The 8th Cruiser Squadron was a temporary formation of
cruisers of the British
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 ...
from 1912 to 1914. and again from 1924/25 to 1942.
The Royal Navy's cruiser squadrons contained a maximum of five to six ships but down as low as two to three ships. From 1914 they were usually designated as Light Cruiser Squadrons, while after 1925 they were re-designated Cruiser Squadrons.
History
First Formation
The 8th Cruiser Squadron was a temporary naval unit attached to the
Third Fleet
The United States Third Fleet is one of the numbered fleets in the United States Navy. Third Fleet's area of responsibility includes approximately fifty million square miles of the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean areas including the Bering ...
. The then
Admiral of Patrols
The Admiral of Patrols was a former command appointment within the Admiralty during world war one usually held by a junior flag officer the post was established from 1912 to 1916.
History
In the preceding years before world war the Admiralty we ...
, Rear-Admiral J. M. de Robeck, assumed command on 26 July 1914, (for Test Mobilisation), however the squadron was never officially constituted. De Robeck was then given command of the
9th Cruiser Squadron also known as ''Cruiser Force I'' on 4 August 1914.
Second Formation
In 1924/25 the 8th Light Cruiser Squadron was re-designated 8th Cruiser Squadron and came under the direct command of the Commander-in-Chief
North America and West Indies until 1942.
Rear/Vice-Admiral commanding
First Formation
:Squadron disbanded
Second formation
Of note: The squadron was under direct command of the
Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies
Notes
References
* Tennyson, Brian Douglas; Sarty, Roger (2000). Guardian of the Gulf: Sydney, Cape Breton, and the Atlantic Wars. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press. .
* Tucker, Spencer; Wood, Laura Matysek; Murphy, Justin D. (1999). The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. Oxford, England: Taylor & Francis. .
* Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) "Royal Navy Organization and Ship Deployments 1900-1914". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.
* Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) "Royal Navy Organization and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1919-1939: 6. CRUISER DEPLOYMENT 1919-1939". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.
* Watson, Dr Gordon. (2015) "Royal Navy Organization in World War 2, 1939-1945: AMERICA AND WEST INDIES COMMAND, 1939-1942". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.
{{Cruiser squadrons of the Royal Navy, state=collapsed
Cruiser squadrons of the Royal Navy
Ship squadrons of the Royal Navy in World War I