Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:53, 30 April 2023

The Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla was a formation of destroyers of the Royal Navy. The flotilla changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred. For tactical reasons the flotilla was divided into two half flotillas.

It was formed after Jutland of a mix of modern "M" and "R" class destroyers.

In Command

Captain Arthur B. S. Dutton, 28 August, 1916^[1] – November, 1917^[2]
Captain Rafe G. Rowley-Conwy, November, 1917^[3]^[4] – 1 March, 1919^[5] (in command at surrender of the High Sea Fleet)
Captain Ralph Kerr, 31 July, 1939^[6] – 18 January, 1941^[7]

Other Personnel

Gunnery Duties

History

September, 1916

The formation appears in the Navy List for the first time in a primordial form of a flotilla leader, a depot ship and a single destroyer.^[8]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader
Parker
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock

October, 1916

New destroyers Northesk, Orcadia, Parthian, Rapid, Rocket, Rowena and Sabrina join.

The formation now consists of a flotilla leader, a depot ship and eight destroyers.^[9]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader
Parker
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
	Northesk	Orcadia	Parthian	Rapid
"R" class Destroyers
	Radstock	Rocket	Rowena	Sabrina

November, 1916

New destroyers Portia, Raider, Ready and Restless join. Parker now bears a Captain (D), and has a subordinate leader, Grenville.

The formation now consists of two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and twelve destroyers.^[10]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Northesk	Orcadia	Parthian	Portia	Rapid	Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rocket	Rowena	Sabrina

December, 1916

New destroyers Pheasant, Rigorous, Rob Roy, Sable, Salmon and Sorceress join.

The formation now consists of two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and eighteen destroyers.^[11]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Northesk	Orcadia	Parthian	Pheasant	Portia	Rapid
Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress

January, 1917

New destroyers Rosalind, Rigorous, Rob Roy, Sable, Salmon and Sorceress join.

Orcadia has been sent to Portsmouth's Local Defence Flotilla to serve as their "Paravane Department".

The formation now consists of two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and eighteen destroyers.^[12]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Northesk	Parthian	Pheasant	Portia	Rapid	Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress

This roster would seemingly apply until April.^[13]

April, 1917

Pheasant has been removed, having been mined on 1 March.^[14]

The formation now consists of two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and seventeen destroyers.^[15]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Northesk	Parthian	Portia	Rapid	Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress

May, 1917

New destroyers Trenchant and Undine have joined.

The formation now consists of two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and nineteen destroyers.^[16]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Northesk	Parthian	Portia	Rapid	Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress
Trenchant			Undine

This roster would apply until July.^[17]

July, 1917

Northesk and Parthian have left to join the Gibraltar Local Defence Flotilla.

New destroyers Tirade Ulysses have joined.

The formation is still two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and nineteen destroyers.^[18]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Portia		Rapid		Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress
	Tirade	Trenchant	Ulysses	Undine

August, 1917

Portia has been transferred to the Northern Division of the Coast of Ireland Station, and Restless, Rob Roy, Tirade and Trenchant are also there on a loan.

The formation is now reduced to two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and fourteen destroyers.^[19]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Rapid			Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Rigorous	Rocket	Rosalind	Rowena
Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress	Ulysses	Undine

September, 1917

Tirade and Trenchant have returned after only a single month away.

The formation is now two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and sixteen destroyers.^[20]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Rapid			Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Rigorous	Rocket	Rosalind	Rowena
Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress	Tirade	Trenchant
Ulysses			Undine

October, 1917

Rob Roy and has returned from her two month loan-out.

The formation is now two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and seventeen destroyers.^[21]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Rapid			Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket	Rosalind
Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress	Tirade
Trenchant		Ulysses		Undine

November, 1917

Restless and has returned from her loan-out, having been three months gone.

The formation is now two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and eighteen destroyers.^[22]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Rapid			Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress
	Tirade	Trenchant	Ulysses	Undine

This arrangement would apply until March, 1918.^[23]

March, 1918

A change in Grand Fleet organization has attached the flotilla along with four others directly to the Battle Fleet under the direct oversight of Commodore (F) in Castor, while the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla alone is attached to the Battle Cruiser Force. This new wrinkle would last until June.

The roster here has not changed.

