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13 October 2008
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The War at Sea: 1914 - 1918

By Dr Eric Grove

World War One was largely fought and won on land but this could not have taken place without the movement of ships. Command of the sea enabled the Allies to bring in the vital resources and manpower required to prevail on the Western Front and elsewhere.

At times, the Germans inflicted damage on the British fleet, notably at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, the largest clash of big-gun battleships of all time. Yet the Germans were never near gaining command of the sea. Their U-boats, by their successful attacks on merchant ships, did come close to denying command of the sea to the Allies, especially in 1917, but, by bringing the United States into the war, this campaign only sealed Germany's fate.

Click on an image below to enter the gallery
Ready for war?
Ready for war?
Heligoland Bight
Heligoland Bight
Coronel and the Falklands
Coronel and the Falklands
The Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland
The U-boat threat
The U-boat threat
The Zeebrugge Raid
The Zeebrugge Raid
Inspired command
Inspired command
Sea power and victory
Sea power and victory

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