4th Battle Squadron#First World War
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= 4th Battle Squadron
|image=File:HMS Agincourt in the North Sea 1915.jpg
|caption=The ships of the 4th Battle Squadron, Benbow, Agincourt, Bellerophon, and Temeraire steaming in the North Sea, 1915.
|dates= 1912–30 March 1919; reformed
|country= {{flag|United Kingdom}}
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|branch= {{navy|United Kingdom}}
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|size= Squadron
|command_structure= Home Fleet
Grand Fleet
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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 (1912–14) and then the Grand Fleet after the outbreak of the First World War. The squadron changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.
August 1914
File:HMS Dreadnought 1906 H61017.jpg
On 5 August 1914, the squadron was constituted as follows:Dittmar & Colledge
- {{HMS|Agincourt|1913|6}}
- {{HMS|Bellerophon|1907|6}}
- {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|6}}
- {{HMS|Temeraire|1907|6}}
January 1915
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:MacIntyre
- Third Division
- {{HMS|Iron Duke|1912|6}}, fleet flagship of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe; Captain Frederic Dreyer;
- {{HMS|Royal Oak|08|6}}, Captain Crawford Maclachlan;
- {{HMS|Superb|1907|6}}, flagship of Rear Admiral A. L. Duff; Captain E. Hyde-Parker;
- {{HMS|Canada|1913|6}}, 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|1909|6}}, 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:Dittmar & Colledge p. 20.
- HMS Bellerophon
- HMS Temeraire
- HMS Vanguard
- HMS Superb
- {{HMS|Colossus|1910|6}}
- {{HMS|Hercules|1910|6}}
- {{HMS|Neptune|1909|6}}
- {{HMS|St. Vincent|1908|6}}
- {{HMS|Collingwood|1908|6}}
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.
Postwar
The squadron was dispersed in February 1919, appears to have been formally dissolved in March 1919, but then reformed.
In September 1920 Rear Admiral Richard Webb was posted to the Mediterranean as Rear-Admiral 4th Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet. He served there until 1922.{{cite web|url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf|title=Senior Royal Navy appointments|access-date=4 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315105247/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf|archive-date=15 March 2012}}
Admirals commanding
Post holders as follows:{{cite web|url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf |title=Senior Royal Navy appointments |access-date=4 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711133321/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2011 }}{{cite web|last1=Harley|first1=Simon|last2=Lovell|first2=Tony|title=Fourth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy) – The Dreadnought Project|url=http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Fourth_Battle_Squadron_(Royal_Navy)|website=www.dreadnoughtproject.org|publisher=Harley & Lovell, 1 August 2017|access-date=27 December 2017|language=en}}
| class="wikitable"
! !! Rank !! Flag !! Name !! Term !! Notes | |||||
| colspan="6" align="center" style="background:#dcdcfe;" | Admirals, Commanding, 4th Battle Squadron | |||||
| 1 | Vice-Admiral | 25px | Sir Sir Charles Briggs | 1 July 1912 – 1 July 1914 | |
| 2 | Vice-Admiral | 25px | Sir Douglas Gamble | 1 July 1914 – 7 February 1915 | |
| 3 | Admiral | 25px | Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee | 7 February 1915 – 13 February 1918 | |
| 4 | Vice-Admiral | 25px | Sir Montague Browning | 13 February 1918 – 3 December 1918 | |
| 5 | Rear-Admiral | 25px | Douglas R. L. Nicholson | 3 December 1918 – 1 February 1919 | temporary command |
| 6 | Vice-Admiral | 25px | Sir Montague Browning | 1 February 1919 – 1924 |
Rear-Admirals, Second-in-Command
| class="wikitable"
! !! Rank !! Flag !! Name !! Term !! Notes | |||||
| colspan="6" align="center" style="background:#dcdcfe;" | Rear-Admiral, in the 4th Battle Squadron | |||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | 25px | Alexander Duff | 22 October 1914 – 12 June 1916 | |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | 25px | Ernest F. A. Gaunt | 12 June 1916 – 23 June 1917 | |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | 25px | Roger J.B. Keyes | 23 June 1917 – 25 September 1917 | |
| 4 | Rear-Admiral | 25px | Douglas R. L. Nicholson | 22 September 1917 – 3 December 1918 | acting squadron commander |
| 5 | Rear-Admiral | 25px | Michael Culme-Seymour | 1 January 1919 – 1 September 1920 | |
| 6 | Rear-Admiral | 25px | Richard Webb | 1 September 1920 – 27 July 1922 | |
| 7 | Rear-Admiral | 25px | John D. Kelly | 27 July 1922 – June 1923 | |
| 8 | Rear-Admiral | 25px | Hugh D. Watson | 26 June 1923 – October 1924 |
Notes
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Fourth_Battle_Squadron_(Royal_Navy) Fourth Battle Squadron at DreadnoughtProject.org]
References
- {{cite book |last1=Dittmar |first1=Frederick J|last2=Colledge |first2=J. J. |title=British Warships 1914–1919|year=1972 |publisher=Ian Allan Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-0-7110-0380-4 |ref=Dittmar }}
- {{cite book |last1=MacIntyre |first1=Donald |title=Jutland |year=1957 |publisher=Evans Brothers |location=London |oclc=4676376 |ref=MacIntyre}}
{{Battle squadrons of the Royal Navy|state=collapsed}}
Category:Battle squadrons of the Royal Navy
Category:Military units and formations established in 1912
Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1924