At 3.30 Beatty and Hipper discovered each other's battle cruiser forces. Hipper turned about and headed on a southerly course to lead the British toward the advancing main fleet. Beatty also turned, forming his battle cruisers on a line of bearing to clear the smoke, and the two forces approached each other on converging courses as indicated in the diagram. At this point it is worth while to compare the two battle cruiser forces:[1] BRITISH GERMAN Displace- Displace- Name Armor ment Guns Name Armor ment Guns Queen Mary 9" 26,350 8 13.5" Luetzow 13" 26,180 8 12" Lion 9" 26,350 8 13.5" Derfflinger 13" 26,180 8 12" Tiger 9" 28,500 8 13.5" Seydlitz 11" 24,610 10 11" Princess Royal 9" 28,350 8 13.5" Moltke 11" 22,640 10 11" Indefatigable 8" 18,800 8 12" VonderTann 10" 19,100 11" New Zealand 8" 18,800 8 12" ------- ------- 145,150 118,710 [Footnote 1: Table from Lieut. Comdr. H. H. Frost, U. S. N., _U. S. Naval Institute Proceedings_, Nov., 1919, p. 850.] A glance shows the superiority of the British in guns and the German superiority in armor. The British had six ships to the German five, and if the four new battleships of Evan-Thomas's division could be effectively brought into action, the British superiority in force would be reckoned as considerably more than two to one. These battleships had 13" armor, eight 15" guns each, and a speed of 25 knots. They were the most powerful ships afloat. [Illustration: TYPE OF BRITISH BATTLE CRUISER: THE LION From Jane, _Fighting Ships_, 1918 Normal displacement, 26,350 tons. Full load, 29,700. Length (w. l.). 675 feet. Beam, 88-1/2, feet. Mean draught, 27-2/3 feet. Max. draught, 31-2/3 feet. Length over all, 700 feet. Length, p. p., 660 feet. Guns: (P. R. 2--2 pdr. pom-pom) 8--13.5 inch (M. V.). Dir. Con. 5 M. G. (1 landing) 16--4 inch, 50 cal, Dir. Con. Torpedo tubes (21 inch): 2--3 inch (anti-aircraft) 2 submerged (broadside) 4--3 pdr.] In speed, Beatty had a marked advantage. He could make 29 knots with all six of his cruisers and 32 knots with his four best,--_Queen Mary, Tiger, Lion_, and _Princess Royal_. Hipper's squadron could make but 28 knots, though the _Luetzow_ and _Derfflinger_ were probably capable of 30.