Second Battle Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)
History
In early 1912, it had been announced by the Board of Admiralty under Winston S. Churchill, the First Lord, that the battleship squadron then on the Mediterranean Station would be reduced from six to four pre-dreadnoughts, and moved from Malta to Gibraltar as the Fourth Battle Squadron of the Home Fleets. The Atlantic Fleet, previously based on Gibraltar, would become the Third Battle Squadron based on Portland. A cruiser squadron was to be left at Malta. These changes took effect on 1 May, 1912. This redeployment of forces towards the British Isles was seen by many in government, the military, and in public, as an abandonment of the Mediterranean to the Triple Alliance of Imperial Germany, the Kingdom of Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After much negotiation, it was decided by the British Cabinet in July that the forces based on Malta would be composed of four battle cruisers and four armoured cruisers.[1]
In October, 1912, the Third Battle Squadron was sent to the Mediterranean for a protracted temporary period, and the First Lord announced that the four battle cruisers previously promised would not join the Mediterranean Fleet until the following July.[2] In January, 1913, the battle cruisers were designated as the Second Battle Cruiser Squadron.[3] When asked in June in the House of Commons how many battle cruisers had been sent to the Mediterranean, the First Lord replied:
Delays in the completion of the "Princess Royal" and the "Queen Mary," and the temporary absence of the "New Zealand," have somewhat retarded the formation of the Second Battle Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean. The "Inflexible" alone is there at present, the place of her consorts being temporarily filled, and more than filled, by five battleships of the "King Edward VII" class.[4]
On 19 February, 1914, it was announced that Rear-Admiral A. Gordon H. W. Moore would assume command of Second Battle Cruiser Squadron.[5] His appointment was dated 1 September, but with the outbreak of war he hoisted his flag in Invincible on 12 August. Later in the month his flag was joined by Inflexible and New Zealand, forming the Second Battle Cruiser Squadron, or "Cruiser Force K." The squadron was abolished from 4 November to 17 January, 1915, when Invincible and Inflexible were detached for service under Vice-Admiral F. C. Doveton Sturdee [for the Falkland Islands]. In the interim, Moore, with his flag in New Zealand served as Second-in-Command of Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty's First Battle Cruiser Squadron.[6]
Rear-Admirals Commanding
Dates of appointment given:
- Rear-Admiral Sir A. Gordon H. W. Moore, 12 August, 1914, 17 January, 1915.[7]
- Vice-Admiral Sir George E. Patey, 8 February, 1915.[8]
- Rear-Admiral William C. Pakenham, 7 March, 1915.[9]
- Rear-Admiral Arthur C. Leveson, 1 December, 1916.[10]
- Rear-Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, 1 September, 1918.[11]
Footnotes
- ↑ This section is based on Marder. From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow. I. pp. 287-298; Lambert. Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution. pp. 252-261.
- ↑ HC Deb 10 October 1912 vol 42 c506.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 13 January, 1913. Issue 40107, col B, pg. 11.
- ↑ HC Deb 02 June 1913 vol 53 c564.
- ↑ "Naval Promotions" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 19 February, 1914. Issue 40451, col F, pg. 6.
- ↑ Moore Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 64.
- ↑ Moore Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 64.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List (March, 1915). f. 6.
- ↑ "Squadrons and Senior Naval Officers in Existence on 11th November, 1918, and Which Have Now Ceased to Exist." The National Archives. ADM 6/461. f. 10.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
Bibliography
| British Battle Cruiser Squadrons |
| First Battle Cruiser Squadron | Second Battle Cruiser Squadron | Third Battle Cruiser Squadron | Battle Cruiser Squadron |
