One shell bursts against a joint between two eight-inch side-armour plates, buckling Markgraf's main deck and admitting about 400 tons of water. Two other hits fail to explode. In the counterfactual, shells that penetrate before detonating could cause much greater flooding and either sink the ship or severely reduce her speed. A dreadnought unable to keep up might have to be scuttled so that the fleet could escape without leaving her to capture. Lützow's eventual loss provides the comparison for that decision.
Notable Point · 2:08:51-2:10:18
Markgraf's flooding could slow the German retreat
Hits that historically caused limited flooding become a possible sinking or scuttling problem when the shells penetrate and explode properly.