Difference between revisions of "Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy)"

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The Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla was a formation of destroyers of the Royal Navy first instituted in September, 1915.

History

In 1916, it was comprised of M class destroyers whose 104 torpedo test runs in the first half of that year proved 91% probable to endanger the enemy.^[1]

A photo in March claims to show ships of the flotilla some time in 1917. While Prince may be incorrectly identified as a member of the flotilla, that photo seems to show:^[2]

• Kempenfelt G.10 (flagship)
• Marne GO.5 (or G.05 per Dittmar/Colledge)
• Prince G.43
• Marmion
• Morning Star

September, 1915

The flotilla appears for the first time in the Supplement to the Monthly Navy List, becoming the fourth flotilla attached to the Grand Fleet. Its small initial size (a flotilla leader, seven "M" class destroyers, and a depot ship shared with the Second Destroyer Flotilla) augurs future growth. The ships all appear to be new in service, though Kempenfelt, Mandate and Michael were listed with a miscellaneous status in the August edition.^[3][4]

October, 1915

New destroyers Manners, Martial and Milbrook have brought the strength to a flotilla leader, ten "M" class destroyers, and a depot ship shared with the Second Destroyer Flotilla.^[5]

November, 1915

The newly completed H.M.S. Castor has come to act as flotilla cruiser. Mounsey, Mystic and Ossory arrive to bring the strength to a cruiser, a flotilla leader, thirteen "M" class destroyers, and a shared depot ship.^[6]

December, 1915

Magic and Minion arrive to bring the strength to a cruiser, a flotilla leader, fifteen "M" class destroyers, and a shared depot ship.^[7]

January, 1916

Musketeer joins to bring the strength to a cruiser, a flotilla leader, sixteen "M" class destroyers, and a shared depot ship.^[8]

This arrangement would apply until April, 1916.^[9]

April, 1916

Broke has joined to bring the strength to a cruiser, two flotilla leaders, sixteen "M" class destroyers, and a depot ship which appears to be now exclusively the Eleventh's.^[10]

May, 1916

Castor now bears Commodore (F) and Kempenfelt is designated as second-in-command. Broke has departed to become second-in-command of the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla.

Flotilla strength is now a cruiser, a flotilla leader, sixteen "M" class destroyers, and a depot ship.^[11]

The flotilla would emerge from the Battle of Jutland with some ships damaged but without loss, allowing this arrangement to apply until September, 1916.^[12]

Battle of Jutland

Main article: Eleventh D.F. (Royal Navy) at the Battle of Jutland

Only Marmion and Musketeer missed participating in the battle, giving the flotilla 14 "M" class destroyers and two leaders, organised as follows^[13] under the commanders given in the Official Despatches.^[14]

• light cruiser Castor, Commodore (F) James R. P. Hawksley
• flotilla leader Kempenfelt, Commander Harold E. Sulivan
  • Ossory, Commander Harold V. Dundas
  • Mystic, Commander Claud F. Allsup
  • Moon, Commander (Acting) William D. Irvin
  • Morning Star, Lieutenant-Commander Hugh U. Fletcher
  • Magic, Lieutenant-Commander Gerald C. Wynter
  • Mounsey, Lieutenant-Commander Ralph V. Eyre
  • Mandate, Lieutenant-Commander Edward McC. W. Lawrie
  • Marne, Lieutenant-Commander George B. Hartford
  • Minion, Lieutenant-Commander Henry C. Rawlings
  • Manners, Lieutenant-Commander Gerald C. Harrison
  • Michael, Lieutenant-Commander Claude L. Bate
  • Mons, Lieutenant-Commander Robert Makin
  • Martial, Lieutenant-Commander Julian Harrison
  • Milbrook, Lieutenant Charles G. Naylor

At 10.5 at night, the Eleventh was five miles from the Second Battle Squadron, bearing about Green 169 when it encountered the German battlecruisers. Castor, Marne and Magic exchanged fire at just 2,000 yards and each fired a torpedo and turned away to port. Castor lost her W/T and was unable to direct the flotilla to attack more generally. Compounding this, some destroyers worried that the battlecruisers were British.

