Twenty-first Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy)

The Twenty-first Destroyer Flotilla was a formation of destroyers of the Royal Navy. It was created very shortly before the end of the war and did not exist for more than a few months.

Captains (D)

• Captain H. E. Sulivan, before November, 1918^{[Citation needed]}  (in command during the surrender of the High Sea Fleet)

History

Operation ZZ

Even though yet to appear in the Navy List, on 21 November's Operation ZZ, the flotilla allegedly had six destroyers present and four additional destroyers absent.^{[Citation needed]}

December, 1918

The flotilla appears for the first time in the Navy List. It is comprised entirely of expatriates from the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla.

Attached to the Grand Fleet
Flotilla Leaders
Botha		Seymour		Swift
"M" class Destroyers
Mansfield	Melpomene	Milne	Miranda	Moorsom	Murray
Nugent			Phoebe

January, 1919

The flotilla is now based in Rosyth, "attached Woolwich". The roster is unchanged.

Attached to the Grand Fleet, in Rosyth
Flotilla Leaders
Botha		Seymour		Swift
"M" class Destroyers
Mansfield	Melpomene	Milne	Miranda	Moorsom	Murray
Nugent			Phoebe

February, 1919

Mansfield, Melpomene, Milne, Moorsom, Murray and Nugent have gone to the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla and Phoebe has gone "temporarily" to home port in The Nore.

The young flotilla is down to three leaders and just one destroyer, "attached Woolwich".

Attached to the Grand Fleet, in Rosyth
Flotilla Leaders
Botha		Seymour		Swift
"M" class Destroyers
Miranda

March, 1919

Flotilla is Dis-established

The formation has not survived the post-war restructuring of the Royal Navy.

Seymour has been given to the refashioned Fourth Destroyer Flotilla.

Botha has gone to The Nore, probably in Reserve, while Swift has been placed in Reserve at Portsmouth.

Miranda is at The Nore with a "miscellaneous" assignment.

Bibliography

• Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.