The Helgoland, one of the ships that mutinied on the night of October 29.
October 29 1918, Wilhelmshaven–Scheer had decided, without informing the government or the Kaiser, to send his fleet out in one last attempt to take on the Grand Fleet. A victory could possibly prevent an armistice or give them better peace terms, but a more likely outcome was an annihilation of the outnumbered High Seas Fleet. Scheer and his officers were determined on this course, but the sailors of the High Seas Fleet, well aware that the war was likely near its end, had no desire for a “fight to the death” or a “suicide mission.” On October 29, the High Seas Fleet assembled outside of Wilhelmshaven, and it became obvious to everyone on board the ships that a major operation was soon to occur. Several hundred men quietly slipped off the ships as they were exiting port. Insubordination spread throughout the fleet; on the Markgraf, spontaneous cheering erupted for President Wilson.
Hipper called a final conference of his captains that evening; the captain of the Thuringen was delayed because the men on board his ship wanted to prevent him from leaving. By 10PM, after having heard of the extent of the disturbances, he decided that the fleet could not set sail the next morning, as planned. He still hoped, at the very least, to send out his destroyers, but overnight the disturbances spread to other ships and mutineers had seized control of the Thuringen and Helgoland. To keep the situation under control, Hipper decided to disperse his fleet to different ports, hoping that this would prevent the loss of his entire fleet to mutiny. The mutinies on the Thuringen and Helgoland were only dispersed after he turned his U-boats and destroyers on the mutinous vessels, threatening to sink them with torpedoes unless they surrendered.
