re: #298 Decatur Deb

I like to use the Schleswig-Holstein simile, but only one other person understands it, and he’s dead.

You mean the battleship Schleswig-Holstein, correct. At Jutland she and her 5 sisters were called the “5 minute squadron” because that was how long they were expected to survive in action against the Grand Fleet. Despite this, they did successful divert the fire of Beatty’s Battle Cruiser Fleet at a critical moment, which allowed the crippled German BCs to escape. So, Schleswig-Holstein ended up playing a notable role (though she was hit in that engagement). For if Hipper’s battle cruisers had been sunk, then Jutland would have been reckoned a great British triumph.