"Moltke", and the rest of Hipper's battlecruisers in I Scouting Group, lay anchored in the outer Jade Roads on the night of 30 May 1916. The following morning, at 02:00 CEST, the ships slowly steamed out towards the Skagerrak at a speed of . "Moltke" was the fourth ship in the line of five, ahead of "Von der Tann", and to the rear of "Seydlitz". The II Scouting Group, consisting of the light cruisers , Rear Admiral Boedicker's flagship, , , and "Elbing", and 30 torpedo boats of the II, VI, and IX Flotillas, accompanied Hipper's battlecruisers.