Jellicoe's information problem involved conflicting reports and damaged trust. Southampton described the German fleet, while reports from Lion, Champion, and wireless direction finding placed it elsewhere. Jellicoe also knew that direction finding could be unreliable. The Admiralty had already damaged its credibility that morning by incorrectly indicating that Scheer was not at sea. A premature intelligence judgment had made later accurate reporting harder to trust just as the tactical situation was changing.
Notable Point · 5:04-8:59
Jutland reports and lost intelligence credibility
A Jutland passage follows Southampton reports, direction-finding fixes, and the Admiralty's earlier false signal about Scheer being at sea.