| 1st Destroyer Flotilla | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1907; formal July 1909–July 1940, 1947-1951 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Size | Flotilla |
| Engagements | World War I World War II |
| Commanders | |
| First | Commodore Edward F. B. Charlton |
| Last | Captain Michael S. Townsend |
The 1st Destroyer Flotilla, also styled as the First Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the British Royal Navy from 1909 to 1940 and again from 1947 to 1951.
In May 1906, the First Destroyer Flotilla was attached to the Channel Fleet. The flotilla was attached alongside the 2nd and 3rd Destroyer Flotillas. [1] Between February and August 1907, it was stationed in Portsmouth until being reassigned to the Channel Fleet. In February 1909 the flotilla was transferred to the 1st Division of the Home Fleet. On 27 July 1909, it was placed under the command of Commodore Edward F. B. Charlton until 1910. From May 1912 to July 1914 the flotilla was allocated to the First Fleet of the Home Fleet.
At the outbreak of war in July, 1914, the First Destroyer Flotilla was part of the First Fleet and was composed of 20 destroyers, 1 depot ship, and 1 scout cruiser. In August 1914 it was grouped with two other flotillas to form the Harwich Force as part of the Grand Fleet, under the command of Reginald Tyrwhitt, until November 1916. The flotilla was next assigned to the Harwich Force where it remained until April 1917. From May 1917 until December 1918 it was in the Portsmouth Command. [1] [2]
After World War One the flotilla was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet from November 1918 to April 1925. In 1925 it was re-designated 5th Destroyer Flotilla and assigned to its first overseas station as part of the Mediterranean Fleet until 1932. [3] It was renamed back to the 1st Destroyer Flotilla still with the Med Fleet until August 1938. [4]
At the beginning of World War Two in September 1939, the flotilla was placed under the command of the Rear-Admiral, Destroyer Flotillas Mediterranean Fleet where it remained until July 1940 when it was moved to the Portsmouth Command, till May 1945. [5] Post the Second World War the Flotilla was reformed again as part of the Mediterranean Fleet in July 1945 until October 1951 when it was renamed 1st Destroyer Squadron.
Command structure organizational changes took place within the Royal Navy during the 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. [6]
| Assigned to | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Channel Fleet | March 1907 to February 1909 | |
| Home Fleet, 1st Division | March 1909 to April 1912 | |
| Home Fleets, First Fleet | May 1912 to July 1914 | |
| Grand Fleet | August 1914 to November 1916 | |
| Harwich Force | November 1916 to April 1917 | |
| Portsmouth Command | April 1917 to November 1918 | |
| Atlantic Fleet | November 1918 to- April 1925 | renumbered 5DF |
| Mediterranean Fleet | September to July 1940 | |
| Portsmouth Command | July 1940 to May 1945 | |
| Mediterranean Fleet | July 1945 to October 1951 |
In the Royal Navy, a Captain (D) afloat or Captain Destroyers afloat is an operational commander responsible for the command of destroyer flotilla or squadron.
