1st Cruiser Squadron

1st Cruiser Squadron
Active	1904–1952
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	British Empire
Branch	Royal Navy
Engagements	Battle of Dogger Bank Battle of Jutland

The First Cruiser Squadron was a Royal Navy squadron of cruisers that saw service as part of the Grand Fleet during World War I, then later as part of the Mediterranean during the Interwar period and World War II. It was first established in 1904 and existed until 1952.

History

First formation

The squadron was formed in December 1904 when Cruiser Squadron was re-designated the 1st Cruiser Squadron. In March 1909, then consisting of battlecruisers, it was assigned to the 1st Division of the Home Fleet until April 1912. When the First World War began, the squadron was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet where it participated in the pursuit of the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and the light cruiser SMS Breslau. It joined then Grand Fleet in January 1915 where it participated in the battles of Dogger Bank and the Battle of Jutland. It was disbanded after the battle as three of its four ships had been sunk in June 1916. In July 1917 H.M. Ships Courageous, Glorious and Furious were detached from the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron and named the First Cruiser Squadron, part of the newly formed Light Cruiser Force. It remained part of Light Cruiser Force until April 1919 when it was once again disbanded.

Rear/Vice Admiral commanding

Post holders included: ^{[1] [2]}

	Rank	Flag	Name	Term
Rear-Admiral/Vice-Admiral Commanding, 1st Cruiser Squadron [3]
1	Rear-Admiral		Edmund S. Poe	December, 1904 - July, 1905
2	Rear-Admiral		George Neville	July, 1905 - July, 1907
3	Rear-Admiral		Sir Percy M. Scott	July, 1907 - September, 1908
4	Rear-Admiral		Charles H. Adair	September, 1908 - February, 1909
5	Rear-Admiral		Hon. Stanley C. J. Colville	February, 1909 - February, 1911
6	Rear-Admiral		Lewis Bayly	February, 1911 - January, 1913
7	Rear-Admiral		Ernest C.T. Troubridge	January, 1913 - September, 1914
8	Rear-Admiral		Sir Archibald G. H.W. Moore	November, 1914 - January, 1915
9	Rear-Admiral		Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot   †	January, 1915 - May, 1916
squadron disbanded 06/1916 - 06/1917
10	Vice-Admiral		Trevylyan D.W.Napier	July, 1917 - April, 1919
squadron disbanded 1919-1924

Composition, April–May 1907

As per: ^[4]

• Good Hope
• Roxburgh
• Hampshire
• Argyll

Composition, First World War

HMS Black Prince

August 1914

As of: ^[5]

Armoured cruisers

• Defence - Flagship of Rear-Admiral Ernest C. T. Troubridge. Captain Fawcet Wray
• Black Prince - Captain Frederick D. Gilpin-Brown
• Duke of Edinburgh - Captain Henry Blackett
• Warrior - Captain George H. Borrett

Light cruisers

Commander Sidney R. Drury-Lowe, R. N.

• Chatham - Captain Sidney R. Drury-Lowe
• Dublin - Captain John D. Kelly
• Gloucester - Captain Howard Kelly
• Weymouth - Captain William D. Church

24 January 1915

As of: ^[6]

• Duke of Edinburgh - Temporary flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot
• Black Prince
• Warrior

22 February 1915

As of: ^[7]

• Defence - Flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot
• Duke of Edinburgh
• Black Prince
• Warrior

30 May 1916

As of: ^[8]

• Defence - Flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot. Captain Stanley Venn Ellis
• Duke of Edinburgh
• Black Prince
• Warrior

October 1917

As of: ^[9]

• Courageous
• Glorious
• Furious

17 November 1917

As of: ^[10]

• Courageous
• Glorious

Second formation

In October 1924 the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron was re-designated the 1st Cruiser Squadron. This took effect in November 1924 and the squadron was reformed as an enlarged unit of the Mediterranean Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Arthur Waistell.

In June 1942 the squadron under the commander of Rear-Admiral Louis Keppel Hamilton was assigned to provide distant cover for Convoy PQ 17. The squadron consisted of the British cruisers HMS London (flagship) and Norfolk, the American cruisers USS Wichita and Tuscaloosa and four destroyers, two from the United States Navy. Louis Mountbatten served as commander of the squadron in the Mediterranean Fleet after the war. Having been granted the substantive rank of vice admiral on 22 June 1949, Mountbatten became Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1950.

