LEADING historians involved in events to mark the centenary of the Battle of Jutland – dubbed the bloodiest in UK Naval history – claim the anniversary will allow them to prove once and for all that the battle was instrumental in winning the First World War.

Both sides claimed victory in the two-day battle, which was fought by the British Royal Navy under Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, against the German Navy in the North Sea, near the coast of Denmark's Jutland Peninsula. As the British lost 14 ships and over 6,000 lives, while Germany lost nine and sustained just over 2,500 casualties it was the Germans who were first thought to have triumphed, a claim hotly debated over the last 100 years.

But now historians involved in centenary events claim they have found evidence that the result of the battle, which prevented the UK naval blockade from being broken, was essential to the Allied victory in 1918.

Angus Konstam, a naval historian, will launch his book – Jutland 1916: Twelve Hours to Win the War – as part of the week-long commemoration events in Orkney, which includes a remembrance service on Tuesday at St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, exactly 100 years on.

He said: "It's actually a fascinating story. The job of Jellicoe was to maintain the status quo of ensuring the blockade was upheld and he was successful in meeting that criteria. It was the battle that won the war when you look the bigger picture. But the Germans sank more ships, killed more men and got their story out there first.

"It was also a battle with profound consequences. For the British, Jutland marked the end of the naval supremacy they had enjoyed for more than a century – a serious blow to the national psyche. For the Germans, their fleet failed to end Britain's economic stranglehold on Germany, and so their country was doomed to lose the war through starvation rather than by firepower. Jutland was a new kind of battle, for a new and terrifying industrial age."

Konstam also believes that Jellicoe, who was later vilified for mistakes made, was not to blame for the lives lost and claimed that his second-in-command, Admiral David Beatty, was largely responsible."Jellicoe got a pretty rough deal," he added. "In the research I have done he comes across as an honourable guy who didn't really make many mistakes. Beatty however doesn't come out so well. There was a lot of flash and style but he disregarded orders and failed to keep Jellicoe properly appraised of what was going on. The meant he [Jellicoe] was forced to command with very little information. I think we are beginning to see Jellicoe being rehabilitated."

A BBC documentary – The Navy’s Bloodiest Day presented by Dan Snow, engineer Shini Somara and naval historian Nick Hewitt – and screened this evening also backs his view.

Nick Hewitt, head of heritage development at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, interviewed Dr Mary Cox of Oxford University who has tracked down rare records which detail the malnutrition faced by German children during the blockade. Average heights of a six and seven year olds fell by 2cms in just two years.

Hewitt said: "One of the things that was a real eye opener was the effects that this blockade had on the heights and weights of children in Germany. It's really stark – children were starving. The blockade was a weapon waged against men, women and children. It was an age of total war and we judge our ancestors at our peril but it shows that it was a terrible but effective weapon.

"The brutality of the blockade is a vital contribution to winning the First World War. It's an important thing to reflect on and to get across to a modern audience."

Nigel Steel, historian at Imperial War Museums, also claimed the battle's strategic importance could not be overstated. He said: "Jellicoe delivered what was necessary. What he didn't deliver was the strapping victory that the public was looking for so he lost the PR war. But in terms of the strategic imperative he gave exactly what was required.

"We hope that part of this centenary will be able allowing the public to see beyond the football scores of the numbers of ships sunk and see the bigger picture of what Jellicoe intended to do."

Yesterday First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the Princess Royal and naval leaders joined Princess Anne and Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence at a service in Rosyth, Fife to remember those involved in the battle. A minute's silence was held, and wreathes laid. Sturgeon and other dignitaries later visited the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in South Queensferry where 40 casualties from the battle are commemorated or buried.

However Councillor Jim Foubister, vice convener of Orkney Islands Council, said it was fitting that Tuesdays memorial service – which will be attended by Prince Phillip and German president Joachim Gauck amongst others – was held on Orkney, close to the historic waters of Scapa Flow, where many lost their lives.

"There is a great sense of pride that our community is hosting the UK’s national commemoration of the Battle of Jutland," he added. "The presence of large numbers of servicemen has a huge impact on our community during the First World War and today there is great interest in remembering those times. Children in our schools have been focusing on project work looking at many aspects of the war, of Orkney’s role and the contributions of our forbearers. In this way we can help ensure that those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their countries are never forgotten."