The dynamics of the Allied blockade, the ongoing escalation of German actions leading to the Battle of Jutland and the decision by the Germans to turn again to unrestricted submarine warfare as a means to end the war made 1916 the most pivotal year of the First World War for war at sea. These actions occurred against the backdrop of horrific campaigns on land—and the mounting sense of frustration by naval officers with the war they had, not the one they wanted.
