First Fleet Sweeping Flotilla (Royal Navy)
The First Fleet Sweeping Flotilla was a formation of fleet minesweepers of the Royal Navy. It was one of several attached to the Grand Fleet during the war.
History
Before mid-1916, a growing number of minesweeping vessels had been attached to the Grand Fleet, but by 1 July the growth rate was such that it was deemed fit to break the assemblage into three flotillas: the First, Second and Third. The First would retain Lupin, which had long borne the Senior Officer and nine other sweeping sloops. The Second would be a mix of ten sweeping sloops and older torpedo gunboats, while the Third would be comprised of twelve paddle minesweepers. It is not clear whether the man in Lupin remained the Senior Officer for all three flotillas, or merely of the First.
June, 1916 – c. February, 1917
The First is formed with a strength of ten sweeping sloops, one bearing the Senior Officer of, perhaps, all three flotillas.[1]
| Attached to the Grand Fleet | |||||
| Senior Officer | |||||
| Lupin | |||||
| Sweeping Sloops | |||||
| Carnation | Dahlia | Daphne | Lilac | Marigold | Myrtle |
| Delphinium | Crocus | Pansy | |||
c. February, 1917 – March, 1917
The Senior Officer who had been in Lupin is has left and is now borne in Godetia of the Second Fleet Sweeping Flotilla.[2]
| Attached to the Grand Fleet | ||||
| Sweeping Sloops | ||||
| Lupin | Carnation | Dahlia | Daphne | Lilac |
| Marigold | Myrtle | Delphinium | Crocus | Pansy |
March, 1917 – June, 1918
In classic Royal Navy fashion, things get complicated. Lupin has been exchanged with Godetia from the Second Fleet Sweeping Flotilla. In this new arrangement, Lupin bears the Senior Officer and Godetia now bears the "Captain in Charge", which I presume means "in charge of Grand Fleet Fleet Sweepers." In addition, Delphinium and Crocus have been detached for unknown reasons, replaced by Iris and Sunflower.[3] No matter this shuffle, this new arrangement would prove durable.
| Attached to the Grand Fleet | |||||
| Captain in Charge | |||||
| Godetia | |||||
| Sweeping Sloops | |||||
| Carnation | Dahlia | Daphne | Lilac | Marigold | Myrtle |
| Iris | Pansy | Sunflower | |||
June, 1918 – X
Myrtle paid off some time in June, but nothing else has changed.[4]
| Attached to the Grand Fleet | |||||
| Captain in Charge | |||||
| Godetia | |||||
| Sweeping Sloops | |||||
| Carnation | Dahlia | Daphne | Lilac | Marigold | Myrtle* |
| Iris | Pansy | Sunflower | |||
Senior Officers
- Lieutenant-Commander Hugh C. Johnson, 14 August, 1916[5] – 27 September, 1916[6] (formation possibly wrong)
- Commander Cyril H. G. Benson, 11 November, 1916[7] – 4 February, 1917[8] (formation possibly wrong)
- Captain Hubert H. Holland, 4 February, 1917[9] – November, 1918[10]
- Acting Commander Charles E. Aglionby, 6 December, 1918 – 15 January, 1919
- Commander Richard H. L. Bevan, 10 January, 1919[11] – April, 1919[12]
- Lieutenant-Commander Barry V. Sturdee, 30 April, 1919 – November, 1919
Second-in-Command
- Lieutenant-Commander Barry V. Sturdee, 6 December, 1918 – 30 April, 1919
Footnotes
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (July, 1916). p. 12 and Supplements through March 1917, save February which was not found.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1917). p. 12 and April's Supplement.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (April, 1917). p. 12 and Supplements through X.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (July, 1918). p. 12 and Supplements through X.
- ↑ Johnson Service Record The National Archives. ADM 196/48/82. f. 486.
- ↑ Johnson Service Record The National Archives. ADM 196/48/82. f. 486. This source calls it the "4th Fleet Sweeping Flotilla".
- ↑ Benson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/318. f. 83. This source calls it the "5th M/S Flotilla".
- ↑ Benson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/318. f. 83.
- ↑ Holland Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/317. f. 348.
- ↑ Holland Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/317. f. 348.
- ↑ Bevan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/270. f. 136.
- ↑ Bevan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/270. f. 136.
Bibliography
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
See Also
| British Minesweeping Formations |
| Fleet Sweeping Flotillas (Great War) |
| First | Second | Third | Sixth | Seventh | Eighth | Ninth | Tenth |
| Eleventh | Twelfth | Thirteenth | Fifteenth | Sixteenth | Eighteenth | Nineteenth |
| Twentieth | Twenty-first | Twenty-second | Twenty-third | Twenty-fourth |
| Minesweeping Flotillas (World War II) |
| First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth |
