Action off Lerwick

Action off Lerwick
Part of The First World War
SMS Bremse, a Brummer-class cruiser, probably on the way to internment at Scapa Flow in 1918
Date 17 October 1917 Location North Sea, off Lerwick, Shetland Islands 60°09′18″N 01°08′42″E / 60.15500°N 1.14500°E / 60.15500; 1.14500 Result German victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Charles Fox  † Edward Brooke	Max Leonhardi Siegfried Westerkamp
Strength
2 destroyers 2 naval trawlers 12 merchant ships	2 light cruisers
Casualties and losses
Killed: 135 RN 36 neutral mariners Sunk: 9 freighters 2 destroyers
class=notpageimage| Action off Lerwick

The action off Lerwick (/ˈlɛrɪk/, "Lerrick") was a naval engagement on 17 October 1917 fought in the North Sea during the First World War. The German light, minelaying cruisers SMS Brummer and Bremse attacked a westbound convoy of twelve colliers and other merchant ships and their escorts, part of the regular Scandinavian convoy. The two escorting destroyers and nine neutral Scandinavian ships were sunk off Shetland, Scotland.

Admiralty code breakers had uncovered the call signs of Bremse and Brummer and by direction finding knew that they had sailed from Wilhelmshaven to Lister Tief (Lister Deep) north of Sylt but an operation as far north as the Scandinavian convoy collier route was not anticipated by the British naval commanders because the Admiralty failed promptly to pass on the information.

Both of the British destroyer commanders were commended for their bravery, though some members of the Admiralty felt that by leaving the convoy to engage a superior enemy force, they had left the merchant ships open to attack. Other British ships did not receive reports of the attack until late afternoon, were not in a position to intercept and the German cruisers returned safely to port. The British called the attack on neutral vessels, giving no time for the crews to abandon ship, an outrage.

The Germans denied allegations that their ships had fired on survivors in the water, despite the evidence of gunshot wounds to some crewmembers. Admiral David Beatty, the commander-in-chief of the Grand Fleet, severely criticised the Admiralty for failing to pass on information derived from the code-breakers of Room 40.