The 4th Battle Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 4th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet (1912–14) and then the Grand Fleet after the outbreak of the First World War. The squadron changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.
August 1914
On 5 August 1914, the squadron was constituted as follows:Dittmar & Colledge
January 1915
By January 1915, the composition had changed slightly:
HMS Agincourt HMS Bellerophon HMS Dreadnought HMS Temeraire
Battle of Jutland, June 1916 As an element in the Grand Fleet, the squadron participated in the Battle of Jutland. During the battle, the composition of the 4th Battle Squadron was as follows:MacIntyre Third Division , fleet flagship of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe; Captain Frederic Dreyer; , Captain Crawford Maclachlan; , flagship of Rear Admiral A. L. Duff; Captain E. Hyde-Parker; , Captain W. C. M. Nicholson; Fourth Division HMS Benbow, flagship of Vice Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee; Captain H. W. Parker; HMS Bellerophon, Captain E. F. Bruen; HMS Temeraire, Captain E. V. Underhill; , Captain J. D. Dick;
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 Squadron. In January 1917, the squadron was constituted as follows:Dittmar & Colledge p. 20.
HMS Bellerophon HMS Temeraire HMS Vanguard HMS Superb
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.
Postwar The squadron was dispersed in February 1919, appears to have been formally dissolved in March 1919, but then reformed.
In September 1920 Rear Admiral Richard Webb was posted to the Mediterranean as Rear-Admiral 4th Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet. He served there until 1922.
Admirals commanding Post holders as follows:
Rank Flag Name Term Notes Admirals, Commanding, 4th Battle Squadron 1 Vice-Admiral Sir Sir Charles Briggs1 July 1912 – 1 July 1914 2 Vice-Admiral Sir Douglas Gamble1 July 1914 – 7 February 1915 3Admiral Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee7 February 1915 – 13 February 1918 4Vice-Admiral Sir Montague Browning13 February 1918 – 3 December 1918 5 Rear-Admiral Douglas R. L. Nicholson 3 December 1918 – 1 February 1919 temporary command6 Vice-Admiral Sir Montague Browning 1 February 1919 – 1924
Rear-Admirals, Second-in-Command Post holders as follows:
Rank Flag Name Term Notes Rear-Admiral, in the 4th Battle Squadron 1 Rear-Admiral Alexander Duff22 October 1914 – 12 June 1916 2 Rear-Admiral Ernest F. A. Gaunt12 June 1916 – 23 June 1917 3 Rear-Admiral Roger J.B. Keyes 23 June 1917 – 25 September 1917 4 Rear-Admiral Douglas R. L. Nicholson22 September 1917 – 3 December 1918 acting squadron commander5 Rear-Admiral Michael Culme-Seymour1 January 1919 – 1 September 1920 6 Rear-Admiral Richard Webb1 September 1920 – 27 July 1922 7 Rear-Admiral John D. Kelly27 July 1922 – June 1923 8 Rear-Admiral Hugh D. Watson26 June 1923 – October 1924
Notes
External links Fourth Battle Squadron at DreadnoughtProject.org
References