Ninth Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy)
The Ninth Destroyer Flotilla was a formation of destroyers of the Royal Navy.
Contents
Composition
July 1914 Test Mobilisation
It was deemed a "Patrol Flotilla" and served as part of the Nore Command with the Eighth flotilla, based out of Chatham.[1] Operating with depot ship St. George, the flotilla was to mobilise with:[2]
| Scout Cruiser | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Patrol | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| River Class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eden | Ettrick | Foyle | Itchen | Kale | Liffey | Moy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nith | Ouse | Rother | Stour | Test | Teviot | Waveney | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Additional Rivers to join Late | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arun | Boyne | Cherwell | Dee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Erne | Exe | Swale | Ure | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
October, 1915
The flotilla formerly known as the Third Destroyer Flotilla became the Ninth Flotilla some time in September, and was listed as the Ninth in the Navy List. The changes discussed here are, then, relative to the roster of 3DF in June, 1915.
Part of the Harwich Striking Force, with the depot ship Dido and under the command of Commodore (T) in light cruiser Arethusa. Tipperary has been replaced as second-in-command, eventually to go to the Second Destroyer Flotilla. She has been replaced by flotilla leader Lightfoot, which probably just entered service.Laforey, Lawford, Louis and Lydiard have been sent over to the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla, and the newly-completed Lassoo has been added.[3]
| light cruiser Undaunted | flotilla leader Lightfoot, 2nd in command | |||
| Laertes | Lance | Landrail | Lark | Lassoo |
| Laurel | Laverock | Legion | Lennox | Leonidas |
| Liberty | Linnet | Llewellyn | Lookout | Loyal |
| Lucifer | Lysander | |||
This roster and tasking would last until December, 1915.[4]
December, 1915
Part of the Harwich Striking Force, with the depot ship Dido and under the command of Commodore (T) in light cruiser Arethusa. The newly-completed Lochinvar has been added.[5]
| light cruiser Undaunted | flotilla leader Lightfoot, 2nd in command | |||
| Laertes | Lance | Landrail | Lark | Lassoo |
| Laurel | Laverock | Legion | Lennox | Leonidas |
| Liberty | Linnet | Llewellyn | Lochinvar | Lookout |
| Loyal | Lucifer | Lysander | ||
This roster and tasking would last until April, 1916.[6][7][8]
[TO BE CONTINUED - TONE]
In 1916, it was comprised of Laforey class destroyers, whose torpedoes proved only 64% likely to be dangerous to the enemy in limited test runs of that year.[9]
Battles
Battle of Jutland
Four destroyers from the flotilla were at the Battle of Jutland:[10]
- Lydiard, Commander M. L. Goldsmith
- Liberty, Lieutenant-Commander P. W. S. King
- Landrail Lieutenant-Commander F. E. H. G. Hobart
- Laurel, Lieutenant H. D. C. Stanistreet
Captains (D)
Dates of appointment given:
- Captain Alan C. Bruce, 27 January, 1914.[11]
- Captain Sidney Robert Bailey,
- Captain Edward George Lowther-Crofton,
Footnotes
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 164.
- ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 109 of 10 July, 1914.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (October, 1915). pp. 13, 20.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (November, 1915). p. 13.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (December, 1915). p. 13.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (January, 1916). p. 13.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1916). p. 13.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1916). p. 13.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916. p. 87.
- ↑ Naval Operations. Volume III. p. 430.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 21 January, 1914. Issue 40426, col G, p. 10.
Bibliography
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
- March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892-1953. London: Seeley Service & Co. Limited. (on Bookfinder.com).
See Also
| British Destroyer Flotillas | |||
| First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | Seventh | Eighth | Ninth | Tenth | |||
| Eleventh | Twelfth | Thirteenth | Fourteenth | Fifteenth | Sixteenth | Seventeenth | Eighteenth | Nineteenth | |||
| Twentieth | Twenty-first | |||
| Local Defence Flotillas | |||
| Clyde | Devonport | Devonport & Falmouth | Falmouth | Firth of Forth | Gibraltar | |||
| Liverpool | Mersey | Newhaven | Nore | North Channel | Milford & Pembroke | Pembroke | |||
| Portland | Portsmouth | Queenstown | |||
