Difference between revisions of "Fourth Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy)"
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| − | The '''Fourth Destroyer Flotilla''' was a formation of [[Destroyer|destroyers]] of the [[Royal Navy]] | + | The '''Fourth Destroyer Flotilla''' was a formation of [[Destroyer|destroyers]] of the [[Royal Navy]]. |
| − | Originally the Portsmouth | + | Originally called the '''Portsmouth Flotilla''' and composed of [[Nucleus Crew]] vessels, it was re-designated as the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla in April, 1910<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Wednesday, 20 April, 1910. Issue '''39251''', col A, p. 9.</ref> though it seems clear that it was often still called the Portsmouth Flotilla as late as the Test Mobilisation of July 1914. |
==Early History== | ==Early History== | ||
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* ''Hecla'' (depot ship) | * ''Hecla'' (depot ship) | ||
* Twenty-three "30 knotters" | * Twenty-three "30 knotters" | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==July, 1914 - Test Mobilisation== | ||
| + | The Portsmouth Flotilla was included in the Test Mobilisation with the following vessels:{{AWO1914|109 of 10 July 1914}} | ||
| + | * {{UK-Angler}}, {{UK-Conflict}}, {{UK-Desperate}}, {{UK-Spiteful}}, {{UK-Surly}}, {{UK-Velox}} | ||
| + | * {{UK-TB025}}, {{UK-TB027}}, {{UK-TB034}}, {{UK-TB042}}, {{UK-TB057}}, {{UK-TB065}}, {{UK-TB066}}, {{UK-TB068}}, {{UK-TB076}}, {{UK-TB077}}, {{UK-TB078}} | ||
| + | * {{UK-TB80}}, {{UK-TB81}}, {{UK-TB82}}, {{UK-TB85}}, {{UK-TB86}}, {{UK-TB87}}, {{UK-TB98}}, {{UK-TB101}}, {{UK-TB109}}, {{UK-TB110}}, {{UK-TB116}} | ||
==July, 1914 - Outbreak of War== | ==July, 1914 - Outbreak of War== | ||
| Line 54: | Line 60: | ||
Dates of appointment given: | Dates of appointment given: | ||
| − | *Captain [[Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt, First Baronet|Reginald Y. Tyrwhitt]], 10 August, 1909.<ref>Tyrwhitt Service Record. | + | *Captain [[Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt, First Baronet|Reginald Y. Tyrwhitt]], 10 August, 1909.<ref>Tyrwhitt Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43}}. f. 125.</ref> |
*Captain [[Mortimer L'Estrange Silver]], 2 August, 1910.<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Tuesday, 5 July, 1910. Issue '''39316''', col C, p. 9.</ref> | *Captain [[Mortimer L'Estrange Silver]], 2 August, 1910.<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Tuesday, 5 July, 1910. Issue '''39316''', col C, p. 9.</ref> | ||
*Captain [[Wilfred Henderson]], 1 May, 1912.<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Thursday, 25 April, 1912. Issue '''39882''', col E, p. 10.</ref> | *Captain [[Wilfred Henderson]], 1 May, 1912.<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Thursday, 25 April, 1912. Issue '''39882''', col E, p. 10.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 14:13, 15 November 2012
The Fourth Destroyer Flotilla was a formation of destroyers of the Royal Navy.
Originally called the Portsmouth Flotilla and composed of Nucleus Crew vessels, it was re-designated as the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla in April, 1910[1] though it seems clear that it was often still called the Portsmouth Flotilla as late as the Test Mobilisation of July 1914.
Contents
Early History
On 1 November, 1911, the flotilla was comprised of:[2]
- Topaze (flag)
- Pathfinder, Skirmisher (scouts)
- Hecla (depot ship)
- Twenty-three "30 knotters"
July, 1914 - Test Mobilisation
The Portsmouth Flotilla was included in the Test Mobilisation with the following vessels:[3]
- Angler, Conflict, Desperate, Spiteful, Surly, Velox
- T.B. 025, T.B. 027, T.B. 034, T.B. 042, T.B. 057, T.B. 065, T.B. 066, T.B. 068, T.B. 076, T.B. 077, T.B. 078
- T.B. 80, T.B. 81, T.B. 82, T.B. 85, T.B. 86, T.B. 87, T.B. 98, T.B. 101, T.B. 109, T.B. 110, T.B. 116
July, 1914 - Outbreak of War
Part of the First Fleet, the Flotilla was now comprised of twenty Acasta class destroyers under flotilla leader Swift with depot ship Hecla. The Commodore (T) directed First Fleet's four flotillas from the flagship, third class protected cruiser Amethyst.[4] It retained this composition at the start of the war,[5] making it uniformly capable of 30 knots.[6]
The destroyers' test runnings of the 21-in Mark II torpedoes in 1916 resulted in five bad runs.[7][8]
| flotilla leader Swift | ||||
| Acasta | Achates | Ambuscade | Ardent | Christopher |
| Cockatrice | Contest | Fortune | Garland | Hardy |
| Lynx | Midge | Owl | Paragon | Porpoise |
| Shark | Sparrowhawk | Spitfire | Unity | Victor |
Battle of Jutland, June 1916
The flotilla, with substantially the same membership (Lynx had been lost earlier in the war, Paragon, Victor and Cockatrice were absent perhaps due to being under refit, and the "M" class destroyer Ophelia was attached), faced heavy losses in the night action when it met elements of the High Sea Fleet unexpectedly at short range. Its composition in the battle was as follows:[9]
- Tipperary, Flotilla leader (lost)
- Broke, flotilla leader
- Achates
- Porpoise
- Spitfire
- Unity
- Garland
- Ambuscade
- Ardent (lost)
- Fortune (lost)
- Sparrowhawk (lost)
- Contest
- Shark (lost)
- Acasta
- Ophelia
- Christopher
- Owl
- Hardy
- Midge
After Jutland, 1916
Captains (D)
Dates of appointment given:
- Captain Reginald Y. Tyrwhitt, 10 August, 1909.[10]
- Captain Mortimer L'Estrange Silver, 2 August, 1910.[11]
- Captain Wilfred Henderson, 1 May, 1912.[12]
- Captain Raymond A. Nugent, 8 August, 1912.[13]
Footnotes
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 20 April, 1910. Issue 39251, col A, p. 9.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 160.
- ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 109 of 10 July 1914.
- ↑ Printed page "Fleets and Squadrons in Commission at Home and Abroad" in Albert Francis Barclay Bridges papers at The Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum. [BRG 1/1]
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 15.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 164.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 131.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916. p. 87.
- ↑ Naval Operations. Volume III. p. 432.
- ↑ Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 5 July, 1910. Issue 39316, col C, p. 9.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 25 April, 1912. Issue 39882, col E, p. 10.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Friday, 2 August, 1912. Issue 39967, col F, p. 2.
Bibliography
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
- March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892-1953. London: Seeley Service & Co. Limited. (on Bookfinder.com).
See Also
| British Destroyer Flotillas | |||
| First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | Seventh | Eighth | Ninth | Tenth | |||
| Eleventh | Twelfth | Thirteenth | Fourteenth | Fifteenth | Sixteenth | Seventeenth | Eighteenth | Nineteenth | |||
| Twentieth | Twenty-first | |||
| Local Defence Flotillas | |||
| Clyde | Devonport | Devonport & Falmouth | Falmouth | Firth of Forth | Gibraltar | |||
| Liverpool | Mersey | Newhaven | Nore | North Channel | Milford & Pembroke | Pembroke | |||
| Portland | Portsmouth | Queenstown | |||
