This article is about the British naval formation. For the American naval formation of 1838–1861, seeHome Squadron. For the American naval formation of 1865–1902 sometimes called the "Home Squadron", seeNorth Atlantic Squadron.
Home Fleet
HMSNeptune leading the Home Fleet before the First World War
Before theFirst World War between 1902 and 1904 theAdmiralty reorganised its ships in home waters into a permanent force called the Home Squadron.[1] At the beginning of 1905, it was renamed theChannel Fleet. In 1907 a new Home Fleet was formed from ships in reserve and new ships, and in 1909 the Channel Fleet was merged into it, forming the principal fleet in British waters. In 1912 it was renamed theHome Fleets, formed of the First, Second and Third. On the outbreak of the First World War the First Fleet became theGrand Fleet. When the Grand Fleet was redistributed after the war, the reserve fleet was briefly named Home Fleet in 1919 before being renamed, and after theInvergordon Mutiny in 1931 theAtlantic Fleet was renamed Home Fleet in 1932. During theSecond World War, it was the Royal Navy's main battle force in European waters.
In the first years of the 20th century, the Royal Navy had four 'Port Guard' ships, stationed in the major naval bases, partially to act as flagships for the admirals commanding at those ports.[3] These vessels appear to have been stationed at theNore,Portsmouth, andPlymouth, as well as one other major base.[which?]
On 1 October 1902, the Admiral Superintendent Naval Reserves, thenVice-AdmiralGerard Noel, was given the additional appointment ofCommander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, and allotted arear-admiral to serve under him as commander of the Home Squadron.[4] "... the nucleus of the Home Fleet would consist of the four Port Guard ships, which would be withdrawn from their various scattered dockyards and turned into a unified and permanent sea-going command – the Home Squadron – based on Portland. Also under the direction of the commander-in-chief of the Home Fleet would be the Coast Guard ships, which would continue to be berthed for the most part in their respective district harbours in order to carry out their local duties, but would join the Home Squadron for sea work at least three times per year, at which point the assembled force – the Home Squadron and the Coast Guard vessels – would be known collectively as the Home Fleet."[5] Rear-AdmiralGeorge Atkinson-Willes was Second-in-Command of the Home Fleet, with his flag in the battleshipHMSEmpress of India, at this time.[6] In May 1903 Noel was succeeded as Commander-in-Chief by Vice-Admiral SirArthur Wilson.[7]
On 14 December 1904, theChannel Fleet was re-styled theAtlantic Fleet and the Home Fleet became the Channel Fleet. In 1907, the Home Fleet was reformed with Vice-AdmiralFrancis Bridgeman in command, succeeded by Admiral SirWilliam May in 1909. Bridgeman took command again in 1911, and in the same year was succeeded by Admiral SirGeorge Callaghan. On 29 March 1912, a new structure of the fleet was announced, which came into force on 1 May 1912. The former Home Fleet, which was organised into four divisions, was divided into theFirst,Second andThird Fleets as Home Fleets.[8] The Home Fleets were the Navy's unified home commands in British waters from 1912 to 1914.[8] On 4 August 1914, as theFirst World War was breaking out,John Jellicoe was ordered to take command of the Fleet, which by his appointment order was renamed theGrand Fleet.
The Home Fleets were a new organisation of the Royal Navy's unified home commands (First,Second andThird Fleets) instituted on 31 July 1912 to December 1914.
When theGrand Fleet was disbanded in April 1919, the more powerful ships were grouped into theAtlantic Fleet and the older ships became the "Home Fleet"; this arrangement lasted until late 1919, when the ships of the Home Fleet became theReserve Fleet.
The Home Fleet was the Royal Navy's main battle force in European waters during theSecond World War. On 3 September 1939, under Admiral Forbes flying his flag inNelson atScapa Flow, it consisted of: the2nd Battle Squadron; the Battle Cruiser Squadron;18th Cruiser Squadron; Rear-Admiral, Destroyers; Rear-Admiral, Submarines (2nd Submarine Flotilla, Dundee, 6th Submarine FlotillaBlyth, Northumberland); Vice-Admiral, Aircraft Carriers (Vice-Admiral L. V. Wells, withArk Royal,Furious, andPegasus); and the Orkney and Shetlands force.[19] Its chief responsibility was to keep Germany'sKriegsmarine from breaking out of theNorth Sea. For this purpose, the First World War base atScapa Flow was reactivated as it was well placed for interceptions of ships trying to run the blockade.
KingGeorge VI visiting the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow in March 1943
The two most surprising losses of the Home Fleet during the early part of the war were the sinking of the battleshipRoyal Oak by the German submarineU-47 while supposedly safe in Scapa Flow, and the loss of the pride of the Navy, thebattlecruiserHood, to the German battleshipBismarck.2nd Battle Squadron under Admiral Blagrove was effectively disestablished when he died in the sinking ofRoyal Oak.
