The strike at Heligoland Bight was not intended to seriously hurt the German fleet. Rather, it was intended to distract Germany from the landing of marines at Ostend in Belgium. Catching the German fleet completely by surprise in its own port, German light cruisers engaged the Royal Navy without proper cover. The Germans lost 3 light cruisers and a destroyer, as well as more than 1,000 men. In great contrast, the British lost only 75 men and sustained few damages; no British boats were sunk. This was obviously a win for the British and would likely have encouraged future naval actions like it. However, Heligoland Bight was the only such action of World War I.

Though Jellicoe's forces met few German ships in their time in the North Sea, the threat of German U-Boats had become a serious one. U-boats threatened not only military ships, but merchant ships carrying everything...
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