Martin Berry 31-May-16

Killed in Action: (Jutland) 31 May 1916 Age 24. HMS Defence:

Supplementary Notes: Leading Stoker K6653.

Son of Festus & Ellen Berry of Ballycource, Clifden, Co. Galway.

Remembered: Plymouth Naval Memorial-Devon- United Kingdom (14).

HMS Defence and HMS Warrior

During the battle of Jutland, HMS Warrior and HMS Defence, attracted by the drifting hull of the crippled SMS Wiesbaden, closed in for the kill, only to blunder right into the gun sights of Hipper´s and Scheer´s oncoming capital ships.

Defence was deluged by heavy-calibre gunfire from many German battleships, which detonated her magazines in a spectacular explosion viewed by most of the deploying Grand Fleet; she sank with all hands (903 officers and men).

Warrior was also hit badly but was spared destruction by a mishap to the nearby super-dreadnought Warspite. Warspite had her steering gear overheat and jam and she was steaming at top speed in wide circles. So she appeared as a juicy target to the German dreadnoughts and took thirteen hits, inadvertently drawing fire from the hapless Warrior.

Warspite was brought back under control and survived the onslaught, but was badly damaged and was ordered back to port by Evan-Thomas.

Warrior was abandoned and sank the next day after her crew was taken off at 08:25 1 June by Engadine, which towed the sinking armoured cruiser 100 miles (160 km) during the night.

The Battle of Jutland (Skagerrakschlacht) was the largest naval battle of World War I, fought between 31st May and 1st June 1916, in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. The Germans’ plan was to use five modern battlecruisers to lure the British through a submarine picket line and into the path of the main German fleet.

The plan didn’t succeed, but the battle is considered to be won by the Germans, giving the Royal Navy a heavy blow.