Biggest sea battle in modern times?

Hello

Edited by Jams - 31-May-2008 at 16:45

You have a couple problems with comparing different situations. One is precisely defining a 'battle'.  As you've noted yourself, what is 'loosely' termed a 'battle' might actually be a serious of battles.  If anything simply 'called' a 'Battle of ....' is a candidate, then how about the 'Battle of the Atlantic' in WWII.  I'm not seriously proposing that, but just using it as an example to illustrate my point.  The other problem is, as mentioned above, the advent of the aircraft carrier as the 'new capital ship'.  If you consider carrier strikes as part of a naval battle, then you have to consider Pearl Harbor, with the entire American fleet at anchor on one side and the entire Japanese task force on the other.  If you more narrowly define a 'battle', to exclude separate 'actions' strung together (your example of Leyte Gulf) and specify 'surface actions', then you are clearly left with Jutland.

Originally posted by Sparten Jutland was also many nseperate actions. The initial  Battlecruiser action, (with the QE class BB's in support) the action  between the retraeting British and the German High seas fleet, the main fleet action and the night action which involved mainly destroyers, (though capital ships kept firing).   A battle is by defination a series of actions, often seperate. What makes it a battle is if they are all aimed at achieving one objective. Leyet Gulf, Jutland etc were definatly battles.

I'll cast a vote for Jutland.  But by a narrow margin.

The Battle of Jutland caused the German Navy to change tactics.

 

Yeah.  It sure didn't work out too well for them did it?

On sheer numbers Jutland wins.  From the books I've read it was a amazing sight when both Fleets began to pound each other. 

Originally posted by deadkenny Originally posted by Sparten Jutland was also many nseperate actions. The initial  Battlecruiser action, (with the QE class BB's in support) the action  between the retraeting British and the German High seas fleet, the main fleet action and the night action which involved mainly destroyers, (though capital ships kept firing).   A battle is by defination a series of actions, often seperate. What makes it a battle is if they are all aimed at achieving one objective. Leyet Gulf, Jutland etc were definatly battles.   "The Battle of Leyte Gulf included four major naval battles: the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle of Surigao Strait, the Battle of Cape Engaño and the Battle off Samar, as well as other actions."   Admittedly from Wiki, however, it just serves to make the point that the (so called) Battle of Leyte Gulf is frequently recognized to have consisted of several distinct 'battles' spanning four days.  I am not aware of any such view of Jutland - which although it was a 'series' of 'engagements', ran from the afternoon of May 31 through to the early morning hours of June 1 (about 12 hours) and is generally viewed as a single 'battle'.

Naval aircraft are just another long range weapon in a naval fleets arsenal, no different than missiles or torpedoes.

Originally posted by tjadams Dang, after reading my reply, its sounds like I was a monkey with one arm typing. I was using voice recognition software and it seems it might be better used for typing in documents and not chat boards.

Time to slay the Dragon?

Originally posted by warwolf1969 On sheer numbers Jutland wins.  From the books I've read it was a amazing sight when both Fleets began to pound each other.

Strangely enough, both sides claimed victory. Not that it mattered to the enlisted sailors who drowned