4th Battle Squadron
| 4th Battle Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1912–24 |
| Country |
 |
| Branch |
 |
| Size | Squadron |
The 4th Battle Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 4th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During World War I the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet. The squadron changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.
History
First World War
August 1914
On 5 August 1914, the squadron was constituted as follows:[1]
January 1915
By January 1915, the composition had changed slightly:[1]
- HMS Agincourt
- HMS Bellerophon
- HMS Dreadnought
- HMS Temeraire
- HMS Benbow
- HMS Emperor of India
- HMS Erin
Battle of Jutland, June 1916
As an element in the Grand Fleet, the squadron participated in the Battle of Jutland. During the battle, the composition of the 4th Battle Squadron was as follows:[2]
- Third Division
- HMS Iron Duke, fleet flagship of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe; Captain Frederic Dreyer;
- HMS Royal Oak, Captain C. Maclachlan;
- HMS Superb, flagship of Rear Admiral A. L. Duff; Captain E. Hyde-Parker;
- HMS Canada, Captain W. C. M. Nicholson;
- Fourth Division
- HMS Benbow, flagship of Vice Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee; Captain H. W. Parker;
- HMS Bellerophon, Captain E. F. Bruen;
- HMS Temeraire, Captain E. V. Underhill;
- HMS Vanguard, Captain J. D. Dick;
January 1917
Following the Battle of Jutland, the 4th Battle Squadron was reorganized, with Colossus, Hercules, St. Vincent, Collingwood and Neptune all transferred from the 1st Battle Squadron. In January 1917, the squadron was constituted as follows:[3]
- HMS Bellerophon
- HMS Temeraire
- HMS Vanguard
- HMS Superb
- HMS Colossus
- HMS Hercules
- HMS Neptune
- HMS St. Vincent
- HMS Collingwood
After the loss of HMS Vanguard in July 1917, HMS Superb and HMS Temeraire were detached to the Mediterranean in 1918. HMS Dreadnought rejoined the squadron as flagship in March 1918.
Admirals commanding
Post holders as follows:[4][5]
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admirals, Commanding, 4th Battle Squadron | |||||
| 1 | Vice-Admiral |  | Sir Sir Charles Briggs | 1 July, 1912 - 1 July, 1914 | |
| 2 | Vice-Admiral | | Sir Douglas Gamble | 1 July, 1914 - 7 February, 1915 | |
| 3 | Admiral |  | Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee | 7 February, 1915 - 13 February, 1918 | |
| 4 | Vice-Admiral | | Sir Montague Browning | 13 February, 1918 - 3 December, 1918 | |
| 5 | Rear-Admiral |  | Douglas R. L. Nicholson | 3 December, 1918 - 1 February, 1919 | temporary command |
| 6 | Vice-Admiral | | Sir Montague Browning | 1 February, 1919 - 1924 | |
Rear-Admirals, second-in-command
Post holders as follows: [6]
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rear-Admiral, in the 4th Battle Squadron | |||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | | Alexander Duff | 22 October, 1914 - 12 June, 1916 | |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | | Ernest F. A. Gaunt | 12 June, 1916 - 23 June, 1917 | |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | | Roger J.B. Keyes | 23 June, 1917 - 25 September, 1917 | |
| 4 | Rear-Admiral | | Douglas R. L. Nicholson | 22 September, 1917 - 3 December, 1918 | acting CIC squadron |
| 5 | Rear-Admiral | | Michael Culme-Seymour | 1 January, 1919 - 1 September, 1920 | |
| 6 | Rear-Admiral | | Richard Webb | 1 September, 1920 - 27 July, 1922 | |
| 7 | Rear-Admiral | | John D. Kelly | 27 July, 1922 - June, 1923 | |
| 8 | Rear-Admiral | | Hugh D. Watson | 26 June, 1923 - October, 1924 | |
Notes
- 1 2 Dittmar & Colledge
- ↑ MacIntyre
- ↑ Dittmar & Colledge p. 20.
- ↑ "Senior Royal Navy appointments" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
- ↑ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Fourth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley & Lovell, 1 August 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ↑ Harley & Lovell, 2017