State of the art sonar technologies have finally revealed the location of a German flagship sunk by the Royal Navy almost a century ago. The final resting place of SMS Lützow, scuttled during the Battle of Jutland in 1916, was found by HMS Echo on a surveying voyage on the Cimbrian Peninsula off the coast of Denmark. Using advanced radar equipment, the ship was able to produce stunning 3D scans of SMS Lützow, Admiral Franz von Hipper's Flag n June, Echo used her state of the art sonar suite to produce an array of images from the Battle of Jutland and at the same time deployed a tidal gauge. It was only on her recent return to recover the tidal gauge that the ship's company opted to give their attempts to find the elusive Derfflinger Class Battle-cruiser one last try. And they were thankful that they did, as their attempts were rewarded with this hugely significant discovery. HMS Echo's Commanding Officer, Commander Phillip Newell, said: 'These images from Lützow will ensure the ship's final resting place is properly recognised as a war grave. 'They act as poignant remainder of the sacrifices made on both sides during the Great War.' The images of the Lützow have been provided to the UK Hydrographic Office in Taunton as well as to the National Museum of the Royal Navy. Cdr Newell added: 'While it's important to look to the past, HMS Echo's mission in the North Sea also sees her looking to the future. 'The tidal gauge, which has been in place for the past two months, has been providing invaluable data on tidal ranges in the area. 'This will add to the wealth of maritime data gathered by the Royal Navy to ensure safe navigation of the seas and protection of our nation's interests.' In 1916, von Poul was replaced by the far more aggressive Admiral Reinhardt von Scheer. He saw the damage the British blockade was doing to the German war effort, and decided to take action. His plan was to lure the British fleet out of their bases and - by using submarines and surface boats - destroy them. In May, Scheer ordered Admiral von Hipper to sea with a fleet of 40 ships. Their instruction was to move along the Danish coast - news that quickly reached Royal Navy commander Admiral Jellicoe in Rosyth. He saw this movement of such a large force as a provocative move and ordered the Grand Fleet to put to sea. The Battle of Jutland started on May 31. On that afternoon, the Navy - led by Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty's battle- cruiser squadrons - encountered Hipper's battle-cruiser force long before the Germans had expected. A running battle ensued, which culminated with the British vanguard being drawn into the path of the High Seas Fleet. Retreating, the fleet lost two battle-cruisers from their force of seven and four battleships. The battleships, commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas, were the last to turn and formed a rearguard as Beatty withdrew, now drawing the German fleet in pursuit towards the main British positions. As the battle grew, the two fleets – totalling 250 ships between them – directly engaged twice. Fourteen British and eleven German ships were sunk, with great loss of life; more than 6,000 on the side of the Royal Navy and 2,500 Germans.

• published: 02 Sep 2015
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