| Auxiliary Patrol | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1914–1919 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Rear-Admiral John de Robeck |
The Auxiliary Patrol was an antisubmarine patrols initiative by the British to help combat German submarine operations in the early stages of World War I. It was under the command of the Admiral of Patrols at the Admiralty and was the pioneer of anti-submarine warfare.
On May 1, 1912 the post of Admiral of Patrols was established responsible for five destroyer flotillas covering waters around the British Isles. In 1914, the Board of Admiralty sent an order the Admiralty War Staff to re-evaluate the functional role the patrol flotillas off the Eastern Coast of Britain the First Sea Lord indicated that the current function of patrolling would now be that of coastal defence. After the implementation took place Rear Admiral John de Robeck was then replaced as ADMOP by a new commander Commodore George A. Ballard. [1] He assumed the duties of Admiral of Patrols on the 1 May 1914 [2] the auxiliary patrol was then a component part of the Admiral of Patrols command until 1917.
The majority of British trawlers were commandeered by the Admiralty, and those left were obliged to fish in groups of 20 with additional protection.
The Auxiliary Patrol was crewed by fishermen and led mainly by Merchant Navy men commissioned into the Royal Naval Reserve. They operated as trawlers do, in all weathers. Their trawlers were retrofitted with armaments, typically 3-pdr,6-pdr or 12-pounder guns as well as 7.5-inch Bomb Throwers (Anti Submarine howitzers). Specialist crew such as signallers and gunners were also put on board.
Later in the war the Admiralty built three classes of larger trawlers as well as developing a new special class of minesweeper.
By the Second World War, the Royal Navy had formed a specialist minesweeping capability, and the Royal Naval Patrol Service was formed, known to many as "Harry Tate's Navy".
In 1914 new patrol areas were designated "Auxiliary" that covered UK waters.
The Mediterranean Sea was divided into patrol zones dividing responsibility between the British, French and Italian navies.
The Department of Miscellaneous Weapons Development (DMWD), also known as the Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapon Development and colloquially known as the Wheezers and Dodgers, was a department of the British Admiralty responsible for the development of various unconventional weapons during World War II.
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The Anti-Submarine Division its original name, was the former anti-submarine warfare, planning and prevention directorate of the Admiralty Department from 1912 to 1963.
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The Admiralty Gunnery Establishment (AGE), originally known as Fire Control Group (ARL) and later known as the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment (ASWE), was an admiralty research department primarily responsible for Army and Navy gunfire control work between 1931 and 1959.
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The Admiral Commanding, Reserves, was a senior Royal Navy post that existed from 1875 to 1976.
The Admiralty Central Metallurgical Laboratory was a specialist research unit of the British Royal Navy from 1936 to 1956.
The Flag Officer-in-Charge, Humber was a Royal Navy officer who administered naval forces located at Immingham and Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. His formation was sometimes known as the Humber Station or Humber Area. In World War I it was a sub-command of the Admiral of Patrols from 1914 to 1916, then came under the Commander-in-Chief at the Nore until 1921. In World War II the FOIC was responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.
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The Admiralty Experimental Station was a research department of the British Admiralty set up in 1915. Initially its research centred round submarine detection methods. In 1921 its remit was expanded and it was renamed the Admiralty Research Laboratory.