The Home Fleet was used extensively in the protection in PQ, QP, JW and RA convoys from the UK and Iceland to Russia and vice versa. One of the Home Fleet's biggest successes along theArctic Convoys was the sinking of the German battleshipScharnhorst while protecting convoy JW55B under the command of Sir Bruce Fraser, who was sailing inHMSDuke of York. The growing intensity of theBattle of the Atlantic led to the creation ofWestern Approaches Command. Only with the destruction of the German battleshipTirpitz in 1944 did the Home Fleet assume a lower priority, and most of its heavy units were withdrawn to be sent to the Far East.
As theCold War began, greater emphasis was placed on protecting the North Atlantic sea lanes from theSoviet Union in concert with other Western countries. Admiral SirRhoderick McGrigor supervised combinedWestern Union exercises involving ships from the British, French, and Dutch navies in June–July 1949. Admiral McGrigor flew his flag from the aircraft carrierImplacable. Also taking part in the exercises wereVictorious andAnson, along with cruisers and destroyers. During the exercise, the combined force paid a visit toMount's Bay in Cornwall from 30 June – 4 July 1949.[25]
From 1947 to 1957 superfluous battleships and aircraft carriers were assigned to theTraining Squadron, Home Fleet headquartered atPortland to provide basic training. The carriers stationed here were mobilised as helicopter carriers for the Suez operation in 1956. In December 1951 the Admiralty authorised the creation of a newHeavy Squadron to be assigned to the Home Fleet, consisting of the battleshipVanguard, aircraft carriers, and cruisers.[28] Its commanding officer was known asFlag Officer, Aircraft Carriers who had administrative responsibility for all the operational carriers; the squadron was disbanded in October 1954.[24]
The Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, gained an additional NATO responsibility as Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Atlantic (CINCEASTLANT), as part ofAllied Command Atlantic, when the NATO military command structure was established in 1953. CINCEASTLANT was set up at theNorthwood Headquarters in northwest London. The Commander-in-Chief Home Fleet still flew his flag however inTyne at Portsmouth. DuringExercise Mainbrace in 1952, NATO naval forces came together for the first time to practice the defence of northern Europe, Denmark and Norway. The resultingMcMahon Act difficulties caused by potential British control of theUnited States Navy's attack carriers armed with nuclear weapons led to the creation of a separate Striking Fleet Atlantic, directly responsible to the commander of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, in his NATO position as SACLANT, by the end of 1952.[30] The submarine tenderMaidstone was the fleet's flagship in 1956.
In the spring of 1960, C-in-C Home Fleet moved permanently ashore to Northwood, while Flag Officer, Flotillas, Home, retained effective control at sea as the C-in-C's deputy.[31] Cecil Hampshire writes that the ships with the fleet in 1960 included the flagshipTyne, a destroyer depot ship which by then was more than 20 years old; carriers Victorious andHMS Albion; fast minelayer Apollo; seventeen destroyers and frigates; and sixteen submarines. Another aircraft carrier, cruisers Lion and Blake; the first four guided missile destroyers, and other ships were under construction.
In February 1963 all remaining frigate and destroyer squadrons in the Home,Mediterranean andFar East Fleets were merged into new Escort Squadrons.[32] In April 1963, the naval unit at theNorthwood Headquarters, in northwest London, was commissioned asHMS Warrior under the command of the thenCaptain of the Fleet.
From 1966 to 1967, then-Rear Admiral SirMichael Pollock was listed as Flag Officer Second in Command, Home Fleet.[33]
In December 1966, all remaining squadrons in the Home Fleet were disbanded.[24] In 1967 the Home Fleet was amalgamated with theMediterranean Fleet and redesignated theWestern Fleet.
^David Morgan-Owen, A Revolution in Naval Affairs? Technology, Strategy and British Naval Policy in the ‘Fisher Era’, Journal of Strategic Studies, 10.1080/01402390.2015.1005440, 38, 7, (944-965), (2015).
^Seligmann 2010, drawing upon T.N.A.: P.R.O., ADM 1/7606, docket Coast Guard, 24 March 1902, proposal by Sir Gerard Noel, 14 May 1902, and memorandum by Lord Walter Kerr, 17 May 1902.
Heathcote, Tony (2002).The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 – 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd.ISBN0-85052-835-6.
Lovell. Tony and Harley, Simon; (2015) "Home Fleet (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org.
Mackie, Colin. (2017) "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com.
Maloney, Sean. (1992), Securing Command of the Sea, Masters' thesis, University of New Brunswick. Canada.
Seligmann, Matthew S. (August 2010). "A prelude to the reforms of Admiral Sir John Fisher: the creation of the Home Fleet, 1902–3".Historical Research.83 (221).
United Kingdom
Royal Navy
