"Battle plots" Topic

I was wondering, idle interest, nothing more. When I visited HMS Belfast as a kid I remember seeing the plot for the Battle of North Cape on display. Reading Douglas Reeman's 'Battlecruiser', the captain of the HMS Reliant orders the plot to be started when going into action.

So a couple of questions:

(1) When did navies start making accurate plots DURING the action, rather than rely on memories or logs?

and

(2) Why? Was it for post-battle analysis? To assist with situational awareness during the engagement? As a historical record?

Just curious – that's all.

Ta,

Nick

When there was enough crew to do the work during the battle.

The answer depends upon how one defines the term "plot". The Dreyer and Pollen FC tables fitted to British capital ships in WW1 recorded own ship and target ship movements on a scrolling roll of paper by means of mechanically controlled pencils as an aid to the fire control process; range readings electro-mechanically transmitted to the FC table from the ship's Argo range-finder mounting were likewise mechanically recorded; ranges otherwise obtained from other range-finders were manually noted on the scroll.

After Jutland, a call went out for participating ships to turn over their paper plots for analysis. Some (perhaps many) were surely procured, but the Official Despatches contains mention from various ships that their FC plots had been discarded or lost.

B

….. Quite by happenstance, I have just finished reading a recently acquired copy of a BCF after-action report related to Dogger Bank in which it was mentioned that a general plot of the action was being kept by the navigating officer (to the extent it was possible for him to do so).

B

My understanding of the term "plot", as used in this context, is a record of the relative locations of all other vessels. In an action spread over many square miles of sea it is easy to lose track of the locations of various friendly and enemy units. Even with radar it can take valuable time to identify a new contact coming in on the edge of the screen.

The ship's own location and track was relatively easy and was based on speed and courses steered. For other ships reliance was placed on your own sighting reports and reported sightings by other units. A classic instance is at Jutland when Jellicoe was lacking accurate reports from the Battlecruiser Fleet and its scouting squadrons. He knew the enemy was out there somewhere to the south but its exact position, course and speed were unknown.

Thanks guys, interesting. I imagine the Belfast plot would have been essential for making sense of a night engagement, as with huge battles like Jutland