The formation is two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and eighteen destroyers.^[24]

Attached to the Battle Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Rapid			Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress
	Tirade	Trenchant	Ulysses	Undine

This roster would apply until May.^[25]

May, 1918

Radstock is paid off. The roster is otherwise unchanged.

The formation is two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and eighteen destroyers.^[26]

Attached to the Battle Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Rapid			Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock*	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress
	Tirade	Trenchant	Ulysses	Undine

June, 1918

The flotilla is again attached to the Grand Fleet. Radstock is still paid off.

Talisman has joined, temporarily detached from the Third Destroyer Flotilla.

The formation is three flotilla leaders, a depot ship and eighteen destroyers.^[27]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leaders
Grenville			Talisman*
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Rapid			Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock*	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress
	Tirade	Trenchant	Ulysses	Undine

July, 1918

Radstock is no longer paid off and Talisman has gone back to the Third Destroyer Flotilla.

The formation is again two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and eighteen destroyers.^[28]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leaders
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Rapid			Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress
	Tirade	Trenchant	Ulysses	Undine

This roster would apply until some time between September and November.^[29]

November, 1918

Patrician arrives, on loan from the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla. Ulysses is gone, having been lost to a collision on 29 October.^[30]

The formation is two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and eighteen destroyers.^[31]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leaders
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Patrician*		Rapid		Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress
Tirade		Trenchant		Undine

December, 1918

Campbell is to arrive "shortly". Patrician's tenure here is no longer characterized as temporary.

The formation is two/three flotilla leaders, a depot ship and eighteen destroyers.^[32]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Parker
Flotilla Leaders
Campbell*			Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Patrician		Rapid		Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress
Tirade		Trenchant		Undine

January, 1919

Campbell now bears the Captain (D), as Parker has been sent "temporarily" to her home port, The Nore.

The formation is two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and eighteen destroyers.^[33]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Campbell
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Patrician		Rapid		Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rocket
Rosalind	Rowena	Sable	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress
Tirade		Trenchant		Undine

February, 1919

Rapid has paid off and been sent to Portsmouth. Rocket and Sable have been sent to a Torpedo School there.

The formation is two flotilla leaders, a depot ship and fifteen destroyers.^[34]

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leader, Captain (D)
Campbell
Flotilla Leader
Grenville
Depot Ship
Sandhurst
"M" class Destroyers
Patrician			Ready
"R" class Destroyers
Radstock	Raider	Restless	Rigorous	Rob Roy	Rosalind
Rowena	Sabrina	Salmon	Sorceress	Tirade	Trenchant
Undine

March, 1919

Flotilla is Dis-established

The massive post-war reorganization of the destroyer flotillas eradicated the Fifteenth and sent its assets to various new purposes.^[35]

The new Second Destroyer Flotilla would take Sandhurst as its depot ship and the Third Destroyer Flotilla would take Campbell as its flagship.

Grenville and destroyers Radstock, Raider, Ready, Restless, Rigorous, Rosalind, Rowena and Sorceress would go to the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla.

The Fifth Destroyer Flotilla would claim Rob Roy, Salmon, Tirade, Trenchant and Undine.

Sabrina went into Reserve at The Nore and Patrician went to the Firth of Forth for undisclosed work.

Footnotes

↑ Dutton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 258.
↑ Dutton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 258.
↑ Rowley-Conwy Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/83. ff. 83, 232.
↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 862.
↑ Rowley-Conwy Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/83. ff. 83, 232.
↑ Kerr Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/137. f. 136.
↑ Kerr Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/137. f. 136.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (September, 1916). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (October, 1916). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (November, 1916). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (December, 1916). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (January, 1917). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1917). p. 12, and April's Supplement. No Supplement for February was found.
↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 67.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (April, 1917). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (May, 1917). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (June, 1917). p. 12 and July's Supplement.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (July, 1917). pp. 12, 18.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (August, 1917). pp. 12, 17.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (September, 1917). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (October, 1917). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (November, 1917). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (December, 1917). p. 12 and Supplements through March.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1918). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (April, 1918). p. 12 and May's Supplement.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (May, 1918). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (June, 1918). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (July, 1918). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (August, 1918). p. 12 and November's Supplement - no editions for September or October were found.
↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 71.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (November, 1918). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (December, 1918). p. 12.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (January, 1919). pp. 12, 19.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (February, 1919). pp. 12, 16, 20.
↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1919). pp. 11, 16, 17.

Bibliography

Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.

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