Would a different Dogger Bank expose British shell defects?

If hypothetical British 15-inch battlecruisers fought at Dogger Bank, would the Royal Navy discover its shell problem before Jutland?

Possibly, if German ships escaped after taking many hits. A crushing British victory would be less likely to provoke an investigation into ammunition performance.

Whether hypothetical 15-inch British battlecruisers at Dogger Bank exposed ammunition defects before Jutland would depend on the battle's outcome. An overwhelming destruction of the German scouting force would be less likely to prompt scrutiny because success could conceal poor shell performance. If German ships escaped despite numerous known hits, frustrated gunnery officers would have a reason to investigate. Jutland provides the comparison: the Royal Navy forced the enemy back but lost more ships and failed to destroy the fleet it had engaged. German crews' success in bringing badly damaged ships home helped prevent a clearer British result. In this interpretation, the gap between victory and the victory expected could produce an especially determined search for technical and doctrinal improvements.