5th Battle Squadron
Template:Infobox military unit Template:Infobox command structure
The 5th Battle Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 5th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Second Fleet. During the First World War, the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet.
HistoryEdit
First World WarEdit
August 1914Edit
In August 1914, the 5th Battle Squadron was based at Portland, and consisted of a number of pre-dreadnought battleships. These were:<ref>Dittmar, F.J & Colledge J.J., British Warships 1914-1919 Ian Allan, London. 1972; Template:ISBN</ref>
- Template:HMS
- Template:HMS
- Template:HMS
- Template:HMS
- Template:HMS
- Template:HMS
- Template:HMS
- Template:HMS
Following the loss of HMS Bulwark in 1914, Template:HMS and Template:HMS were transferred from the 6th Battle Squadron. With the commissioning of the five fast battleships of the Queen Elizabeth class, the remaining pre-dreadnoughts were sent to the Mediterranean. Template:HMS herself was delayed in joining the squadron, instead taking part in the Dardanelles Campaign until May 1915.
Battle of JutlandEdit
In 1916, the 5th Battle Squadron—under the command of Rear Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas—<ref>Gordon, Andrew. The Rules of the Game John Murray. 1996; Template:ISBN</ref> was temporarily transferred to David Beatty's Battlecruiser Fleet. On 31 May, four ships of the Squadron served with distinction in the battle of Jutland. These were:<ref>Macintyre, Donald. Jutland Evans Brothers Ltd. 1957; Template:ISBN</ref>
- Template:HMS Flagship of Rear Admiral H. Evan-Thomas; Captain A. W. Craig;
- Template:HMS Captain M. Woollcombe;
- Template:HMS Captain E. M. Philpotts;
- Template:HMS Captain the Honourable A. D. E. H. Boyle;
In the clash with the German I Scouting Group under Admiral Franz von Hipper, the 5th Battle Squadron "fired with extraordinary rapidity and accuracy" (according to Reinhard Scheer), damaging the battlecruisers Template:SMS and Template:SMS and a number of other German warships.<ref>Campbell 1986, pp. 138–139</ref>
Three of the Queen Elizabeths received hits from German warships during the engagement, yet they all returned home, though Warspite—whose steering was jammed—was targeted by the German line, taking 15 hits.
After the battle, HMS Queen Elizabeth—which had missed the battle due to being in dock—rejoined the squadron.
Vice and Rear-Admirals commandingEdit
Post holders as follows:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice/Rear-Admiral, Commanding, 5th Battle Squadron | |||||
| 1 | Vice-Admiral | File:Flag of Vice-Admiral - Royal Navy.svg | Sir Cecil Burney | 5 December 1913 - 14 August 1914 | and as Vice-Admiral Commanding, Channel Fleet |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | File:Flag of Rear-Admiral - Royal Navy.svg | Cecil F. Thursby | 14 August 1914 - 20 December 1914 | |
| 3 | Vice-Admiral | File:Flag of Vice-Admiral - Royal Navy.svg | Sir Lewis Bayly | 20 December 1914 - 17 January 1915 | and as Vice-Admiral Commanding, Channel Fleet |
| 3 | Vice-Admiral | File:Flag of Vice-Admiral - Royal Navy.svg | Sir Alexander Bethell | 17 January 1915 - 25 August 1915 | and as Vice-Admiral Commanding, Channel Fleet |
| 4 | Rear-Admiral | File:Flag of Rear-Admiral - Royal Navy.svg | Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas | 25 August 1915 - 1 October 1918 | |
| 5 | Rear-Admiral | File:Flag of Rear-Admiral - Royal Navy.svg | Sir Arthur Leveson | 1 October 1918 - 7 April 1919 | |
Second in CommandEdit
Post holders as follows:<ref>Harley & Lovell, 2017</ref>
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rear-Admiral, in the 5th Battle Squadron | |||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | File:Flag of Rear-Admiral - Royal Navy.svg | Bernard Currey | 18 November 1913 - 14 February 1915 | |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | File:Flag of Rear-Admiral - Royal Navy.svg | Cecil F. Thursby | 29 July, - 14 August 1914 | |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | File:Flag of Rear-Admiral - Royal Navy.svg | Lewis Clinton-Baker | 1 April 1919 - 7 April 1919 | |
FootnotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
- Template:Cite book
- Dittmar, F.J & Colledge J.J. (1972), British Warships 1914-1919. London: Ian Allan. Template:ISBN
- Gordon, Andrew. (1996), The Rules of the Game. John Murray. Template:ISBN
- Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Fifth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley & Lovell, 1 August 2017.
- Macintyre, Donald. (1957), Jutland Evans Brothers Ltd. Template:ISBN