Quote Originally Posted by King Kurt
The old ships aren't coming back! - the aim is to send them with skeleton crews to use their big guns to support the attack but then they will be scuttled in pinch points in the chanels serving the port to block access. The British actually did this to Zeebruge during WW1 and more famously with HMS Camperdown at St Nazarre during WW2 when it was used to block the only dry dock capable of taking the Turpitz on the Atlantic coast. The crews will be taken off by destroyer or light cruiser. Imagine the propaganda effect of blocking the Thames at Greenwich - a gamble but worth a shot.
How about combining this attack with a feint maneuver by the Dreadnoughts and most of the Hochseeflotte?

We could lure their larger capital ships away from the Thames Estuary by sailing towards north in force and seem to offer a battle over there. We should head north and not really keep it too secret, so that they will actually head to intercept us over there. Although a proper recon by the Zeppelins is a must during this operation, to ensure that we don't accidentally run into the Home Fleet. Also the men shouldn't be told the truth about the operation, before we've sailed from the port, to ensure maximum secrecy about the true role of the operation.

At the same time while most of the British capital ships are away pursuing the battleships, our strike force that is protected by our battlecruisers is heading to the Thames Estuary. The battlecruisers should be sufficient in handling most of the lighter forces situated around the area. This requires complete surprise and the plan should be kept a secret at all costs though, because total surprise is our best advantage in this plan.