1st Battle Squadron

Battleship formation of the Royal Navy the German counterpart during World War I I Battle Squadron 1st Battle Squadron 250px The 1st Battle Squadron at sea, April 1915 1912–1945 United Kingdom United Kingdom Squadron 8 x Battleships Grand Fleet The 1st Battle Squadron was a naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 1st Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After World War I the Grand Fleet was reverted to its original name, the Atlantic Fleet. The squadron changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred. History First World War As an element in the Grand Fleet, the Squadron participated in the Battle of Jutland. August 1914 On 5 August 1914, the squadron was constituted as follows:Dittmar, F.J & Colledge J.J., British Warships 1914–1919 Ian Allan, London. 1972; 0-7110-0380-7 HMS Marlborough HMS Collingwood HMS Colossus HMS Hercules HMS Neptune HMS St. Vincent HMS Superb HMS Vanguard Battle of Jutland, June 1916 thumb|right|Revenge and Hercules en route to Jutland with the sixth division. During the Battle of Jutland, the composition of the 1st Battle Squadron was as follows:Macintyre, Donald. Jutland Evans Brothers Ltd. 1957; 0-330-20142-5 Sixth Division HMS Marlborough Flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Cecil Burney; Captain G. P. Ross; HMS Revenge Captain E. B. Kiddle; HMS Hercules Captain L. Clinton-Baker; HMS Agincourt Captain H. M. Doughty; Fifth Division HMS Colossus Flagship of Rear Admiral E. F. A. Gaunt; Captain A. D. P. R. Pound; HMS Collingwood Captain J. C. Ley; HMS St. Vincent Captain W. W. Fisher; HMS Neptune Captain V. H. G. Bernard; 1917 and 1918 thumb|HMS Revenge Following the Battle of Jutland, the 1st Battle Squadron was reorganized, with Colossus, Hercules, St. Vincent, Collingwood and Neptune all transferred to the 4th Battle Squadron. In January 1917, the squadron was constituted as follows:Dittmar, F.J & Colledge J.J., British Warships 1914–1919 Ian Allan, London. 1972; 0-7110-0380-7 pp20 HMS Marlborough HMS Agincourt HMS Benbow – joined July, 1916 HMS Canada HMS Emperor of India – joined July, 1916 HMS Revenge HMS Royal Oak – joined May, 1916 HMS Royal Sovereign – joined June, 1916 By 1918, Agincourt had been transferred to the 2nd Battle Squadron, and Resolution, Ramillies and Iron Duke had joined the squadron on completion.Dittmar, F.J & Colledge J.J., British Warships 1914–1919 Ian Allan, London. 1972; 0-7110-0380-7 pp24 Second World War For many years the squadron served in the Mediterranean as the main British battle force there. On 3 September 1939 the 1st Battle Squadron, serving in the Mediterranean Fleet, consisted of Barham, Warspite and Malaya, with headquarters at Alexandria, Egypt, under the command of Vice-Admiral Geoffrey Layton.Orbat.com/Niehorster, Mediterranean Fleet, 3 September 1939, accessed May 2008 In December 1943 the Squadron was under the command of Vice Admiral Arthur Power. In January 1944 the Eastern Fleet was reinforced by Queen Elizabeth 1913 6, Renown 1916 6, Valiant 1914 6, Illustrious 87 6, Unicorn I72 6 and seven destroyers. The Admiralty sent this force out to India under the title of the First Battle Squadron.The British Empire and the Second World War Jackson Ashley 2006 Continuum International Publishing Group 1-85285-417-0 301 From November 1944, the squadron served in the British Pacific Fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Henry Rawlings, who also served as Second-in-Command of the Fleet. It consisted of King George V 41 6, Howe 32 6, Duke of York 17 6 and Anson 79 6 at various times. Admirals commanding Commanders were as follows:http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf Royal Navy Senior Appointments 4 October 2014 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110711133321/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf 11 July 2011 Vice-Admiral Sir Stanley Colville (1912–14) Vice-Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly (June–December 1914) Admiral Sir Cecil Burney (1914–16) Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Madden (1916–19) Vice-Admiral Sir Sydney Fremantle (1919–21) Vice-Admiral Sir William Nicholson (1921–22) Vice-Admiral Sir Edwyn Alexander-Sinclair (1922–24) Rear-Admiral William Fisher (1924–25) Rear-Admiral Cecil Staveley (1925–26) Vice-Admiral Sir Michael Hodges (1926–27) Vice-Admiral Sir John Kelly (1927–29) Vice-Admiral Howard Kelly (1929–30) Vice-Admiral Sir William Fisher (1930–32) Vice-Admiral Sir Roger Backhouse (1932–34) Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Forbes (1934–36) Vice-Admiral Hugh Binney (1936–38) Rear-Admiral Ralph Leatham (1938–39) Vice-Admiral Geoffrey Layton (January–November 1939) Rear-Admiral Henry Pridham-Wippell (July–October 1940) Vice-Admiral John Tovey (October–December 1940) Rear-Admiral Bernard Rawlings (1940–41) Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Pridham-Wippell (1941–42) Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Power (1943–44) Vice-Admiral Sir Bernard Rawlings (1944–45) Rear-Admirals, Second-in-Command Post holders included:Harley Simon Lovell Tony First Battle Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/First_Battle_Squadron_(Royal_Navy)#Rear-Admirals.2C_Second-in-Command www.dreadnoughtproject.org Harley and Lovell, 27 December 2016 15 February 2018 en Rear-Admiral Charles E. Madden, 5 January 1912 – 10 November 1912 Rear-Admiral The Hon. Somerset A. Gough-Calthorpe, 10 December 1912 – 10 December 1913 Rear-Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas, 10 December 1913 – 25 August 1915 Rear-Admiral Ernest Gaunt, 25 August 1915 – 12 June 1916 Rear-Admiral Alexander L. Duff, 12 June 1916 – 30 November 1916 Rear-Admiral Sir William C. M. Nicholson, 1 December 1916 – 20 March 1919 Rear-Admiral The Hon. Victor A. Stanley, 1 April 1919 – 1 April 1920 Rear-Admiral Henry M. Doughty, 24 March 1920 – 14 April 1921 Rear-Admiral Sir Rudolf W. Bentinck, 3 May 1921 – 3 May 1922 Rear-Admiral Arthur A. M. Duff, 3 May 1922 Rear-Admiral William A. H. Kelly, 3 May 1923 Rear-Admiral William H. D. Boyle, 3 May 1924 – 3 May 1924 Rear-Admiral William W. Fisher, 14 October 1924 – 7 September 1925 Rear-Admiral Cecil M. Staveley, 15 October 1925 – 1 October 1926 Rear-Admiral David T. Norris, 1 October 1926 Rear-Admiral Bernard St. G. Collard, 1 October 1927 Rear-Admiral William M. Kerr, 20 March 1928 – 5 April 1929 Rear-Admiral The Hon. Reginald A. R. P.-E.-E.-Drax, 12 April 1929 – 26 April 1930 Rear-Admiral Henry D. Pridham-Wippell, 8 May 1940 – 24 October, 1941 References External links First Battle Squadron at DreadnoughtProject.org Royal Navy History Composition of the Grand Fleet collapsed June 2017 Category:Battle squadrons of the Royal Navy Category:Ship squadrons of the Royal Navy in World War I Category:Squadrons of the Royal Navy in World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1912 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945