Baltic pressure and the prospect of a shorter war

After a decisive fleet battle, British battlecruisers might pass through the Øresund into the Baltic while Helgoland closed the North Sea routes. Germany would then fear both attacks on its Baltic coast and the loss of supplies from the outside world. That combination could make an early settlement attractive and shorten the war dramatically. Germany could delay the island battle by keeping its fleet in harbour, but the hoped-for favourable moment might never arrive. Waiting would instead leave the blockade and Britain's forward operating position to grow more effective.