HMS Ajax

[Paul Richard McLellan]

Hi, just signed up and eager to get started!  My grandfather was aboard HMS Ajax at the Battle of Jutland. From what I can gather Ajax was part of the Second Battle Squadron, but had only a peripheral role in the battle. Where is the best place to find more information about the role she played? 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Allan1892]

From https://www.hmsajax.org/

 

HMS AJAX V1
The sixth HMS Ajax was a King George V-class battleship built at Greenock on the River Clyde. She was launched on 21 March 1912 and commissioned 31 October 1913
The guns fired a shell weighing 1,400 pounds, and the maximum rate of fire was two rounds per gun per minute
23,400 tons; length 598ft; beam 89ft. Armament: 10x 13.5” and 16x 4” guns + 3x 21” torpedo tubes. Armour up to 12” thick. 4 steam turbine engines producing 31,000hp. Complement of 900 men.
3100 tons coal & 840 tons oil gave a maximum range of 6310 nm.
31 May 1916 Battle honours at Battle of Jutland.
Ajax was present and decorated at the Battle of Jutland. Although HMS AJAX was in the thick of the action at Jutland, because of her position in the fleet she was not able to successfully fire on the enemy. Several shells were fired by the Ajax but without known results. However, the ship was hit several times by German shells and hot flying shrapnel seriously wounding several sailors. There were 'officially' no casualties in the ship as all the wounded bravely stayed at their posts having been bandaged up by other crew members and the medical teams.
BATTLE OF JUTLAND 
On 31st May 1916 a huge fleet of British and German warships engaged in the North Sea, about 100 kms off the west coast of Denmark's Jutland Peninsula creating the largest naval battle in history. 150 British warships took on 99 German ones and although Britain lost more ships (14 and over 6000 lives lost) compared to Germany (9 ships and 2500 lost) the German fleet was never again to be in a position to put to sea and challenge the British Navy in the North Sea.
Ajax was broken up December 1926 at Rosyth.

[sotonmate]

https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/community/2925

[gareth morris]

Try the German & British track charts available here. 
 

https://www.jutland1916.com/maps/