By James Goldrick

Reviewed by Devin Poore, February 2020
 

Starting in chapter one, the author gives an account of where the major navies involved in the war stand at the close of the battle. Focus here is mostly on the British and German navies, for obvious reasons, but Russia and others involved in the conflict are covered as well. The author sets the stage by telling of the daily life in each of the navies. Challenges with discipline, recreation, and general shipboard life are covered, with emphasis on the differences in the way different countries, especially Germany and Great Britain, dealt with how to berth, supply, and entertain the thousands of sailors necessary to run warships. Particular note is made of the many civilian benevolent societies in Britain that donated time and goods to the British fleet, everything from donating food such as potatoes, raising money to purchase athletic equipment and fruit for the enlisted sailors, and establishing relief organizations to help care for wounded sailors, and the families of those killed in action. 

The chapter Operational Challenges details just that, the challenges that the navies continually encountered, as warfare changed on a day-to-day basis. Everything is covered: navigation, gunnery, engineering, signals and radio, as well as the burgeoning and very necessary aspect of anti-submarine warfare. Lesson's learned are documented, such as removal of the highly unsuccessful torpedo nets from capital ships, and how considerations were necessary for existing destroyers and new construction, to account for the massive addition of top-side weight, brought about by increased anti-submarine and anti-air warfare weaponry. The new battlefield of the air is also covered, with the author touching on everything from dirigible and zeppelin reconnaissance and attacks, fighters launched from ship-towed lighters, the first seaplane torpedo attacks in history, and the first construction and deployments of aircraft carriers. 

With these basics established, Goldrick spends the rest of the book describing how the fleets involved in the war stand immediately post-Jutland, and what comes afterwards. Accounts of fleet dispersions, damaged warships making their way to port, and how shipbuilding is immediately changed by lessons learned at Jutland. Brief mention is also made of navies not directly involved in the battle, such as the Russians and United States fleets, and their application of what data they could glean from the encounter. 

The Battle of Jutland concluded on June 1, 1916, leaving over two years remaining in the conflict, and After Jutland covers everything in that time span. While the sorties of the major units of the British and German fleets are covered, most of the actions of that period involved minor units, and most of tehse are related as well. Much coverage is given to mine warfare, how mine fields were laid, swept, and combat that occurred around those activities. Combat operations on the Russian front are also covered, as well as the United States' entry into the war and its fleet's integration with the Royal Navy. As per the title, though, the focus of the book is mostly on North European waters, so little or no mention is given to other theaters such as the Pacific, Mediterranean, or other locations.

The book also gives a lot of attention to anti-submarine warfare, both in how both sides used it offensively, and how they worked to defend against it. While much of the thought given to combating submarine warfare is often thought of in regards to depth charges, rudimentary sonar, and other detection and destruction methods, the most effective defense against submarine attack turned out to be the convoy system. Ample description is given to the discussions of the arguments for and against the convoy system, and its eventual implementation that made it the most effective method for reducing shipping losses later in the war.

After Jutland does contain photos, but only 32 in the book's over 300 pages. Those included are of high quality. 32 maps are also included throughout the text; these are quite useful where provided, but I'm the type that can never have enough maps in any military history book, and I found myself continually referring to other sources to gain my bearings as to where described actions took place.
 

There's a lot of detail in After Jutland. I'm still trying to process it all. While there isn't a lot for the modeler looking to super-detail a specific ship, this is a title that will be a great reference for those doing a deep-dive of late WWI naval history, with the details in the book giving new insight to the most minute aspects of daily operations.

Highly recommended for the hard-core operational enthusiasts.