Grand Fleet

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Grand Fleet


caption=Grand Fleet battleships
dates=1914-1918
country=UK
allegiance=British Empire
branch=Royal Navy
type=Naval Fleet
role=
size=151 ships
command_structure=
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=Jutland
notable_commanders=John Jellicoe, David Beatty
anniversaries=

The Grand Fleet was a fleet of the British Royal Navy during the First World War.

History

It was formed in 1914 by the British Atlantic Fleet combined with the Home Fleet and it included 35-40 state-of-the-art capital ships. 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 was based in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.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.

After the war the Grand Fleet was disbanded with much of its strength forming a new Atlantic Fleet.

Order of battle

The Grand Fleet's order of battle in May 1916 was:

Battle fleet

1st Battle Squadron

*1st Division
**"Iron Duke" - Captain Frederic Dreyer, Admiral 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'Eath, Rear-Admiral Heath
*"Hampshire" - Captain Savill
*"Cochrane" - Captain Leatham
*"Shannon" - Captain J. S. Dumaresq

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" - flotilla leader
*"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 Battle Cruiser Force

Known before late 1916 as the Battle Cruiser 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" - (absent from the Battle of Jutland)
*New "Zealand" - Captain Green, Rear-Admiral Pakenham
*"Indefatigable" - Captain Sowerby

3rd Battlecruiser Squadron

*"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

eaplane 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

* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/grandfleet.htm The Grand Fleet]
* [http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3940 Royal Navy History]