Annual Manoeuvres of 1896

The Royal Navy's Annual Manoeuvres of 1896 were conducted in the summer of 1896.

Order of Battle

The following ships participated in the exercise.

The Reserve Fleet would assemble at Plymouth Sound under the command of Vice-Admiral EH Seymour with Rear-Admiral AK WIlson as second-in-command.

Devonport

Battleships to be brought to full complement:

• Benbow Captain Eustace Rooke
• Colossus Captain Edward Henry Meggs Davis
• Devastation Captain William Metcalfe Lang
• Dreadnought Captain Anson Schomberg
• Thunderer Captain Herbert William Summer Gibson

Cruisers:

• Forth Captain Edward Henry Bayly (commissioned 8 July)
• Pearl Captain George Morris Henderson (ditto)
• Phaeton Charles James Norcock (ditto)
• Sirius Captain Robert Archibald James Montgomerie (ditto)
• Melampus Captain Charles Philip Giffin Hicks (to be brought up to full complement)

Gunboats:

• Harrier Commander Henry Loftus Tottenham (commissioned 8 July)
• Hazard Lieutenant & Commander Ernest Charles Thomas Troubridge (ditto)
• Hussar Commander Charles Goodhart May (ditto)
• Antelope Lieutenant & Commander Joseph Ridgway Bridson (ditto)
• Spider Lieutenant & Commander Alfred Whitehouse (in commission; to be re-commissioned)
• Curlew Commander James Pipon Montgomery (ditto)
• Renard Lieutenant & Commander George Alexander Ballard (to be brought up to full complement)
• Jason Lieutenant & Commander Arthur Gwyn Moreton Meredyth (ditto)
• Sharpshooter Commander Arthur Dodgson (ditto)

Torpedo Boat Destroyers to be brought to full complement:

• Banshee
• Ferret
• Lynx
• Opossum

Torpedo-boats to be commission on 8 July:

• T.B. 52 Acting Sub-lieutenant in Command "D. T. Morris" (I cannot identify this man)
• T.B. 55 Acting Sub-lieutenant in Command Walter Hose
• T.B. 57 Acting Sub-lieutenant in Command Henry George Robinson Bevan
• T.B. 58 Sub-lieutenant in Command Gerald Ducat
• T.B. 85 Lieutenant & Commander Sydney Stewart Hall
• T.B. 87 Lieutenant & Commander Charles Lionel Vaughan-Lee

Portsmouth

Battleships:

• Sultan (commissioned on 8 July)
• Alexandra Captain William Harvey Pigott (brought up to full strength)
• Edinburgh Captain John Robert Ebenezer Pattisson (brought up to full strength)

Cruisers:

• Iphigenia (commissioned 8 July)
• Indefatigable (commissioned 8 July)
• Latona (commissioned 8 July)
• Naiad (commissioned 8 July)
• Iris (commissioned 8 July)
• Melpomene (commissioned 8 July)
• Australia Captain William Alison Dyke Acland (brought up to full strength)

Gunboats:

• Niger Lieutenant & Commander Edmund Moore Cooper Cooper-Key (brought up to full strength)
• Leda Lieutenant & Commander Hubert Grant-Dalton (brought up to full strength)
• Spanker (brought up to full strength)
• Seagull (brought up to full strength)

Torpedo Boat Destroyers:

• Havock (commissioned 8 July)
• Hasty (commissioned 8 July)
• Boxer (brought up to full strength)
• Bruizer (brought up to full strength)
• Daring (brought up to full strength)
• Hart (brought up to full strength)

Torpedo-boats:

• T.B. 50 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 59 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 60 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 66 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 71 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 76 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 77 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 79 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 83 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 84 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 94 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 95 (commissioned 8 July)

Chatham

Battleships:

• Sans Pareil Captain James Lacon Hammet (brought up to full strength)

Cruisers:

• Apollo Captain Alvin Coote Corry (commissioned 8 July)
• Severn Captain John Leslie Burr (commissioned 8 July)
• Andromache Captain Archibald James Pocklington (commissioned 8 July)
• Thetis Captain Daniel McNab Riddel (commissioned 8 July)
• Brilliant Captain Francis George Kirby (commissioned 8 July)
• Tribune Captain George Northmore Arthur Pollard (commissioned 8 July)
• Terpsichore Captain Herbert Arthur Walton Onslow (commissioned 8 July)
• Mersey Captain George William Hill (brought up to full strength)
• Galatea Captain Basil Edward Cochrane (brought up to full strength)

Gunboats:

• Alarm Lieutenant & Commander Murray Thomas Parks (commissioned 8 July)
• Jaseur Captain George William Gubbins (commissioned 8 July)
• Landrail Commander Rowland Edward Berkeley (brought up to full strength)
• Onyx Lieutenant & Commander William Barrington May (brought up to full strength)
• Circe Lieutenant & Commander Francis Charles Bathurst Addington (brought up to full strength)

Torpedo Boat Destroyers:

• Porcupine Lieutenant & Commander George Ellis Cave (commissioned 8 July)
• Janus Lieutenant & Commander Rowland Nugent (brought up to full strength)
• Contest Lieutenant & Commander George Shadwell Quartano Carr (brought up to full strength)
• Dragon Commander William Fane De Salis (brought up to full strength)
• Snapper Lieutenant & Commander Algernon Eden Brooke Greville (brought up to full strength)

Torpedo-boats:

• T.B. 64 (was to be commissioned 8 July, but may have scratched)
• T.B. 65 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 67 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 68 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 73 (commissioned 8 July)
• T.B. 74 (commissioned 8 July)