Denmark's preparations could not guarantee that Niels Juel would escape once Germany moved against the fleet. The criticism here is that its departure order came too late despite warning of the German preparations. An order the previous night might have allowed the ship to slip into the Baltic under cover of darkness. With a maximum speed when new of 14.5 knots and a usual cruising speed around nine knots, it lacked the speed to escape readily in daylight. The proposal leaves the outcome uncertain even with an earlier departure.
Notable Point · 1:19:24-1:20:31
Why Niels Juel needed an earlier night departure
An earlier sailing order could have offered darkness as protection for a ship too slow to escape easily in daylight.