Firth of Forth Local Defence Flotilla
The Firth of Forth Local Defence Flotilla was a formation primarily composed of destroyers and torpedo boats of the Royal Navy tasked with defending the vital approaches to the Firth of Forth, through which the Battlecruiser Fleet would have to regularly transit.
History
June, 1915
The flotilla first appears in the Navy List, embodying the Eighth Destroyer Flotilla (seven destroyers, twelve Cricket class torpedo boats and two depot ships) and the Seventh Submarine Flotilla (eight "C" class submarines and their depot ship).[1] The composition of these sub-components would vary slightly, generally losing strength, but the roster at this level would persist until September, 1916.
September, 1916
Total strength now is 6 destroyers and ten T.Bs. supported by one depot ship and four submarines supported by a depot ship, but some designations have changed. The Seventh Submarine Flotilla, currently a single depot ship and four "B" and "C" class submarines, is re-designated as the First Submarine Flotilla, retaining the same assets and mission within the Defence Flotilla.[2]
In March, 1917, the submarine flotilla would wither to just B 3 with no depot ship.[3] In August, 1917, the destroyer strength would largely be removed, leaving the Eighth Destroyer Flotilla with just Mallard and ten T.Bs..[4]
March, 1918
The defence flotilla is disbanded, along with its constituent flotillas. The T.Bs. of Eighth Destroyer Flotilla were given to the Methil Convoy Flotilla operating out of the Firth under the command of East Coast Forces and its two destroyers went to the Irish Sea Flotilla. The single submarine of First Submarine Flotilla, B 3 went to support "experimental work".[5]
Captains (D)
Dates of appointment given:
Footnotes
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (June, 1915). p. 17.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (September, 1916). p. 17.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1917). p. 17.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (August, 1917). p. 18.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1918). pp. 15, 19.
Bibliography
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 | |||
