4th Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
The British Royal Navy
4th Battle Squadron was a squadron
consisting of battleship
s. The 4th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During World War I
the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet. The squadron changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.
. During the Battle of Jutland, the composition of the 4th Battle Squadron was as follows:
. In January 1917, the squadron was constituted as follows:
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.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
4th Battle Squadron was a squadron
Squadron (naval)
A squadron, or naval squadron, is a unit of 3-4 major warships, transport ships, submarines, or sometimes small craft that may be part of a larger task force or a fleet...
consisting of battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s. The 4th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet. The squadron changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.
August 1914
On 5 August 1914, the squadron was constituted as follows:- HMS AgincourtHMS Agincourt (1913)HMS Agincourt was a dreadnought built in the early 1910s. The ship was originally ordered by Brazil, but the collapse of the rubber boom plus a lessening of the rivalry with Argentina led to her resale while still under construction to the Ottoman Empire who renamed her as Sultan Osman I...
- HMS BellerophonHMS Bellerophon (1907)HMS Bellerophon was a dreadnought of the Royal Navy. She was the lead ship of the Bellerophon class, and the fourth Royal Navy vessel to bear the name of the mythic Greek hero...
- HMS DreadnoughtHMS Dreadnought (1906)HMS Dreadnought was a battleship of the British Royal Navy that revolutionised naval power. Her entry into service in 1906 represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnoughts", as well as the class of...
- HMS TemeraireHMS Temeraire (1907)HMS Temeraire was a Bellerophon-class battleship in the Royal Navy built at the Royal Dockyard, Devonport.She was ordered under the 1906 Naval Estimates at the cost of £1,641,114. Although not externally much different from predecessor , internally she and others of the Bellerophon-class were much...
January 1915
By January, 1915, the composition had changed slightly:- HMS AgincourtHMS Agincourt (1913)HMS Agincourt was a dreadnought built in the early 1910s. The ship was originally ordered by Brazil, but the collapse of the rubber boom plus a lessening of the rivalry with Argentina led to her resale while still under construction to the Ottoman Empire who renamed her as Sultan Osman I...
- HMS BellerophonHMS Bellerophon (1907)HMS Bellerophon was a dreadnought of the Royal Navy. She was the lead ship of the Bellerophon class, and the fourth Royal Navy vessel to bear the name of the mythic Greek hero...
- HMS BenbowHMS Benbow (1913)HMS Benbow was an Iron Duke-class battleship of the Royal Navy, the third ship of the class and the third ship to be named in honour of Admiral John Benbow....
- HMS DreadnoughtHMS Dreadnought (1906)HMS Dreadnought was a battleship of the British Royal Navy that revolutionised naval power. Her entry into service in 1906 represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnoughts", as well as the class of...
- HMS Emperor of IndiaHMS Emperor of India (1913)HMS Emperor of India was an Iron Duke-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. She was originally to have been named Delhi but was renamed just a month before launching after King George V, who was also Emperor of India....
- HMS Erin
- HMS TemeraireHMS Temeraire (1907)HMS Temeraire was a Bellerophon-class battleship in the Royal Navy built at the Royal Dockyard, Devonport.She was ordered under the 1906 Naval Estimates at the cost of £1,641,114. Although not externally much different from predecessor , internally she and others of the Bellerophon-class were much...
Battle of Jutland, June 1916
As an element in the Grand Fleet, the Squadron participated in the Battle of JutlandBattle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
. During the Battle of Jutland, the composition of the 4th Battle Squadron was as follows:
- Third Division
- HMS Iron DukeHMS Iron Duke (1912)HMS Iron Duke was a battleship of the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class, named in honour of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. She served as the flagship of the Grand Fleet during the First World War, including at the Battle of Jutland...
Fleet FlagshipFlagshipA flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of AdmiralAdmiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Sir John JellicoeJohn Jellicoe, 1st Earl JellicoeAdmiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO was a British Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I...
; Captain Frederic Dreyer; - HMS Royal Oak CaptainCaptain (naval)Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
C. Maclachlan; - HMS SuperbHMS Superb (1907)HMS Superb was a of the British Royal Navy. She was built in Elswick at a cost of £1,744,287, and was completed on 19 June 1909. She was only the fourth dreadnought-type battleship to be completed anywhere in the world, being preceded only by and by her two sister-ships and -Origin:The advent of...
