The Battlecruiser Squadron was a Royal Navy

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...

 squadron of battlecruisers that saw service from 1919 to the early part of the Second World War.

Formation

During the First World War, the Royal Navy had initially maintained three squadrons of battlecruisers, until losses at the Battle of Jutland

Battle 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...

 had reduced the number of available battlecruisers sufficiently to warrant a reduction to two squadrons. Following the War, battlecruiser numbers were again reduced to three, with a fourth building.

In late 1919, the Battlecruiser Squadron was formed, consisting of HMS Tiger

HMS Tiger (1913)

The 11th HMS Tiger was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy, built by John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland, and launched in 1913. Tiger was the most heavily armoured battlecruiser of the Royal Navy at the start of the First World War although she was still being finished when the war began...

, flagship of Rear Admiral Sir Roger B. Keyes, KCB, KCVO, CMG, along with HMS Renown

HMS Renown (1916)

HMS Renown was the lead ship of her class of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...

 and HMS Repulse

HMS Repulse (1916)

HMS Repulse was a Renown-class battlecruiser of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...

. HMS Tiger was removed from operational service with the commissioning of HMS Hood

HMS Hood (51)

HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. One of four s ordered in mid-1916, her design—although drastically revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction—still had serious limitations. For this reason she was the only ship of her class to be...

 in May 1920, and relegated to a training role. HMS Hood then became the flagship of the Battlecruiser Squadron on 18 May 1920.

Special Service Squadron

In 1923, HMS Hood and HMS Repulse, along with several smaller ships of the First Light Cruiser Squadron, formed part of the Special Service Squadron

Cruise of the Special Service Squadron

In 1923-24, HMS Hood and the Special Service Squadron sailed around the world on The Empire Cruise, visiting many ports of call in the countries which had fought together during the First World War. The Squadron departed Devonport on 27 November 1923 and headed for Sierra Leone...

, under command of Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Field

Frederick 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...

. The Squadron departed Devonport on 27 November 1923 and returned on 29 September 1924 after travelling around the world.

Inter-War Period

HMS Hood was decommissioned for a major overhaul from May 1929 to May 1931. During this period, HMS Tiger was returned to active service, to maintain the three ship strength of the squadron. Following her recomissioning, Hood again became flagship of the squadron, and remained the flagship until her loss on 24 May 1941. HMS Tiger was decommissioned on 30 March 1931 and scrapped shortly after.

Dissolution

HMS Hood was lost in combat with the German battleship Bismarck

German battleship Bismarck

Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...

at the Battle of Denmark Strait on 24 May 1941. HMS Repulse was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Singapore on 10 December 1941. With the loss of the Hood and later the Repulse, the squadron ceased to exist. HMS Renown survived the war and was scrapped in 1948.

Commanding officers

List of Admirals in charge and period in charge

Sir Roger B. Keyes, KCB, KCVO, CMG	1919 - 31 Mar 1921
Sir Walter H. Cowan, DSO Walter Cowan Admiral Sir Walter Henry Cowan, 1st Baronet, KCB, MVO, DSO & & Bar , known as Tich Cowan, was a British Royal Navy admiral who saw service in both World War I and World War II; in the latter he was one of the oldest British servicemen on active duty.-Early days:Cowan was born in Crickhowell,...	31 Mar 1921 - 15 May 1923
Sir Frederick L Field Frederick 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...	15 May 1923 - 30 Apr 1925
Cyril T.M. Fuller, CB, CMG, DSO Cyril Fuller Admiral Sir Cyril Thomas Moulden Fuller KCB CMG DSO was a senior Royal Navy officer who went on to be Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel.-Naval career:Fuller joined the Royal Navy in 1887...	30 Apr 1925 - 21 May 1927
Sir Frederic C. Dreyer, CB, CBE Frederic Charles Dreyer Admiral Sir Frederic Charles Dreyer, GBE, KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy who developed a fire control system for British warships...	21 May 1927 - 1 May 1929
Wilfred Tomkinson, CB, MVO	1 May 1929 - 15 Aug 1932
Sir William M. James, CB William Milbourne James Admiral Sir William Milbourne James GCB was a British Naval commander, politician and author, perhaps most notable for his activities in the Naval Intelligence Division in the First World War.-Family:...	15 Aug 1932 - 14 Aug 1934
Sir Sidney R. Bailey, CB, CBE, DSO	14 Aug 1934 - 22 Jul 1936
Sir Geoffrey Blake, CB, DSO Geoffrey Blake (Royal Navy officer) Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Blake, KCB, DSO was an officer in the Royal Navy who went on to be Fourth Sea Lord.-Naval career:...	22 Jul 1936 - 3 Jul 1937
Sir Andrew B. Cunningham, CB, DSO Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope KT, GCB, OM, DSO and two Bars , was a British admiral of the Second World War. Cunningham was widely known by his nickname, "ABC"....	3 Jul 1937 - 23 Jul 1938
Geoffrey Layton, CB, DSO Geoffrey Layton Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton GBE, KCB, KCMG, DSO , was a British Royal Navy officer.-Early life and career:...	23 Jul 1938 - 1 June 1939
William J. Whitworth, CB, DSO William Whitworth Admiral Sir William Jock Whitworth KCB DSO was a senior Royal Navy officer who went on to be Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel.-Naval career:...	1 Jun 1939 - 11 Mar 1940
Sir James Somerville, KCB, DSO James Somerville Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville GCB, GBE, DSO was one of the most famous British Admirals of World War II.-Early career:...	30 Jun - 10 Aug 1940
William J. Whitworth, CB, DSO William Whitworth Admiral Sir William Jock Whitworth KCB DSO was a senior Royal Navy officer who went on to be Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel.-Naval career:...	10 Aug 1940 - 8 May 1941
Lancelot E. Holland, CB Lancelot Holland Vice Admiral Lancelot Ernest Holland, CB commanded the British force in the Battle of Denmark Strait in May, 1941 against the German battleship Bismarck. Holland was killed during the battle.-Early life:...	12–24 May 1941