five ships of the Minatour, Achilles, and Duke of Edinburgh classes
coming from the northeast, were encountered and apparently
surprised on account of the decreasing visibility of our battle
cruisers and leading battleship division. The squadron came under
a violent and heavy fire by which the small cruisers Defense and
Black Prince were sunk. The cruiser Warrior regained its own line a
wreck and later sank. Another small cruiser was damaged severely.

Two destroyers already had fallen victims to the attack of German
torpedo boats against the leading British battleships and a small
cruiser and two destroyers were damaged. The German battle cruisers
and leading battleship division had in these engagements come under
increased fire of the enemy's battleship squadron, which, shortly
after 8 o'clock, could be made out in the haze turning to the
north-eastward and finally to the east, Germans observed, amid the
artillery combat and shelling of great intensity, signs of the
effect of good shooting between 8.20 and 8.30 o'clock particularly.
Several officers on German ships observed that a battleship of the
Queen Elizabeth class blew up under conditions similar to that of
the Queen Mary. The Invincible sank after being hit severely. A
ship of the Iron Duke class had earlier received a torpedo hit, and
one of the Queen Elizabeth class was running around in a circle,
its steering apparatus apparently having been hit.

The Lützow was hit by at least fifteen heavy shells and was unable
to maintain its place in line. Vice Admiral Hipper, therefore,
transshipped to the Moltke on a torpedo boat and under a heavy
fire. The Derfflinger meantime took the lead temporarily. Parts of
the German torpedo flotilla attacked the enemy's main fleet and
heard detonations. In the action the Germans lost a torpedo boat.