What was the largest naval battle of World War I?

The largest naval battle of World War I was the Battle of Jutland.

Fought from 31 May to 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Denmark’s Jutland Peninsula, the battle pitted Britain’s Grand Fleet against Germany’s High Seas Fleet. It was the only full-scale clash between the principal British and German battle fleets during the war and involved roughly 250 warships.

Germany hoped to lure out and destroy part of the larger British fleet, helping break Britain’s naval blockade. The British sought to contain Germany’s surface fleet and preserve control of the North Sea. Germany inflicted heavier ship and personnel losses, but the British fleet remained operational and the German High Seas Fleet largely stayed in port afterward.

Jutland is therefore often described as a tactical German success but a strategic British victory. Both sides claimed victory, and the result was officially inconclusive. It is also known as the Battle of the Skagerrak, especially in Germany and other continental European countries.