Grand Fleet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Grand Fleet | |
|---|---|
 Grand Fleet battleships |
|
| Active | 1914-1918 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
John Jellicoe, David Beatty |
During World War I, the British Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet and represented 35-40 state of the art navy vessels. It was initially commanded by Admiral Sir John Jellicoe. He was later succeeded by the commander of the Grand Fleet battlecruisers Admiral Sir David Beatty.
The Grand Fleet only took part in one fleet action during the war, the indecisive Battle of Jutland. More British ships were sunk than German, although the German High Seas Fleet was damaged to the extent that it was unable to put to sea for a number of months. Strategically, Jutland was a British victory because the British fleet retained control of the North Sea with no further challenge from the German Navy.
The Grand Fleet was based in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.
The Grand Fleet's order of battle in May 1916 was as follows:
[edit] The Grand Fleet
[edit] 1st Battle Squadron
- 1st Division
- Iron Duke - Captain Dreyer, Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Jellicoe
- Revenge - Captain Kiddle
- Hercules - Captain Bernard
- Agincourt - Captain Doughty
- 2nd Division
- Colossus - Captain Pound, Rear-Admiral Gaunt
- Collingwood - Captain Ley
- Neptune - Captain Bernard
- St Vincent - Captain Fisher
[edit] 2nd Battle Squadron
- 3rd Division
- King George V - Captain Field, Admiral Sturdee
- Ajax - Captain Baird
- Centurion - Captain Culme-Seymour
- Erin - Captain Stanley
- 4th Division
[edit] 4th Battle Squadron
- 7th Division
- Marlborough - Captain Ross, Vice-Admiral Burney
- Royal Oak - Captain MacLachlan
- Superb - Captain Hyde-Parker, Rear-Admiral Duff
- Canada - Captain Nicholson
- 8th Division
- Benbow - Captain Parker, Vice-Admiral Jerram
- Bellerophon - Captain Bellerophen
- Temeraire - Captain Underhill
- Vanguard - Captain Dick
[edit] 1st Cruiser Squadron
(Armoured Cruisers)
- Defence - Captain Ellis, Rear-Admiral Arbuthnot
- Warrior - Captain Molteno
- Duke of Edinburgh - Captain Blackett
- Black Prince - Captain Bonham
[edit] 2nd Cruiser Squadron
(Armoured Cruisers)
- Minotaur - Captain d'Aeth, Rear-Admiral Heath
- Hampshire - Captain Savill
- Cochrane - Captain Leatham
- Shannon - Captain Dumaresq
[edit] 4th Light Cruiser Squadron
- Calliope - Commodore Le Mesurier
- Constance - Captain Townsend
- Caroline - Captain Crooke
- Royalist - Captain Meade
- Comus - Captain Hotham
[edit] Attached Light Cruisers
- Active - Captain Withers
- Bellona - Captain Dutton
- Blanche - Captain Casement
- Boadicea - Captain Casement
- Canterbury - Captain Royds
- Chester - Captain Lawson
[edit] 4th Destroyer Flotilla
- Tipperary - Captain Wintour
- Acasta
- Achates
- Ambuscade
- Ardent
- Broke
- Christopher
- Contest
- Fortune
- Garland
- Hardy
- Midge
- Ophelia
- Owl
- Porpoise
- Shark
- Sparrowhawk
- Spitfire
- Unity
[edit] 11th Destroyer Flotilla
- Castor (Light Cruiser) - Commodore Hawksley
- Kempenfelt
- Magic
- Mandate
- Manners
- Marne
- Martial
- Michael
- Milbrook
- Minion
- Mons
- Moon
- Morning Star
- Mounsey
- Mystic
- Ossory
[edit] 12th Destroyer Flotilla
- Faulknor - Captain Stirling
- Maenad
- Marksman
- Marvel
- Mary Rose
- Menace
- Mindful
- Mischief
- Munster
- Narwhal
- Nessus
- Noble
- Nonsuch
- Obedient
- Onslaught
- Opal
[edit] Miscellaneous
- Abdiel (Minelayer)
- Oak (Destroyer tender)
[edit] The Battlecruiser Fleet
[edit] 1st Battlecruiser Squadron
- Lion - Captain Chatfield, Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty
- Princess Royal - Captain Cowan, Rear Admiral O de Brock
- Queen Mary - Captain Prowse
- Tiger - Captain Pelly
[edit] 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron
- New Zealand - Captain Green, Rear-Admiral Pakenham
- Indefatigable - Captain Sowerby
[edit] 3rd Battlecruiser Squadon
- Invincible - Captain Cay, Rear-Admiral Hood
- Inflexible - Captain Heaton-Ellis
- Indomitable - Captain Kennedy
[edit] 5th Battle Squadron
- Barham - Captain Craig, Rear-Admiral Evan-Thomas
- Valiant - Captain Woollcombe
- Warspite - Captain Philpotts
- Malaya - Captain Boyle
[edit] 1st Light Cruiser Squadron
- Galatea - Commodore Alexander-Sinclair
- Phaeton - Captain Cameron
- Inconstant - Captain Thesiger
- Cordelia - Captain Beamish
[edit] 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron
- Southampton - Commodore Goodenough
- Birmingham - Captain Duff
- Nottingham - Captain Miller
- Dublin - Captain Scott
[edit] 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron
- Falmouth - Captain Edwards, Rear-Admiral Napier
- Yarmouth - Captain Pratt
- Birkenhead - Captain Reeves
- Gloucester - Captain Blunt
[edit] Seaplane Carrier
- Engadine
[edit] 1st Destroyer Flotilla
- Fearless (Light Cruiser) - Captain Roper
- Acheron
- Ariel
- Attack
- Badger
- Defender
- Goshawk
- Hydra
- Lapwing
- Lizard
[edit] 9th and 10th Destroyer Flotillas (combined)
- Lydiard - Commander Goldsmith
- Landrail
- Laurel
- Liberty
- Moorsom
- Morris
- Termagant
- Turbulent
[edit] 13th Destroyer Flotilla
- Champion (Light Cruiser) - Captain Farie
- Moresby
- Narborough
- Nerissa
- Nestor
- Nicator
- Nomad
- Obdurate
- Onslow
- Pelican
- Petard
