Descendants of those who served at sea in the first world war are being invited to apply for places at the commemoration in May on Orkney of the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval engagement of the war, in which more than 100,000 sailors were involved on 250 ships.
The Royal Navy lost 14 ships and the Germans 11, with the loss of 6,000 British and 2,500 German lives. Hundreds of the casualties, from both sides, are buried at the Lyness Royal Naval cemetery on the island of Hoy.
The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916, between the navy’s Grand Fleet under the command of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, which had been based at Scapa Flow in Orkney, and the German High Seas Fleet under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer. The outcome was indecisive: despite the greater loss of British lives, both sides claimed victory. Neither had succeeded in the objective of destroying the other fleet and making the seas safe for their merchant shipping.
There will be a service at St Magnus Cathedral at Kirkwall on Orkney Mainland on 31 May, followed by a ceremony at the cemetery. Royal Navy ships are expected to make a ceremonial appearance.
Admission to the events will be by tickets allocated in a ballot, but the winners will have to make their own transport arrangements to get to Orkney. Application is open to anyone whose ancestors served at sea with the navy or in other maritime roles during the first world war.
Other events to mark the anniversary will include the opening of the only surviving ship from the battle, HMS Caroline, as a museum in Belfast, and a service of remembrance at Jutland Bank involving British and German ships.
