The Battlecruiser Squadron was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

squadron of

battlecruisers 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 ...

that saw service from 1919 to the early part of the

Second World War 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Its best-known constituent ship was HMS ''Hood'', "The Mighty Hood", which was lost in the

Battle of the Denmark Strait The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a naval engagement in the Second World War, which took place on 24 May 1941 between ships of the Royal Navy and the ''Kriegsmarine''. The British battleship and the battlecruiser fought the German battles ...

on 24 May 1941. Following the loss of HMS ''Repulse'' on 10 December 1941, Battlecruiser Squadron was disbanded. Its last surviving member, HMS ''Renown'', survived World War II and was removed from service and scrapped in 1948.

Formation

During 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 fig ...

, the Royal Navy had initially maintained three squadrons of battlecruisers, until losses at 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 Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vic ...

had reduced the number of available battlecruisers sufficiently to warrant a reduction to two squadrons. Following the War, battlecruiser numbers were again increased to three, with a fourth building. In late 1919, the Battlecruiser Squadron was formed, consisting of HMS ''Tiger'', flagship of Rear Admiral Sir Roger B. Keyes, KCB, KCVO, CMG, along with and HMS ''Repulse''. HMS ''Tiger'' was removed from operational service with the commissioning of in May 1920, and relegated to a training role. HMS ''Hood'' then became the flagship of the Battlecruiser Squadron on 18 May 1920.

Special Service Squadron

In 1923, HMS ''Hood'' and HMS ''Repulse'', along with several smaller ships of the First Light Cruiser Squadron, formed part of the

Special Service Squadron The Special Service Squadron was a component of the United States Navy during the earlier part of the 20th century. The squadron patrolled the Caribbean Sea as an instrument of gunboat diplomacy. It was headquartered in Balboa, Panama Canal Zo ...

, under command of Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Field. The Squadron departed Devonport on 27 November 1923 and returned on 29 September 1924 after travelling around the world.

Inter-War Period

''Hood'' was decommissioned for a major overhaul from May 1929 to May 1931. During this period, flagship duties were transferred to ''Renown'', and ''Tiger'' was returned to active service, to maintain the three ship strength of the squadron. Following her recommissioning, ''Hood'' again became flagship of the squadron, and remained the flagship until her loss on 24 May 1941. ''Tiger'' was decommissioned on 30 March 1931 and scrapped shortly after.

Dissolution

HMS ''Hood'' was lost in action with the German battleship '' Bismarck'' at the

Battle of Denmark Strait The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a naval engagement in the Second World War, which took place on 24 May 1941 between ships of the Royal Navy and the ''Kriegsmarine''. The British battleship and the battlecruiser fought the German battles ...

on 24 May 1941. HMS ''Repulse'' was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Kuantan, Malaya on 10 December 1941. With the loss of the ''Hood'' and later the ''Repulse'', the squadron ceased to exist. HMS ''Renown'' survived the war and was scrapped in 1948.

Rear-Admiral/Vice-Admiral commanding

Included:

References

External links

{{Battle Cruiser squadrons of the Royal Navy, state=collapsed Battlecruiser squadrons of the Royal Navy Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War II Military units and formations established in 1919 Military units and formations disestablished in 1941