Water Temperature Structure
North Sea – Skagerrak
The Jutland Battle, 31 May 1916
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Source : G.
Tomezak and E. Goedecke, DHI, Hamburg 1964, Reihe B (4°), Nr.8 |
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The sea area of engagement
was about 50 x 50 square sea miles. 151 British and 99 German vessels with a
total number of 100,000 men had been on the scene. 25 ships were lost; loss
of life: 10,000 men.
By the end of May, 1916
the air is already warm, so also the upper sea surface, while the lower water
body is still cold. Cold water pushed to the sea surface initiates
condensation in the air above the sea surface. Consequently visibility is
quickly reduced. Since the Admirals had nothing but flag-signals for
communication, it seems they did not foresee that such huge armada would
cause bad visibility, and as such they had not been prepared for it in
advance. In other words, they should either have known in advance how to
‘manage their flotilla’ if haze arises, or how to avoid the trap. 250 big
vessels crisscrossing the sea at high speed in the middle of the North Sea by
the end of May was worth a big bet with high certainty that mist and fog
would rise from the sea surface.
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Chapter: 5_13 |
Book Page: 278c |
File: 798 |
Image: 2010/www.seaclimate.com |