Why Did Jellicoe Turn Away at the Battle of Jutland?

At the time the First World War, the British Grand Fleet was the most formidable naval force in the world. Commanded by Admiral John Jellicoe, the British Grand Fleet hoped to engage the German High Seas Fleet in a pitched battle, but at the same time, both sides were reluctant to commit themselves.

The Germans knew that they could not take on the much larger British Grand Fleet, while the British knew they had little to gain from a victory and everything to lose by a defeat. Victory over the German High Seas Fleet would not harm Germany