Dead-reckoning errors became a command problem. Iron Duke was about four miles northwest of her true position while Lion was about seven miles east of hers, producing an accumulated discrepancy of roughly eleven miles. Reports plotted aboard Iron Duke consequently placed the German forces farther east and farther away than they really were. Black Prince's sighting then seemed so inconsistent that Jellicoe initially assumed the ships ahead must be British. The mismatch raises a question about Beatty's role: was he primarily to fight Hipper's battlecruisers, or should he report and guide the High Seas Fleet toward the Grand Fleet's guns?
Notable Point · 8:59-11:26
Scouting positions mislead the Grand Fleet
The account tracks how errors in Iron Duke and Lion positions left Jellicoe with a distorted picture before the fleets met.