The book is the most comprehensive study of the course of hostilities at sea during the initial period of the war and throughout 1914. Offering extensive material for study, the author reveals to the reader the appearance of England as a maritime power, the characteristic features of its strategy at sea, national traditions and features. In the book, prepared by order of the English Admiralty, the author uses rare documentary materials, secret correspondence of the British government, as well as unique testimonies of prisoners and eyewitnesses of events.