theguardian.com – On land and sea the centenary of a misty night that changed the course of the first world war – its only major naval engagement but one that claimed nearly 9,000 lives – has been marked at many of the sites associated with the Battle of Jutland, and the men and ships that fought in it.

At St Magnus Cathedral in Orkney, descendants of the crews were joined by the prime minister, David Cameron, the first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, the German president, Joachim Gauck, along with the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and representatives of Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Malta, New Zealand and South Africa.