"U-boats & British subs & zeppelins WW1 " Topic

We have been playing Jutland and have a question, can u-boats and subs radio other ships or back to port (land) if they spot enemy ships to report locations? I guess the same question could also be asked for zeppelins. Was that technology present in 1916?

It was but the range was much shorter than for dreadnoughts because the transmitters were weaker. During fleet actions repeater ships were used to relay messages on. Infact the wireless was rarely used, most signalling being done by flag, semaphore or lights.

Prior to Jutland, a number of zeppelins were deployed, and were in regular wireless contact with the fleet. Also a line of submarines had been sent out a couple days before the German operation, but few of them received the signal that the operation was commencing and some of the subs played no part in the operation. Most of those signals sent by the subs seem to have not reached the German fleet directly, but were relayed through the sub tender Arcona.

Most of the zeppelin signals reached the fleet directly, but were about their own current position, weather, visibility and their own intentions, but a few reported British positions (often inaccurately) or reported that they were engaged or chased by various British units.

Tarrant's "Jutland, the German perspective" has a nice 29-page chronology of the German wireless signals sent and received between May 30 to 6 June.

I would just point out that while the Zeppelins were able to send messages effectively, they were not able to observe effectively. Surface haze was a real problem. Much of their information was of dubious value or misinterpreted (both before and after transmission).

mjc