ONE of the greatest sea battles in history is to be commemorated in Hartlepool next month.

Managers at The National Museum of the Royal Navy have a partnership with The Museum of Hartlepool's Maritime Experience, and both institutions will co-host an exhibition about The Battle of Jutland 100 years on.

The new exhibition will explores the role communities in the North-East played in the 1916 battle using artefacts, models and interactive family activities from May 21 to September 18. Entry will be free.

The battle, which took place on May 31, 1916, cost of the lives of more than 8,000 men, both British and German. It lasted just 36 hours but its impact on the First World War was significant and helped Britain win the war. The biggest naval battle of the First World War effectively secured Britain’s naval blockade of Germany, forcing Germany to fight on in the face of hunger and raw material shortages.

Both sides claimed victory but whilst the Germans lost fewer ships, after the battle the British could put as many as 24 dreadnoughts to sea, in comparison to Germany’s ten ships fit to fight. The Germans failed to significantly challenge the British again at sea throughout the rest of the war.

A spokesman for the National Museum of the Royal Navy said: "Our unique collections, made up of the everyday and the exceptional, reveal stories of people, places, ideas and events. Using these, we tell vivid personal stories and create powerful physical experiences across our five museums that reflect the realities of war as both a destructive and creative force. We challenge people to look at conflict from different perspectives, enriching their understanding of the causes, course and consequences of war and its impact on people’s lives."