6th Battle Squadron
| 6th Battle Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1913–1917 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Squadron |
The 6th Battle Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of Battleships serving in the Grand Fleet and existed from 1913 to 1917.
History
First World War
August 1914
In August 1914, the 6th Battle Squadron was based at Portland and comprised a number of the older pre-dreadnought battleships it was then assigned to the Second Fleet[1] these included:
- HMS Lord Nelson
- HMS Agamemnon
- HMS Russell
- HMS Albemarle
- HMS Cornwallis
- HMS Duncan
- HMS Exmouth
- HMS Vengeance
HMS Lord Nelson and Agamemnon transferred to the 5th Battle Squadron in late 1914. HMS Revenge briefly joined the squadron in 1915, before the squadron was broken up. Most of the ships were sent to the Mediterranean.
Reformation
On 13 November 1917, Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman broke his flag in USS New York as Commander, Battleship Division 9. After preparations for "distant service", USS Wyoming, New York, Delaware, and Florida sailed for the British Isles on 25 November and reached Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, on 7 December 1917. Although retaining their American designation as Battleship Division 9, those four dreadnoughts became the Sixth Battle Squadron of the British Grand Fleet upon arrival in British waters. The 6th Battle Squadron operated from Scapa Flow and Rosyth.
The U.S. Battleships serving in the 6th Battle Squadron were:
- USS Florida
- USS Wyoming
- USS New York
- USS Delaware
- USS Texas - arrived January 1918
- USS Arkansas - replaced USS Delaware July 1918
Vice and Rear-Admirals commanding
Post holders as follows:[2][3]
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice/Rear-Admiral, Commanding, 6th Battle Squadron | |||||
| 1 | Vice-Admiral |  |
Sir Alexander Bethell | 15 July 1913 | as 6BS 2FL |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral |  |
Charles H. Dundas | 1913 - 20 December 1914 | as 6BS 2FL |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | |
Stuart Nicholson | 5 December 1913 - 12 April 1916 | as RADMHFSNORE |
| 4 | Rear Admiral |  |
Hugh Rodman | 13 November, - December, 1917 | BS DIV9 USN |
Note: RADMHFSNORE Rear-Admiral, Home Fleets at the Nore.
References
- ^ Smith, Graham. "Royal Navy ship dispositions 1914-1918: by Admiral Jellicoe". www.naval-history.net. Graham Smith, 6 January 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ Mackie, Colin. "Senior Royal Navy Appointments from 1860". gulabin. Colin Mackie, p.203, 2010-2014. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Sixth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley & Lovell, 1 August 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
Sources
- Dittmar, F.J & Colledge J.J., British Warships 1914-1919 Ian Allan, London. 1972; ISBN 0-7110-0380-7
- McMahon, William E., Dreadnought Battleships and Battle Cruisers University Press of America, 1978; ISBN 0-8191-0465-5
