(Redirected from British Grand Fleet)

Grand Fleet during WWI
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:
The Grand Fleet
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
2nd Battle Squadron
★ 3rd Division
★
★
''King George V'' - Captain Field, Admiral Sturdee
★
★
''Ajax'' - Captain Baird
★
★
''Centurion'' - Captain Culme-Seymour
★
★
''Erin'' - Captain Stanley
★ 4th Division
★
★
''Orion'' - Captain Backhouse, Rear-Admiral Leveson
★
★
''Monarch'' - Captain Borrett
★
★
''Conqueror'' - Captain Tothill
★
★
''Thunderer'' - Captain Fergusson
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 Edward F. Bruen
★
★
''Temeraire'' - Captain Underhill
★
★
''Vanguard'' - Captain Dick
1st Cruiser Squadron
(Armoured Cruisers)
★
''Defence'' - Captain Ellis, Rear-Admiral Arbuthnot
★
''Warrior'' - Captain Molteno
★
''Duke of Edinburgh'' - Captain Blackett
★
''Black Prince'' - Captain Bonham
2nd Cruiser Squadron
(Armoured Cruisers)
★
''Minotaur'' - Captain d'Aeth, Rear-Admiral Heath
★
''Hampshire'' - Captain Savill
★
''Cochrane'' - Rear Admiral Scott Martin
★
''Shannon'' - Captain Philip John Luke Andrew James Gary Dylan Montomery
4th Light Cruiser Squadron
★
''Calliope'' - Commodore Le Mesurier
★
''Constance'' - Captain Townsend
★
''Caroline'' - Captain Crooke
★
''Royalist'' - Captain Meade
★
''Comus'' - Captain Hotham
Attached Light Cruisers
★
''Active'' - Captain Withers
★
''Bellona'' - Captain Dutton
★
''Blanche'' - Captain Casement
★
''Boadicea'' - Captain Casement
★
''Canterbury'' - Captain Royds
★
''Chester'' - Captain Lawson
4th Destroyer Flotilla
★
''Tipperary'' - Captain Wintour
★
''Acasta''
★
''Achates''
★
''Ambuscade''
★
''Ardent''
★
''Broke''
★
''Christopher''
★
''Contest''
★
''Fortune''
★
''Garland''
★
''Hardy''
★
''Midge''
★
''Ophelia''
★
''Owl''
★
''Porpoise''
★
''Shark''
★
''Sparrowhawk''
★
''Spitfire''
★
''Unity''
11th Destroyer Flotilla
★
''Castor'' (Light Cruiser) - Commodore Hawksley
★
''Kempenfelt''
★
''Magic''
★
''Mandate''
★
''Manners''
★
''Marne''
★
''Martial''
★
''Michael''
★
''Milbrook''
★
''Minion''
★
''Mons''
★
''Morning Star''
★
''Mounsey''
★
''Mystic''
★
''Ossory''
12th Destroyer Flotilla
★
''Faulknor'' - Captain Stirling
★
''Maenad''
★
''Marksman''
★
''Marvel''
★
''Mary Rose''
★
''Menace''
★
''Mindful''
★
''Mischief''
★
''Munster''
★
''Narwhal''
★
''Nessus''
★
''Noble''
★
''Nonsuch''
★
''Obedient''
★
''Onslaught''
★
''Opal''
Miscellaneous
★
''Abdiel'' (Minelayer)
★
''Oak'' (Destroyer tender)
The Battlecruiser Fleet
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
2nd Battlecruiser Squadron
★
HMAS ''Australia'' -
★
New ''Zealand'' - Captain Green, Rear-Admiral Pakenham
★
''Indefatigable'' - Captain Sowerby
3rd Battlecruiser Squadon
★
''Invincible'' - Captain Cay, Rear-Admiral Hood
★
''Inflexible'' - Captain Heaton-Ellis
★
''Indomitable'' - Captain Kennedy
===
5th Battle Squadron===
★
''Barham'' - Captain Craig, Rear-Admiral Evan-Thomas
★
''Valiant'' - Captain Woollcombe
★
''Warspite'' - Captain Philpotts
★
''Malaya'' - Captain Boyle
1st Light Cruiser Squadron
★
''Galatea'' - Commodore Alexander-Sinclair
★
''Phaeton'' - Captain Cameron
★
''Inconstant'' - Captain Thesiger
★
''Cordelia'' - Captain Beamish
2nd Light Cruiser Squadron
★
''Southampton'' - Commodore Goodenough
★
''Birmingham'' - Captain Duff
★
''Nottingham'' - Captain Miller
★
''Dublin'' - Captain Scott
3rd Light Cruiser Squadron
★
''Falmouth'' - Captain Edwards, Rear-Admiral Napier
★
''Yarmouth'' - Captain Pratt
★
''Birkenhead'' - Captain Reeves
★
''Gloucester'' - Captain Blunt
Seaplane Carrier
★
''Engadine''
1st Destroyer Flotilla
★
''Fearless'' (Light Cruiser) - Captain Roper
★
''Acheron''
★
''Ariel''
★
''Attack''
★
''Badger''
★
''Defender''
★
''Goshawk''
★
''Hydra''
★
''Lapwing''
★
''Lizard''
9th and 10th Destroyer Flotillas (combined)
★
''Lydiard'' - Commander Goldsmith
★
''Landrail''
★
''Laurel''
★
''Liberty''
★
''Moorsom''
★
''Morris''
★
''Termagant''
★
''Turbulent''
13th Destroyer Flotilla
★
''Champion'' (Light Cruiser) - Captain Farie
★
''Moresby''
★
''Narbrough''
★
''Nerissa''
★
''Nestor''
★
''Nicator''
★
''Nomad''
★
''Obdurate''
★
''Onslow''
★
''Pelican''
★
''Petard''
External links
★
The Grand Fleet
★
Royal Navy History