The opening hit records show why every impact cannot be treated as equivalent. German battlecruisers scored roughly forty-four hits against British ships while British battlecruisers scored seventeen. Only three or four British shells appear to have worked correctly, compared with roughly sixteen to eighteen German shells. That combination of greater accuracy and more reliable terminal effect helps explain the loss of Queen Mary and Beatty's impression that multiple ships were exploding. The comparison separates a gunnery problem from an ammunition problem while also showing that German shells were far from perfectly reliable.
Notable Point · 1:57:05-2:00:40
Hit counts show why Moltke could be at risk
The opening battlecruiser exchange produced roughly forty-four German hits to seventeen British hits, and German shells were also much more likely to function after impact.