Fourth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)
The Fourth Battle Squadron was a formation of battleships in the Royal Navy.
History
The Fourth Battle Squadron was originally born out of the battleship force of the Mediterranean Fleet, which until Mid-1912 had traditionally been seen as the front-line active force in the Royal Navy. With the reforms announced by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill in March, 1912, the Mediterranean battleship Squadron eventually became the Fourth Battle Squadron of the First Fleet.
In minutes submitted and approved by the Board of Admiralty on 8 July, 1914, it had been decided that by April, 1917, the Fourth Battle Squadron would consist solely of eight Revenge class dreadnought battleships.[1]
Command of the Fourth Battle Squadron
The Vice-Admiral Commanding the Battle Squadron commanded one division. The Rear-Admiral Second-in-Command commanded the other division.
Vice-Admiral, Fourth Battle Squadron
Dates of appointment given:
- Vice-Admiral Sir Charles J. Briggs, 1 July, 1912.[2]
- Vice-Admiral Sir Douglas A. Gamble, 1 July, 1914.[3]
- Admiral Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee, Bart., 7 February, 1915.[4]
- Vice-Admiral Sir Montague E. Browning, 12 February, 1918.[5]
Rear-Admiral, Fourth Battle Squadron
Dates of appointment given:
- Rear-Admiral Alexander L. Duff, 22 October, 1914.[6]
- Rear-Admiral Ernest F. A. Gaunt, 12 June, 1916.[7]
- Rear-Admiral Roger J. B. Keyes, 23 June, 1917.[8]
- Rear-Admiral Douglas R. L. Nicholson, 25 September, 1917.[9]
Composition
May, 1912
- Exmouth (Flagship, Vice-Admiral C. J. Briggs), replaced 17 December, 1912 by Albemarle
- Duncan (Flagship, Rear-Admiral T. H. M. Jerram), Captain Frederick Laurence Field
- Cornwallis, Captain F. E. C. Ryan
- Russell, Captain G. W. Smith
- Commonwealth, Captain P. V. Lewes
In February, 1912 the battleships Africa and Hindustan of the Third Battle Squadron joined the Fourth temporarily.
December, 1912[10]
At a strength of just four pre-dreadnoughts, at this point the squadron was half the size of the majority of her peers.
December, 1913[11] Only Cornwallis remains from last year's edition. Duncan and Russell have been moved over to the Sixth Battle Squadron, while Dreadnought and the two most modern pre-dreadnoughts have been transferred in from other squadrons.
- Dreadnought
(joined from First Battle Squadron) - Agamemnon (joined from Second Battle Squadron)
- Lord Nelson (ditto)
- Cornwallis
July, 1914[12]
Attached: scout cruiser Blonde
5 August, 1914
At the outbreak of the First World War the Squadron was composed solely of 12-inch gunned dreadnoughts as follows.[13] The requisitioned battleship Agincourt was about to be commissioned and had already been earmarked for service in the Squadron. Agamemnon has been moved elsewhere.
- Dreadnought Vice-Admiral Sir Douglas A. Gamble, Captain W. J. S. Alderson
- Bellerophon, Captain E. F. Bruen
- Temeraire, Captain E. S. Alexander-Sinclair, M.V.O.
- Agincourt, Captain D. R. L. Nicholson, A.D.C.
At outbreak of war, the scout cruiser Blonde, Captain A. C. Scott was attached.[14]
January, 1915
By the start of 1915 the Squadron had been brought up to strength with the addition of powerful ships of the Iron Duke Class and the new battleship Erin. On 19 December, the Vice Admiral's flag was transferred to Benbow.[15]
- Dreadnought
- Bellerophon
- Temeraire
- Agincourt
- Erin - Joined after outbreak of war.
- Benbow - Joined October, 1914.
- Emperor of India - Joined November, 1914.
- Superb - Joined January, 1915.
Dreadnought had been relegated to use as a spare by May 16th or earlier, and Emperor of India had both gone into refit in May, and consequently missed the Battle of Jutland. Luckily, Royal Oak had become available for service.
- Third Division, Grand Fleet.
- Fourth Division, Grand Fleet.
12 June, 1916[16]
November, 1918[17]
Footnotes
- ↑ "Cruiser Squadron and Battle Squadron Programme." The National Archives. ADM 1/8383/179. p. 14.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 168.
- ↑ Gamble Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 507.
- ↑ Sturdee Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1256.
- ↑ Browning Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 309.
- ↑ Duff Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 80.
- ↑ Gaunt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 276.
- ↑ Keyes Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 291.
- ↑ Nicholson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 290.
- ↑ Handwritten notes in Albert Francis Barclay Bridges papers at The Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum. [BRG 1/1]
- ↑ Handwritten notes in Albert Francis Barclay Bridges papers at The Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum. [BRG 1/1]
- ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 109 of 10 July, 1914.
- ↑ Naval Operations. Volume I. p. 439.
- ↑ Naval Operations. Volume I. p. 439.
- ↑ Albert Francis Barclay Bridges diary at The Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum. [BRG 1/1]
- ↑ Grand Fleet Orders. "496. Reorganisation of Battle Squadrons." The National Archives. ADM 137/4052 p. 166.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List (November, 1918). p. 10.
Bibliography
- Corbett, Sir Julian S. (1920). Naval Operations. Volume I. London: Longmans, Green and Co..
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
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| Fifth Battle Squadron | Sixth Battle Squadron | Seventh Battle Squadron | Eighth Battle Squadron |
