Late on the night of March 20, Scapa Flow blazed with lights. Huge searchlights turned the entire anchorage bright as day. Inspired to courage by Admiral John Jellicoe's speech, the officers and sailors of the Royal Navy steered their warships out through the channels of Scapa Flow in orderly succession and into the North Sea.
Although the Royal Navy now possessed fewer Capital Ships than the German Navy, and the performance of its individual vessels was even less comparable to that of the German Navy, they still believed they could win this naval battle.
The ships of the Royal Navy Grand Fleet had been reorganized. The Battleships were divided into several Battleship Squadrons: the 1st Battleship Squadron, composed of five Revenge-class Battleships; the 2nd Battleship Squadron, composed of three Queen Elizabeth-class Battleships; and the 3rd Battleship Squadron, composed of the Battleship HMS King George V and three Orion-class Battleships. The second Colossus-class Battleship, HMS Hercules, together with HMS Agincourt, HMS Ireland, and HMS Canada, formed the 4th Battleship Squadron. The 5th Battleship Squadron, stationed at Wick, consisted of three St. Vincent-class Battleships and three Bellerophon-class Battleships. The remaining six Battlecruisers formed the Battlecruiser Squadron.
Besides these Capital Ships, the Royal Navy had also deployed large numbers of cruisers and destroyers, bringing the fleet's total strength to more than 150 vessels—around thirty more than the German High Seas Fleet.
Of course, no matter how numerous these small and medium warships were, they could hardly have a fundamental impact on the course of the battle. What would truly decide the outcome of the naval engagement was the clash between the Capital Ships. That was what mattered most.
"Admiral Beatty, lead the Battlecruiser Squadron out first. Stop the German Battlecruiser Squadron from attacking our coastal cities again. If possible, defeat them," Admiral John