Commander Harold Ernest Sulivan, commanding Kempenfelt in the battle, was mentioned in despatches on 15 September, 1916 for his leadership at Jutland, "as 2nd in Cd of Flotilla he manoeuvred his half very ably & at night when Castor could make no signals owing to damage by gun-fire, he very ably turned his half flotilla & kept clear of first half flotilla manoeuvring.".^[15]

At 0.15 a.m., Castor encountered a destroyer on her bow and fired on it with gusto at point blank range. Its disappearance was taken as a sign that it was surely sunk.^[16]

September, 1916

"R" class destroyers Romola and Sarpedon have joined.

Flotilla strength is now a cruiser, a flotilla leader, eighteen destroyers, and a depot ship.^[17]

October, 1916

Broke has again joined, curiously listed as a "flotilla cruiser" and bearing the Captain (D).

Flotilla strength is now a cruiser, two flotilla leaders, eighteen destroyers, and a depot ship.^[18]

This arrangement would apply until December, 1916.^[19]

January, 1917

The flotilla leader Seymour has replaced Castor as "flotilla cruiser", as Castor, with Commodore (F) embarked, now is overseeing four of the five flotillas attached to the [Grand Fleet]]: the Eleventh, Twelfth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth.

Flotilla strength is now two flotilla leaders, eighteen destroyers, and a depot ship.^[20]

This arrangement would apply until July, 1917.^[21]

July, 1917

Skate and Tyrant have joined, but Musketeer has been removed for unknown reasons, destined to be restored to the roster in August.

Flotilla strength is now two flotilla leaders, nineteen destroyers, and a depot ship.^[22]

August, 1917

Musketeer has returned from her month away. Marne and Ossory have been dropped, destined to appear with the Second Destroyer Flotilla in September.

Newly-completed Sturgeon, Tenacious and Tormentor have been added.

Valorous has replaced Kempenfelt, which would eventually appear with the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla of the Dover Patrol in September.

Flotilla strength is now two flotilla leaders, twenty-one destroyers (14 "M"s, 7 "R"s), and a depot ship.^[23][24]

September, 1917

The trend of replacing "M" destroyers with "R"s continues.

Mandate Martial Michael Milbrook have departed to follow Marne and Ossory to the Second Destroyer Flotilla and Tancred has joined.

Flotilla strength is now two flotilla leaders, eighteen destroyers (10 "M"s, 8 "R"s), and a depot ship.^[25][26]

This arrangement would apply until November, 1917.^[27]

November, 1917

Marmion has been dropped, lost in a collision with Tirade on 21 October.^[28]

Flotilla strength is now two flotilla leaders, seventeen destroyers (9 "M"s, 8 "R"s), and a depot ship.^[29]

This roster would apply until January, 1918.{SMNLDec17|p. 12 and Supplements through January}}

January, 1918

"V" class destroyer Vivacious has joined.

Flotilla strength is now two flotilla leaders, eighteen destroyers (9 "M"s, 8 "R"s, a "V"), and a depot ship.^[30]

February, 1918

Newly minted destroyers Versatile, Vortigern, Walker and Watchman have joined. Flotilla strength is now three flotilla leaders, twenty-two destroyers (9 "M"s, 8 "R"s, 3 "V"s and 2 "W"s), and a depot ship.^[31]

March, 1918

New destroyers Vancouver, Viscount, Vittoria, and Walrus have joined.

Nimrod, Magic, Mons and Mystic have been detached, to appear with the Third Destroyer Flotilla "shortly".

Skate and Sturgeon have transferred to the Tenth Destroyer Flotilla of the [Harwich Force]].

