2nd Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
The British Royal Navy
2nd Battle Squadron was a naval squadron
consisting of battleship
s. The 2nd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After World War I
the Grand Fleet was reverted back to its original name, the Atlantic Fleet. The squadron changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.
. During the Battle of Jutland, the composition of the 2nd Battle Squadron was as follows:
had been transferred from the 1st Battle Squadron
.
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...
2nd Battle Squadron was a naval 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 2nd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After 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 Grand Fleet was reverted back to its original name, the Atlantic 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 King George VHMS King George V (1911)The first HMS King George V was a King George V-class of 1911 dreadnought, with a displacement of 23,400 tonnes and an armament of ten 13.5 inch guns in twin gun turrets and a secondary armament of sixteen 4 inch guns and had a crew complement of 870, though this increased...
- HMS AjaxHMS Ajax (1912)HMS Ajax was a King George V-class battleship , built at Scotts' shipyard at Greenock on the River Clyde...
- HMS AudaciousHMS Audacious (1912)HMS Audacious was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy. The vessel did not see any combat in the First World War, being sunk by a German naval mine off the northern coast of Donegal, Ireland in 1914.- Design :...
- HMS CenturionHMS Centurion (1911)HMS Centurion was the second battleship of the King George V class, built at HM Dockyard, Devonport.The Battleships of the King George V class had been designed as Dreadnought Battleship....
- HMS ConquerorHMS Conqueror (1911)HMS Conqueror was an Orion class battleship of the Royal Navy. She served in the 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet in World War I, and fought at the Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916, suffering no damage....
- HMS MonarchHMS Monarch (1911)HMS Monarch was an Orion-class battleship of the Royal Navy. She served in the 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet in World War I, and fought at the Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916, suffering no damage....
- HMS OrionHMS Orion (1910)HMS Orion was a dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1910, she was the lead ship of her class; she was the first so-called "super-dreadnought", being the first British dreadnought to mount guns of calibre greater than twelve inches, and the first British dreadnought to have...
- HMS ThundererHMS Thunderer (1911)HMS Thunderer was the third Orion class battleship built for the Royal Navy and was the last vessel to be constructed by Thames Iron Works. She was the last and largest warship ever built on the River Thames, and after her completion her builders declared bankruptcy.By a margin of £1000, she was...
- HMS King George V
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 2nd Battle Squadron was as follows:
-
- First Division
- HMS King George VHMS King George V (1911)The first HMS King George V was a King George V-class of 1911 dreadnought, with a displacement of 23,400 tonnes and an armament of ten 13.5 inch guns in twin gun turrets and a secondary armament of sixteen 4 inch guns and had a crew complement of 870, though this increased...
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 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 Martyn JerramMartyn JerramAdmiral Sir Martyn Jerram GCMG KCB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, China Station.-Naval career:Jerram joined the Royal Navy in 1871....
; 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....
F. L. FieldFrederick Field (Royal Navy officer)Admiral of the Fleet Sir Frederick Laurence Field GCB KCMG was a British Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet who served as First Sea Lord from 1930 to 1933...
; - HMS AjaxHMS Ajax (1912)HMS Ajax was a King George V-class battleship , built at Scotts' shipyard at Greenock on the River Clyde...
Captain G. H. Baird; - HMS CenturionHMS Centurion (1911)HMS Centurion was the second battleship of the King George V class, built at HM Dockyard, Devonport.The Battleships of the King George V class had been designed as Dreadnought Battleship....
Captain M. Culme-SeymourSir Michael Culme-Seymour, 4th BaronetVice-Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 4th Baronet KCB, MVO was an officer of the Royal Navy. A member of a substantial naval dynasty, he served during the First World War, commanding a ship at the Battle of Jutland in 1916...
; - HMS Erin Captain the Honourable V. A. Stanley;
- Second Division
- HMS OrionHMS Orion (1910)HMS Orion was a dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1910, she was the lead ship of her class; she was the first so-called "super-dreadnought", being the first British dreadnought to mount guns of calibre greater than twelve inches, and the first British dreadnought to have...
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. C. LevesonArthur LevesonAdmiral Sir Arthur Cavenagh Leveson GCB was a senior officer in the Royal Navy. He was the Rear Admiral Commanding His Majesty's Australian Fleet between 9 January 1917 and 3 September 1918 and later Commander in Chief, China Station between 10 September 1922 and 22 April 1925.-Biography:Born on...
; Captain O. Backhouse; - HMS MonarchHMS Monarch (1911)HMS Monarch was an Orion-class battleship of the Royal Navy. She served in the 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet in World War I, and fought at the Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916, suffering no damage....
Captain G. H. Borrett; - HMS ConquerorHMS Conqueror (1911)HMS Conqueror was an Orion class battleship of the Royal Navy. She served in the 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet in World War I, and fought at the Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916, suffering no damage....
Captain H. H. D. Tothill; - HMS ThundererHMS Thunderer (1911)HMS Thunderer was the third Orion class battleship built for the Royal Navy and was the last vessel to be constructed by Thames Iron Works. She was the last and largest warship ever built on the River Thames, and after her completion her builders declared bankruptcy.By a margin of £1000, she was...
Captain J. A. FergussonJames Fergusson (Royal Navy officer)Admiral Sir James Andrew Fergusson KCB KCMG was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, America and West Indies Station.-Naval career:...
.
January 1918
By 1918, 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...
had been transferred from the 1st Battle Squadron
1st 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...
.
September 1939
By this time the squadron was in the Home Fleet and consisted of:-
- HMS Royal Oak Flagship of Rear Admiral H. E. C. Blagroven; Captain W.G. Benn;
- HMS Royal SovereignHMS Royal Sovereign (05)HMS Royal Sovereign was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy displacing and armed with eight guns in four twin turrets...
Captain L. V. Morgan; - HMS RamiliesHMS Ramillies (07)HMS Ramillies was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after the Battle of Ramillies. The ship is notable for having served in both the First and Second World Wars...
Captain H. T. Baillie-Grohman; - HMS Nelson Captain G. J. A. Miles;
- HMS Rodney Captain E. N. SyfretEdward Neville SyfretAdmiral Sir Edward Neville Syfret GCB, KBE was a British naval officer who served with the Royal Navy in World War I and World War II. He was knighted for his part in Operation Pedestal, the critical Malta convoy...
.