Destroyers, Dreadnoughts, Air Support, Radios & Submarines

Picture
FL-Boat "Fernlenkboot"
A remote controlled boat used by Germany during WW1 to attack Royal Navy Monitors.

Each boat had a 700 kg (1,500 lb) explosive charge.

For more info click here
WW1 Naval Warfare: What Most Wargamers Don’t Know

WW1 Naval Warfare: What Most Wargamers Don’t Know

Naval wargaming in the First World War is often dominated by dreadnought battles, fleet manoeuvres, and the clash at Jutland. But behind the surface lies a fascinating web of forgotten technologies, dangerous design flaws, and experimental tactics. Here are the details the average naval wargamer often overlooks.

Ammunition: The Royal Navy’s Hidden Weakness

  • Cordite volatility: The British battlecruiser fleet went to war with unstable cordite propellant. Poor storage and handling practices meant that one lucky enemy shell could ignite whole magazines, as happened to HMS Queen Mary, Indefatigable, and Invincible at Jutland.
  • Shell performance: British shells often broke up on impact due to inferior metallurgy, failing to penetrate German armour. The Germans, meanwhile, fielded better-capped AP shells by 1916.

Smoke: More Than Just Fog of War

We think of smoke as accidental — funnels belching coal dust. But by 1915, navies experimented with chemical smoke screens laid by destroyers. These were early precursors to WW2-style concealment tactics, though reliability and wind often rendered them erratic.

Torpedo Innovations

  • Range & accuracy: By WW1, torpedoes had ranges of 5,000–10,000 yards — far greater than many assume. Their accuracy was questionable, but destroyer flotillas posed a genuine fleet-level threat.
  • Air-launched torpedoes: By 1915, the Royal Naval Air Service tested torpedoes dropped from seaplanes and airships — crude, dangerous, but the ancestor of WW2’s devastating aerial torpedo strikes.

Air Power at Sea

Naval air power in 1914–18 is usually forgotten. Yet the war saw:

  • Airships and Zeppelins: Germany used them for reconnaissance, scouting fleets hundreds of miles out.
  • Seaplane carriers: Converted merchant ships and cruisers launched floatplanes for spotting and raids. HMS Engadine famously launched aircraft at Jutland.
  • Carrier experiments: By 1918, the Royal Navy launched Sopwith Camels from HMS Furious, achieving the world’s first carrier-based strike on a Zeppelin base.

How Ships Found Their Range

Before radar, hitting a target miles away was an art:

  • Optical rangefinders: British 15ft and 30ft coincidence rangefinders gave rough distances — accuracy degraded badly in poor light.
  • Spotting fall of shot: Gunnery officers used “ladder” salvos, adjusting based on shell splashes.
  • Fire control tables: Mechanical computers, such as the Dreyer Table, calculated firing solutions — cutting edge technology in 1916.

Design Brilliance and Catastrophic Failures

  • Resilience: German capital ships like Seydlitz and Derfflinger absorbed staggering punishment at Jutland and survived. Compartmentalisation and excellent damage control saved them.
  • Failure: British battlecruisers sacrificed armour for speed. When hit, their inadequate deck and magazine protection made them floating powder kegs.
  • Destroyer evolution: From humble torpedo boats to fleet destroyers, their role expanded rapidly — screening, scouting, and torpedo attacks became decisive elements of naval doctrine.

The Overlooked Lessons

The First World War at sea wasn’t just about dreadnought clashes. It was a crucible of innovation: chemical smokescreens, naval aviation, advanced fire control, and the earliest carrier strikes. It also revealed deadly blind spots — unstable ammunition, flawed ship design, and poor shell quality — that cost thousands of lives.

For the wargamer, remembering these “hidden factors” brings scenarios to life. Battles are not just about gunnery ranges and armour values, but also about the unseen risks and experimental technologies that shaped outcomes. In many ways, WW1 set the stage for the decisive carrier, submarine, and gunnery battles of WW2.

For GWAS Mediterranean Submarine Scenario Generator click here
For GWAS: Jutland article and unofficial Tabletop rules variant click here
For Steel & Resolve Mediterranean Submarine Scenario Generator click here
Facebook Twitter Instagram