'Admiral Beatty's Battle Cruisers at Jutland'; with HMS 'Lion' leading, 31 May 1916, about 19.20 RMG PW2246

'Admiral Beatty's Battle Cruisers at Jutland'; with HMS 'Lion' leading, 31 May 1916, about 19.20
This is a view from fine on the port bow of the British Battlecruiser Force, led by Admiral Beatty's flagship 'Lion' and followed by the 'Princess Royal', 'Tiger 'and 'New Zealand', steaming approximately north-north-east towards the Grand Fleet at about 19.20 on 31 May 1916, while engaging the German High Seas Fleet. On the left is the armoured cruiser 'Defence' heading south-south-west to engage the German light cruiser 'Wiesbaden'. Her consort, the armoured cruiser 'Warrior', is following and in the background on the left is possibly the armoured cruiser 'Black Prince' whose movements at this time cannot be ascertained with any certainty. Though not marked it appears to be a proof print, or at least one on which Wyllie has done further wash work on the shell splashes. Another slightly more worked-up impression of the plate was reproduced as a half-tone illustration in his co-authored book 'More Sea Fights of the Great War' (1919), f. p. 124, with the printed title quoted above, and as the fifth in his sequence on Jutland there. Under the reproduction the ships (excluding 'Black Prince') are identified left to right as: 'Defence', 'Warrior', 'Lion' 'Princess Royal', 'Tiger', 'New Zealand', 'Barham', 'Warspite', 'Valiant' and 'Malaya' (the last four being battleships). PAF1878 is a preliminary drawing for this etching and PAF0915, PAF0916 and PAF0917 are different views of the same event.