Incomplete list of post holders included: [7]
| Rank | Name | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commodore | Edward F. B. Charlton | 27 July 1909 – after 27 June 1910 | |
| 2 | Commodore 2nd class | Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot | 29 November 1910 – 1 May 1912 | later R.Adm. |
| 3 | Captain | Arthur R. Hulbert | 10 May 1912 – 12 January 1913 | |
| 4 | Captain | Thomas L. Shelford | 20 January 1913 | |
| 5 | Captain | William F. Blunt | 25 April 1913 – 25 July 1915 | (later R.Adm) [8] |
| 6 | Captain | Charles D. Roper | 27 July 1915 – 8 June 1916 | |
| 7 | Captain | Brien M. Money | 1 March 1919 – 4 April 1919 | |
| 8 | Captain | George W. McO. Campbell | 4 April 1919 – 1 December 1920 | (later V. Adm) |
| 9 | Captain | Arthur K. Betty | 1 December 1920 – 19 December 1922 | |
| 10 | Captain | Sir Andrew B. Cunningham | 19 December 1922 – 1 July 1924 | (later Adm. of the Fleet) |
| 11 | Captain | Kenneth MacLeod | 1 July 1924 – 1 April 1925 | |
| 12 | Captain | James V. Creagh | 7 July 1925 – October, 1927 | |
| 13 | Captain | John H. K. Clegg | 11 October 1927 – 7 December 1929 | |
| 14 | Captain | Alan R. Dewar | 6 November 1929 – 10 December 1931 | (later R.Adm) |
| 15 | Captain | Edward B. Cloete | 10 December 1931 – December, 1932 | |
| 16 | Captain | Charles F. Harris | 12 December 1932 - 18 May 1936 | |
| 17 | Captain | Charles M. Blackman | 18 May 1936 - 25 June 1940 | |
| 18 | Captain | Augustine W. S. Agar | 25 June 1940 – 13 July 1940 | (later Cmdre.) flotilla disbanded |
| 19 | Captain | R. Dymock Watson | 1947 - October 1948 | flotilla reformed |
| 20 | Captain | John E.H. McBeath | October 1948 - April 1950 | |
| 21 | Captain | Michael S. Townsend | April 1950 - October 1951 | flotilla renamed 1st Destroyer Squadron |
The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet.
The Atlantic Fleet was a naval fleet of the Royal Navy. It existed for two separate periods; 1909 until 1914, and then 1919 until 1932.
The Battle Cruiser Fleet, (BCF), later known as Battle Cruiser Force, a naval formation of fast battlecruisers of the Royal Navy, operated from 1915 to 1919.
The 3rd Destroyer Squadron was a naval unit of the Royal Navy from 1952 to 2001.
The 2nd Division was a naval formation of the British Home Fleet it was formed before First World War in March 1909 and was active until May 1912.
The 9th Cruiser Squadron was a formation of cruisers of the Royal Navy from 1912 to 1919 and again from 1939 to 1940. Cruiser squadrons consisted of five to six ships in wartime and in peacetime as low as two to three ships. From 1914 until 1924/25 they were designated as Light Cruiser Squadrons then after 1925 redesignated as Cruiser Squadrons.
The 11th Cruiser Squadron and also known as Cruiser Force E was a formation of cruisers of the British Royal Navy from 1914 to 1917 and again from 1939 to 1940.
The British 2nd Destroyer Flotilla was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from 1909 to 1943 and again from 1945 to 1946.
The British 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, also styled as Third Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from 1909 to 1939 and again from 1945 to 1951.
The British 5th Destroyer Flotilla, or Fifth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from 1910 to 1942 and again from 1947 to 1951.
The British 4th Destroyer Flotilla , or Fourth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from August 1909 to July 1951.
The 8th Destroyer Flotilla, also styled as the Eighth Destroyer Flotilla, was a military formation of the British Royal Navy from 1911 to 1939.
The 9th Destroyer Flotilla, or Ninth Destroyer Flotilla, was a military formation of the British Royal Navy from January 1913 to December 1925 and again in January to July 1940.
The British 11th Destroyer Flotilla, or Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from August 1915 to September 1945.
The British 12th Destroyer Flotilla, or Twelfth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from November 1915 to March 1919 and again from September 1939 to 2 July 1943.
The British 13th Destroyer Flotilla, or Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from November 1915 – November 1918 and again from September 1939 to January 1944.
The14th Destroyer Flotilla, or Fourteenth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the British Royal Navy from April 1916 to 11 February 1919 and again from 1 June 1940 to January 1944.
The15th Destroyer Flotilla, or Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the British Royal Navy from August 1916 to March 1919 and again from September 1939 to May 1945.
The Black Sea and Caspian Squadron, also known as the Black Sea and Marmora Force and the Black Sea and Marmora Division, was a naval formation of the British Mediterranean Fleet from 1918 to 1919.