Flotilla strength is now two flotilla leaders, twenty-one destroyers (6 "M"s, 6 "R"s, 6 "V"s and 3 "W"s), and a depot ship.^[32]

April, 1918

A shake-up in the flotilla sent all but one of the "M" class destroyers away. Manners went to the Second Destroyer Flotilla, Minion and Morning Star to the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla (to be joined there by Mounsey in a month's time), and Moon was sent to help the Eleventh Submarine Flotilla.

Three flotilla leaders, Kempenfelt, Lightfoot and Marksman, joined from the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla as nominal destroyers.

Flotilla strength is now two flotilla leaders, nineteen destroyers (3 leaders, 1 "M", 6 "R"s, 6 "V"s and 3 "W"s), and a depot ship.^[33][34]

May, 1918

Musketeer transferred to the Second Destroyer Flotilla, leaving the flotilla with no "M" class vessels.

Tyrant transferred to the Fourteenth Destroyer Flotilla, and Vanessa has joined.

Flotilla strength is now two flotilla leaders, eighteen destroyers (3 leaders, 5 "R"s, 7 "V"s and 3 "W"s), and a depot ship.^[35]

June, 1918

Nimrod has joined temporily, detached from the Third Destroyer Flotilla.

Flotilla strength is now three flotilla leaders, eighteen destroyers (3 leaders, 5 "R"s, 7 "V"s and 3 "W"s), and a depot ship.^[36]

On 13 June, the flotilla conducted a trial torpedo attack on the First Battle Squadron in an exercise. Tormentor and Valorous were the divisional leaders, attacking from the same side though a double-sided attack was planned, and with a smoke screen that proved half-hearted in the event. Worse, it was thought that the torpedo control officer in Valorous had failed to "change the deflection to right" when he attacked from the wrong side.^[37]

July, 1918

Nimrod has returned to the Third Destroyer Flotilla after a single month here. Marksman has left to join the Northern Patrol and Lightfoot has just vanished, not to reappear in the List until November, in a paid off condition in the Southern Patrol Force.

Vanity and Voyager have joined.

Flotilla strength is now two flotilla leaders, eighteen destroyers (1 leader, 5 "R"s, 8 "V"s and 4 "W"s), and a depot ship.^[38][39]

August, 1918

Vancouver and Vanity paid off this month, to remain so until December and at least into February, respectively. Flotilla strength remains as two flotilla leaders, eighteen destroyers (1 leader, 5 "R"s, 8 "V"s and 4 "W"s), and a depot ship.^[40][41][42]

This roster would apply until December.^[43]

December, 1918

Douglas has replaced Seymour, which has transferred to join the new Twenty-first Destroyer Flotilla. Destroyer Vancouver is no longer paid off, but Vanity remains so.

Vittoria has moved over to the Twentieth Destroyer Flotilla.

The newly-commissioned Wryneck has joined.

Flotilla strength is two flotilla leaders, seventeen destroyers (1 leader, 5 "R"s, 7 "V"s and 5 "W"s), and a depot ship.^[44]

This roster would apply until January, 1919.^[45]

February, 1919

Romola and Tenacious have gone to Devonport to join a Torpedo and a Gunnery School there, respectively. Tormentor is gone, also to appear at the same Torpedo School in March.

Vanity remains paid off.

Flotilla strength is two flotilla leaders, fourteen destroyers (1 leader, 2 "R"s, 7 "V"s and 5 "W"s), and a depot ship.^[46][47]

March, 1919

The Royal Navy is vastly reorganized into the post-war navy, and the Eleventh is disbanded, its ships meted out to various new assignments.

The new First Destroyer Flotilla takes claim to the Valorous, all the "W" class destroyers and all the "V" class destroyers; the Vanity sleeps through the transition in her still-paid-off state! The depot ship Blake and the two "R" class destroyers join the new Fifth Destroyer Flotilla. Douglas goes to the Seventh Destroyer Flotilla.

Kempenfelt alone steps back from active service, proceeding to Portsmouth where she is placed into reserve.^[48]

Captains (D)

Footnotes

Bibliography

See Also