When many think of the first World War, they think of infantrymen charging no-man’s land, trench warfare and chemical gas attacks. There were some pivotal naval battles, but they aren’t discussed as often as some of the naval battles from WWII. For example, the Battle of Jutland was a significant naval engagement involving 250 ships. After 72 hours in the North Sea, the Germans lost over 2,500 of their own and lost 11 ships; the British lost over 6,000 men and 14 ships.

Also known as the Battle of Skagerrak, the Battle of Jutland occurred on this day in history, May 31, 1916.

Other naval battles from WWI include Dogger Bank, both engagements at Heligoland Blight, numerous battles in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea — just to name a few. The Germans used their U-Boats to sink hundreds of ships in the Atlantic in an attempt to cut off Britain’s supply lines. As the war raged on the land, so it raged on the sea.

The Battle of Jutland – 1916

Battle cruisers “Iron Duke,” May 31, 1916, flagship of British Admiral Beatty, right, and “Tiger,” second from right. | AP-Photo/Bought
British Battle cruiser “Queen Mary” exploding after powder chamber was hit during the Battle of Jutland, May 31, 1916. | AP-Photo
German battle cruiser “Seydlitz” burning in the Battle of Jutland. “Seydlitz” was the flagship of German Vice Admiral von Hipper, who left the ship during the battle. The battle cruiser reached the port of Wilhelmshaven on its own power. | AP-Photo
The British Grand Fleet under admiral John Jellicoe on her way to meet the Imperial German Navy’s fleet for the Battle of Jutland on May 31, 1916 in the North Sea. | AP Photo
Imperial German Navy’s battle ship SMS “Schleswig-Holstein” firing a salvo during the Battle of Jutland on May 31, 1916 in the North Sea. | AP Photo

Other photos from the war on the water:

In this May 1, 1915 file photo, the British cargo and passenger ship Lusitania as it sets out for England on its last voyage from New York City. The British ocean liner was sunk off Ireland on May 7, 1915 by a German U-Boat, killing 1,150 people, 114 of them Americans. | AP Photo, File
In this undated file photo, the U Boat 139 which sank the Lusitania sits in an unknown location. The British liner was sank on May 7, 1915, by a German submarine off the southern coast of Ireland. About 1,150 men, women and children, perished, 114 of which were Americans. Among those Americans who perished were Charles Frohman, Alfred G. Vanderbilt and Elbert Hubbard. | AP Photo, File
Sinking of the German cruiser Mainz in the Battle of Heligoland. The photograph, taken from the deck of a British warship, shows the cruiser in flames and settling in the water. | Wikipedia
The German light cruiser SMS Mainz sinking at the battle of Heligoland bight on August 28 1914. | Wikipedia
The German armored cruiser SMS Blücher sinks after receiving multiple hits from British warships at the Battle of Dogger Bank on 25 January 1915. | Wikipedia
The HMS Agincourt operating at sea in 1918, with all fourteen of her twelve-inch guns trained out to port. She is following astern of HMS Erin (left), which is completing a turn to starboard. Several other battleships are visible in the right-center distance, and at least one destroyer is steaming along the port side of the battle line. Note the obscuring effect of the ships’ coal smoke. | U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph
The British submarine E13 aground at Saltholm in the Sound in 1915 before being attacked by German submarines. | Wikipedia
Unidentified U.S. Navy ship crew members sitting and standing around the deck of a U.S. Navy ship believed to be in dock at Norfolk, Virginia, during World War I. Samuel H. Hobbs Jr. of Clinton, N.C., may be pictured in this image, and was serving with this crew at the time. The men were based out of the Naval Operating Base in Norfolk at the time (circa 1918). | Flickr via State Archives of North Carolina Raleigh, NC

 

Featured image courtesy of the Associated Press.