Lion's radio loss turns Beatty's flags into a fatal ambiguity

With Lion's generators disabled, Beatty could no longer use radio and had to rely on flag hoists. He first ordered a 90-degree turn to port after interpreting something as a submarine or torpedo threat, although it may have been a British periscope or a torpedo fired earlier by the German destroyer V5. The light forces were still trying to enter the action, but both senior commanders had done little to exploit their destroyers. Beatty then reduced the turn to a 45-degree course northeast and simultaneously hoisted an order to engage the enemy's rear. Because simultaneous hoists read as one instruction, the following ships concentrated on Blücher instead of continuing after Hipper's battlecruisers. Naval flag signals had to be displayed and hauled down in sequence, so flying the two together changed their meaning. Responsibility did not end with the flag lieutenant: Beatty had selected an insufficiently trained staff and remained responsible for its performance.