4th Battle Squadron
Active	1912–1924
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Size	Squadron

The British Royal Navy 4th Battle Squadron was a squadron consisting of battleships. The 4th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During World War I the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet. The squadron changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.

History[edit]

First World War[edit]

HMS Dreadnought

August 1914[edit]

On 5 August 1914, the squadron was constituted as follows:^[1]

• HMS Agincourt
• HMS Bellerophon
• HMS Dreadnought
• HMS Temeraire

January 1915[edit]

The ships of the 4th Battle Squadron, HMS Benbow, HMS Agincourt, HMS Bellerophon, and HMS Temeraire steaming in the North Sea, 1915.

By January 1915, the composition had changed slightly:^[1]

• HMS Agincourt
• HMS Bellerophon
• HMS Dreadnought
• HMS Temeraire
• HMS Benbow
• HMS Emperor of India
• HMS Erin

Battle of Jutland, June 1916[edit]

As an element in the Grand Fleet, the squadron participated in the Battle of Jutland. During the Battle of Jutland, the composition of the 4th Battle Squadron was as follows:^[2]

• Third Division
• HMS Iron Duke, fleet flagship of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe; Captain Frederic Dreyer;
• HMS Royal Oak, Captain C. Maclachlan;
• HMS Superb, flagship of Rear Admiral A. L. Duff; Captain E. Hyde-Parker;
• HMS Canada, Captain W. C. M. Nicholson;

• Fourth Division
• HMS Benbow, flagship of Vice Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee; Captain H. W. Parker;
• HMS Bellerophon, Captain E. F. Bruen;
• HMS Temeraire, Captain E. V. Underhill;
• HMS Vanguard Captain J. D. Dick;

January 1917[edit]

Following the Battle of Jutland, the 4th Battle Squadron was reorganized, with Colossus, Hercules, St. Vincent, Collingwood and Neptune all transferred from the 1st Battle Squadron. In January 1917, the squadron was constituted as follows:^[3]

• HMS Bellerophon
• HMS Temeraire
• HMS Vanguard
• HMS Superb
• HMS Colossus
• HMS Hercules
• HMS Neptune
• HMS St. Vincent
• HMS Collingwood

After the loss of HMS Vanguard in July 1917, HMS Superb and HMS Temeraire were detached to the Mediterranean in 1918. HMS Dreadnought rejoined the squadron as flagship in March 1918.

Commanders[edit]

Commanders were as follows:^[4]

• Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Briggs (1912-1914)
• Vice-Admiral Sir Douglas Gamble (1914-1915)
• Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee (1915-1918)
• Vice-Admiral Sir Montague Browning (1918-1919)
• Vice-Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour (1919-1920)
• Rear-Admiral Richard Webb (1920-1922)
• Rear-Admiral John Kelly (1922-1923)
• Rear-Admiral Hugh Watson (1923-1924)

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

• Dittmar, Frederick J; Colledge, J. J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7110-0380-4. 
• MacIntyre, Donald (1957). Jutland. London: Evans Brothers. ISBN 978-0-330-20142-1.