The British 4th Destroyer Flotilla or Fourth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from August 1909 to July 1951.
History In 1907 the Home Fleet had a large formation of destroyers called the Home Fleet Flotilla of destroyers, Between February and June 1909 it was divided to form the 2nd and 4th Destroyer Flotillas. Between 1909 and 1912 it was part of the Home Fleet - 3rd Division at Portsmouth. From 1912 to August 1914 it was reassigned and operating with the 1st Fleet. At the start of World War One the flotilla was reassigned to the new Grand Fleet and was engaged at the Battle of Jutland it remained with the GF until September 1916 when it was transferred to the Humber Force that was receiving shore support from the Humber Station till December 1916. The flotilla was next allocated to the Portsmouth Command until July 1917. After being ordered to leave Portsmouth it was reassigned to the Commander-in-Chief, Devonport where it remained till November 1918. Following the end of World War One it was placed back with the Home Fleet until November 1919 when it was re-allocated to the Atlantic Fleet until August 1923. It was reassigned to the Mediterranean Fleet where it remained until August 1936 when it was disbanded. The flotilla was re-activated in September 1938 until October 1939 using only Tribal Class destroyers. It was next sent to join the Home Fleet from October 1939 – August 1941. Sent back to the Mediterranean to join Force H from August 1941 – April 1942. It returned to the Home Fleet in April 1942 and stayed with it till November. Between November 1942 and January 1943 it was back operating in Mediterranean.In January 1943 it was sent to join the Eastern Fleet in Trincomalee, Ceylon and remained there until October 1943. Sent back to Europe to re-join Force H in the Mediterranean until January 1944 before returning Ceylon. It stays with the East Indies Fleet until November 1944 then is ordered back to Europe to join forces in the Mediterranean Sea until 1946. It transfers back to home waters where it stays until March 1951 it was re-designated the 4th Destroyer Squadron. The unit reforms again as part of the Mediterranean Fleet
Organizational changes Note: Command structure organizational changes took place within Royal Navy post war period the term Flotilla was previously applied to a tactical unit until 1951 which led to the creation of three specific Flag Officers, Flotillas responsible for the Eastern, Home and Mediterranean fleets the existing destroyer flotillas were re-organized now as administrative squadrons.
Operational deployments Assigned to Dates Notes Home Fleet March 1907 to February 1909 Home Fleet, Portsmouth Division March 1909 to May 1912 Home Fleets, First Fleet May 1912 to July 1914 Grand Fleet August 1914 – September 1916 Humber Station September 1916 – December 1916 Portsmouth Command December 1916 – March 1917 Plymouth Command March 1917 – November 1918 disbanded Home Fleet April to November 1919 reformed Atlantic Fleet November 1919 to August 1923 Mediterranean Fleet August 1923 to August 1936 disbanded Mediterranean Fleet September 1938 to October 1939 reforms as 2nd Tribal Flotilla/4th DF Home Fleet October 1939 – August 1941 Force H August 1941 – April 1942 Home Fleet April to November 1942 Mediterranean Fleet November 1942 to January 1943 Eastern Fleet January to October 1943 Force H October 1943 – January 1944 East Indies Fleet January to November 1944 Mediterranean Fleet November 1944 to 1946 Home Fleet 1946 to 1951
Administration Captains (D) afloat 4th Destroyer Flotilla Incomplete list of post holders included:
Rank Name Term Notes Captain (D) afloat 4th Destroyer Flotilla 1 Captain Reginald Y. Tyrwhitt10 August 1909 – 2 August 1910(later Adm. of the Fleet) 2 Captain Mortimer Silver 2 August 1910 – 31 July 1912 3 Captain Wilfred Henderson1 May 1912 – 5 July 19134 Captain Raymond Nugent 8 August 1912 5 Captain Robert Corbett5 July 1913 – 20 August 1913 6 Captain Charles Wintour20 August 1913 – 31 May 1916 7 Captain Charles D. Roper1914 8 Captain Edward Gladstone3 June 1916 – 7 July 1916 9Captain Charles D. Roper8 June 1915 – 6 July 1916 10 Captain Percy Withers6 July 1916 – 7 January 1917 11 Captain Arthur E. Wood1 September 1917 – 1 March 1919 12 Captain Dashwood Moir 21 December 1920 – 15 January 1923 13 Captain Sidney Bailey15 January 1923 – 15 January 1925(later Adm.)14 Captain the Hon. Edward BinghamSeptember, 1923 – 1 October 1924 (later R.Adm.)15 Captain Edmond Mackinnon1 October 1924 – 29 April 1926 16 Captain Cyril Benson13 September 1926 – June, 1928 17 Captain Bertram Watson31 May 1928 – April, 1930 (later V.Adm.)18 Captain Hugh RogersJune 1930 – May, 1932 19 Captain Gerald Harrison29 April 1932 – 18 October 1933 (later R.Adm.)20 Captain Rhoderick McGrigor22 September 1936 (later Adm. of the Fleet) 21 Captain George H. Creswell1 May 1939 – 2 January 1940 22 Captain Philip Louis Vian 1 January 1940 – 12 July 1941 (later Adm. of the Fleet) Flotilla is re-established in 1946 until March 1951.21 Captain Ralph G. Swallow1946-August 1949 22 Captain Deric Holland-MartinAugust 1949 – 1950
Composition 1946 to 1950 Included: , Home Fleet 1946–1948 4th Destroyer Squadron (Leader) (March 1948) (May 1948) * (February 1947 * (June 1947) (December 1946) (April 1947)
, Home Fleet 1949 4th Destroyer Squadron HMS Agincourt (Leader) HMS Aisne HMS Alamein HMS Barrosa HMS Corunna HMS Dunkirk HMS Jutland , Home Fleet 1950 4th Destroyer Squadron HMS Agincourt (Leader) HMS Aisne (to September 1950) HMS Alamein HMS Barrosa HMS Corunna HMS Dunkirk HMS Jutland (to April 1950)
References
Sources
Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. (2018) "Fourth Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell. Hobbs, David (2014). Warships of the Great War Era: A History in Ship Models. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Publishing. . Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployments 1900-1914". www.naval-history.net. G. Smith. Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914-1918". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith. Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) "Royal Navy Organisation in World War 2, 1939-1945". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith. Willmott, H. P. (2009). The Last Century of Sea Power, Volume 1: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894–1922. Bloomington, IN, USA: Indiana University Press. .