The First Cruiser Squadron was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

squadron of cruisers that saw service as part of the

Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from the ...

during the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

then later as part of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

during the

Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

it first established in 1904 and existed until 1952.

History

First formation

The squadron was formed in December 1904 when

Cruiser Squadron The Cruiser Squadron was a naval formation of the British Home Fleet consisting of Armored cruisers of the Royal Navy from 1899 to 1905. History In October 1899 the Royal Navy's Training Squadron consisting mainly of sailing ships was abolished. ...

was re-designated the 1st Cruiser Squadron. In March 1909, then consisting of

battlecruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...

s, it was assigned to the 1st Division of the

Home Fleet 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. Before the First ...

until April 1912. When the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

began, the squadron was assigned to the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...

where it participated in the pursuit of the German

and the

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

. It joined then Grand Fleet in January 1915 where it participated in the battles of

Dogger Bank Dogger Bank (Dutch: ''Doggersbank'', German: ''Doggerbank'', Danish: ''Doggerbanke'') is a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about off the east coast of England. During the last ice age the bank was part of a large landmass c ...

and the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

. It was disbanded after the battle as three of its four ships had been sunk in June 1916. In July 1917 H.M. Ships , and 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:

Composition, April–May 1907

As per: * * * *

Composition, First World War

=August 1914

= As of: :Armoured cruisers * - Flagship of

Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarded ...

Ernest C. T. Troubridge. Captain Fawcet Wray * - Captain Frederick D. Gilpin-Brown * - Captain Henry Blackett * - Captain George H. Borrett Light cruisers

* - Captain Sidney R. Drury-Lowe * - Captain John D. Kelly * - Captain

Howard Kelly Howard Kelly may refer to: * Howard Kelly (Royal Navy officer) - (1873-1952) Royal Navy admiral * Howard Atwood Kelly Howard Atwood Kelly (February 20, 1858 – January 12, 1943) was an American gynecologist. He obtained his B.A. degree and M.D ...

* - Captain William D. Church

=24 January 1915

= As of: * ''Duke of Edinburgh'' - Temporary flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot * ''Black Prince'' * ''Warrior''

=22 February 1915

= As of: * ''Defence'' - Flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot * ''Duke of Edinburgh'' * ''Black Prince'' * ''Warrior''

=30 May 1916

= As of: * ''Defence'' - Flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot * ''Duke of Edinburgh'' * ''Black Prince'' * ''Warrior''

=October 1917

= As of: * * *

=17 November 1917

= As of: * ''Courageous'' * ''Glorious''

Second formation

In October 1924 the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron is re-designated 1st Cruiser Squadron this takes effect in November 1924 and reformed as an enlarged unit of the

under the command Rear Admiral Arthur K.Waistell.

Louis Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

served as commander of the squadron in the Mediterranean Fleet and, having been granted the substantive rank of vice admiral on 22 June 1949, he became Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1950.

Rear/Vice Admiral commanding

Post holders included:

Deployments

Included:

Footnotes

References

* * * * *

External links

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Cruiser squadrons of the Royal Navy Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War I