Rear/Vice Admiral commanding

Post holders included: ^{[11] [12]}

	Rank	Flag	Name	Term
Rear-Admiral/Vice-Admiral Commanding, 1st Cruiser Squadron [13]
1	Rear-Admiral		Arthur K.Waistell	November, 1924 - October, 1926
2	Rear-Admiral		William H.D. Boyle	October, 1926 - October, 1928
3	Rear-Admiral		Henry W. Parker	October, 1928 - March, 1930
4	Rear-Admiral		Joseph Henley C. W. Henley	March, 1930 -April 1932
5	Rear-Admiral		George K. Chetwode	April, 1932 - June, 1933
6	Vice-Admiral		John K. im Thurn	June, 1933 - July, 1935
7	Vice-Admiral		Max K. Horton	July, 1935 - October, 1936
8	Vice-Admiral		Charles E.Kennedy-Purvis	October, 1936-September, 1938
9	Vice-Admiral		John H. D. Cunningham	September, 1938 - December, 1940
10	Rear-Admiral		W. Frederic Wake-Walker	December, 1940 - February 1942
11	Rear-Admiral		Louis H.K. Hamilton	February 1942 - August, 1943
12	Vice-Admiral		Arthur F.E. Palliser	August, 1943 - March, 1944
13	Vice-Admiral		Sir Rhoderick R. McGrigor	March, 1944 - July 1945
14	Rear-Admiral		Harold R.G. Kinahan	June, 1946 - June, 1947
15	Rear-Admiral		Richard V. Symonds-Tayler	June, 1947 - October, 1948
16	Vice-Admiral		Earl Mountbatten of Burma	October, 1948 - May, 1950
17	Rear-Admiral		C.T. Mark Pizey	May, 1950 - July, 1951
18	Vice-Admiral		Ralph A.B. Edwards	July, 1951 – 1952

Deployments

Included: ^[14]

from	to	deployed to	notes
March 1909	April 1912	1st Division, Home Fleet
July 1914	January 1915	Mediterranean Fleet
January 1915	June 1916	Grand Fleet
July 1917	April 1919	Light Cruiser Force
November 1924	August 1939	Mediterranean Fleet
August 1939	1952	Home Fleet

Footnotes

1. Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie, December 2017. pp. 206–209. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
2. Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "First Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Lovelll and Harley, 30 August 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
3. Government, H.M. (October 1913). "Flag Officers - Vice Admirals". The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 87.
4. Sieche, p. 146
5. Corbett, I, p. 440
6. Corbett, II, p. 413
7. Corbett, II, p. 418
8. Corbett, III, p. 429
9. Newbolt, V, p. 152
10. Newbolt, V, p. 168
11. Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie, December 2017. pp. 206–209. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
12. Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "First Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Lovelll and Harley, 30 August 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
13. Government, H.M. (October 1913). "Flag Officers - Vice Admirals". The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 87.
14. Houterman, J.N. "Royal Navy, Squadrons 1939-1945". www.unithistories.com. J.N. Houterman, 2010-2017. Retrieved 25 March 2018.

References

• Corbett, Julian. Naval Operations to the Battle of the Falklands. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol. I (2nd, reprint of the 1938 ed.). London and Nashville, TN: Imperial War Museum and Battery Press. ISBN   0-89839-256-X.
• Corbett, Julian (1997). Naval Operations. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol. II (reprint of the 1929 second ed.). London and Nashville, TN: Imperial War Museum in association with the Battery Press. ISBN   1-870423-74-7.
• Corbett, Julian (1997). Naval Operations. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol. III (reprint of the 1940 second ed.). London and Nashville, TN: Imperial War Museum in association with the Battery Press. ISBN   1-870423-50-X.
• Newbolt, Henry (1996). Naval Operations. History of the Great War Based on Official Documents. Vol. V (reprint of the 1931 ed.). Nashville, TN: Battery Press. ISBN   0-89839-255-1.
• Sieche, Erwin F. (1990). "Austria-Hungary's Last Visit to the USA". Warship International. XXVII (2): 142–164. ISSN   0043-0374.