First Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy)
The First Destroyer Flotilla was a formation of destroyers of the Royal Navy. The flotilla changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.
Composition
Between April and October, 1910 until 1911, it included the Beagle class destroyers.[1][2]
Late 1911
On 1 November, 1911, the flotilla was comprised of:[3]
- Boadicea (flag)
- Blanche, Patrol (scouts)
- Blenheim (depot ship)
- Swift
- Twelve Beagles
- Twelve "Tribals"
From 1912 through much of 1916, it was also comprised of twenty Acheron class destroyers armed with 21-in R.G.F. Mark II Torpedoes.[4][5][6][7] Apparently, Blonde was flagship and Tyne a depot ship during that time.[8][9]
July, 1914 Part of the First Fleet, the Flotilla was now comprised of twenty Acherons under destroyer Fearless with depot ship Woolwich. The Commodore (T) directed First Fleet's four flotillas from the flagship, third class protected cruiser Amethyst.[10]
| destroyer Fearless | ||||
| Acheron | Archer | Ariel | Attack | Badger |
| Beaver | Defender | Druid | Ferret | Forester |
| Goshawk | Hind | Hornet | Hydra | Jackal |
| Lapwing | Lizard | Phoenix | Sandfly | Tigress |
This was very likely the composition at the outbreak of war, when it was less specifically described in other sources.[11][12]
In September 1914, it was decided that Faulknor should join as the half-flotilla leader and be fitted with a Mark II W/T set, longer mast, No. 2 set of flags and two additional signal ratings.[13]
On 24 November 1914, while centred in Harwich, the leader and half-flotilla leader were changed to Galatea and Meteor.[14]
Battle of Dogger Bank, January 1915
Fourteen Acheron class destroyers were attached to the Flotilla under flagship light cruiser Aurora. One of these, Attack took Beatty from Lion when the battlecruiser was disabled.[15]
November, 1915[16]
One of five flotillas attached to the Grand Fleet, relying on depot ship Woolwich.
- destroyer Fearless, leader
- flotilla leader Botha, 2nd in command
- Acheron
- Archer
- Ariel
- Attack
- Badger
- Defender
- Druid
- Ferret
- Forester
- Goshawk
- Hind
- Hornet
- Hydra
- Jackal
- Lapwing
- Lizard
- Phoenix
- Sandfly
- Tigress
Battle of Jutland, June 1916
Nine destroyers led by destroyer Fearless screened the Fifth Battle Squadron on its disengaged side during the Run to the South and then served the same duty for the First Battle Cruiser Squadron. Attack and Defender sustained hits from 11-in shells, but kept in the action.[17]
It was organised as follows:[18][19]
- destroyer Fearless, flagship, Captain (D) C. D. Roper
- Acheron, Commander Charles G. Ramsey
- Ariel, Lieutenant-Commander Arthur G. Tippet (possibly Tippett)
- Attack, Lieutenant-Commander Charles N. H. James
- Hydra, Lieutenant Francis G. Glossup
- Badger, Commander C. A. Fremantle
- Goshawk, Commander Dashwood Fowler Moir
- Defender, Lieutenant-Commander Lawrence R. Palmer
- Lizard, Lieutenant-Commander Edward Brooke
- Lapwing, Lieutenant-Commander Alexander H. Gye
At the same time, Phoenix remained in harbour and the flotilla leader Botha and destroyers Jackal, Archer, Tigress and Phoenix were in dockyard hands.[20]
Captains (D)
Dates of appointment given:
- Captain Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot, 29 November, 1910. (Commodore, Second Class.)[21]
- Captain Arthur R. Hulbert, 10 May, 1912.[22][23] Hulbert drowned at Harwich on 12 January, 1913, having fallen from Blonde. [24]
- Captain C. D. Roper at Jutland.
- Captain William Frederick Blunt
Footnotes
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 73.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 106.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 160.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1912. p. 36.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916. p. 87.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 75.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 160.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 13 January, 1913. Issue 40107, col B, p. 11.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 14 January, 1912. Issue 40108, col F, p. 13.
- ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 109 of 10 July 1914.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 164.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 15.
- ↑ Grand Fleet Conferences, 1914. p. 104.
- ↑ Grand Fleet Conferences, 1914. pp. 218-219.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 123.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List (November, 1915). p. 12.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 123.
- ↑ Naval Operations. Volume III. pp. 429-30.
- ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. pp. 46-7.
- ↑ Naval Operations. Volume III. pp. 429-30.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 13 October, 1910. Issue 39402, col B, p. 9.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 23 April, 1912. Issue 39880, col G, p. 16.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. pp. 160-161.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 13 January, 1913. Issue 40107, col B, p. 11.
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 | |||