Flagship of Rear AdmiralRear AdmiralRear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
A. L. DuffAlexander Ludovic DuffAdmiral Sir Alexander Ludovic Duff GCB GBE KCVO was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, China Station.-Naval career:...
; Captain E. Hyde-Parker; - HMS Canada Captain W. C. M. Nicholson;
- HMS Iron Duke
- Fourth Division
- HMS BenbowHMS Benbow (1913)HMS Benbow was an Iron Duke-class battleship of the Royal Navy, the third ship of the class and the third ship to be named in honour of Admiral John Benbow....
Flagship of Vice AdmiralVice AdmiralVice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Sir Doveton SturdeeDoveton SturdeeAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Frederick Charles Doveton Sturdee, 1st Baronet, GCB, KCMG, CVO was a British admiral.-Naval career:...
; Captain H. W. Parker; - HMS BellerophonHMS Bellerophon (1907)HMS Bellerophon was a dreadnought of the Royal Navy. She was the lead ship of the Bellerophon class, and the fourth Royal Navy vessel to bear the name of the mythic Greek hero...
Captain E. F. Bruen; - HMS TemeraireHMS Temeraire (1907)HMS Temeraire was a Bellerophon-class battleship in the Royal Navy built at the Royal Dockyard, Devonport.She was ordered under the 1906 Naval Estimates at the cost of £1,641,114. Although not externally much different from predecessor , internally she and others of the Bellerophon-class were much...
Captain E. V. Underhill; - HMS VanguardHMS Vanguard (1909)The eighth HMS Vanguard of the British Royal Navy was a St Vincent-class battleship, an enhancement of the "" design built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness...
Captain J. D. Dick;
- HMS Benbow
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 Squadron1st Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)
The British 1st Battle Squadron was a squadron of battleships, initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet, renamed the Grand Fleet during World War I...
. In January 1917, the squadron was constituted as follows:
- HMS BellerophonHMS Bellerophon (1907)HMS Bellerophon was a dreadnought of the Royal Navy. She was the lead ship of the Bellerophon class, and the fourth Royal Navy vessel to bear the name of the mythic Greek hero...
- HMS ColossusHMS Colossus (1910)HMS Colossus of the British Royal Navy was the nameship of her class of dreadnought battleships.She was launched on 9 April 1910 and commissioned in 1911. Although very similar to Neptune she was not part of Neptunes class as Colossus and her sister-ship, Hercules, had greater armour...
- HMS HerculesHMS Hercules (1910)HMS Hercules was a Colossus-class battleship built by Palmers, launched on 10 May 1910, and commissioned on 31 July 1911 at Portsmouth. She was a 20,000-ton dreadnought, mounting ten 12 inch guns in five twin gun turrets, sixteen 4 inch , four 3 pounders, and three 21 inch ...
- HMS NeptuneHMS Neptune (1909)HMS Neptune was a Royal Navy dreadnought battleship, intended to be the lead ship of three Neptune-class battleships, but the subsequent two ships had slightly thicker belt armour and were reclassified as the Colossus class.-Design:...
- HMS St. VincentHMS St. Vincent (1908)HMS St. Vincent was the lead ship of the St. Vincent class battleships of the British Royal Navy.She was commissioned on 3 May 1910 as 2nd flagship of 1st Division Home Fleet at Portsmouth. She was commanded by Capt. Douglas R. L. Nicholson and was flagship of Rear-Admiral Richard H...
- HMS CollingwoodHMS Collingwood (1908)HMS Collingwood was a dreadnought battleship of the British Royal Navy. Her design was essentially similar to the design of the previous ships, the . The Admiralty perceived in the planned building of German dreadnoughts a potential threat to the naval security of Great Britain, and saw the need...
- HMS SuperbHMS Superb (1907)HMS Superb was a of the British Royal Navy. She was built in Elswick at a cost of £1,744,287, and was completed on 19 June 1909. She was only the fourth dreadnought-type battleship to be completed anywhere in the world, being preceded only by and by her two sister-ships and -Origin:The advent of...
- HMS VanguardHMS Vanguard (1909)The eighth HMS Vanguard of the British Royal Navy was a St Vincent-class battleship, an enhancement of the "" design built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness...
- HMS TemeraireHMS Temeraire (1907)HMS Temeraire was a Bellerophon-class battleship in the Royal Navy built at the Royal Dockyard, Devonport.She was ordered under the 1906 Naval Estimates at the cost of £1,641,114. Although not externally much different from predecessor , internally she and others of the Bellerophon-class were much...
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.