1893-1914) 227

Torpedo-boats, 26 to 20 knots (1885-1908) 109

Submarines, from 1,000 to 200 tons, speed from 20 to
11·5 knots surface, 12 to 7 knots submerged (1904-1913) 75

Minelayers 7

Repair Ships 3

It need hardly be added that a number of these vessels--including the two Pre-Dreadnought battleships “Swiftsure” and “Triumph” and groups of cruisers, destroyers, and submarines--were on duty in the outer seas when war opened.

GERMAN FLEET.

Super-Dreadnoughts (3 building) None

Dreadnought battleships 13

Dreadnought battle-cruisers 5
-- 18

(Three other battleships are due to commission in 1914.)

Pre-Dreadnought battleships (1891-1908) 22

Old coast defence battleships (1889-1893) 8

Armoured cruisers (1897-1909) 8,900 to 15,500 tons,
24·5 to 19 knots 9

Big protected cruisers (1892-1910), 6,000 tons, 19 knots 6

24-knot cruisers (1904-1913), 3,000 to 5,000 tons 25

-- 31

(Most of these ships have belt armour as thick as that
of the British “County” class of armoured cruisers.)

Small cruisers, 21 knots (1893-1910) 12

Destroyers (1889-1913), 34 to 26 knots 152

Torpedo-boats (1887-1898), 26 to 22 knots 45

Submarines, about equal to British in size and speed 30 to 40

Minelayers 2

All the German Navy, except one battle-cruiser, two armoured cruisers, and a few light cruisers, were concentrated in the North Sea and Baltic when war occurred.