Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy)

The Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla was a formation of destroyers of the Royal Navy. The flotilla changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.

History

November, 1915

One of five flotillas attached to the Grand Fleet, relying on depot ship Blake.

• light cruiser Castor, leader
• destroyer Kempenfelt, 2nd in command
• Mandate
• Achates
• Manners
• Marmion
• Marne
• Martial
• Michael
• Milbrook
• Mons
• Moon
• Morning Star
• Mounsey
• Mystic
• Ossory

In 1916, it was comprised of M class destroyers whose 104 torpedo test runs in the first half of that year proved 91% probable to endanger the enemy.

Battle of Jutland

Main article: Eleventh D.F. at the Battle of Jutland

Its composition in the battle was 14 "M" class destroyers and two leaders, organised as follows under the commanders given in the Official Despatches.

• light cruiser Castor, Commodore (F) James R. P. Hawksley
• destroyer Kempenfelt, Commander Harold E. Sulivan
  • Ossory, Commander Harold V. Dundas
  • Mystic, Commander Claude F. Allsup
  • Moon, Commander (Acting) Willaim D. Irvin
  • Morning Star, Lieutenant-Commander Hugh U. Fletcher
  • Magic, Lieutenant-Commander Gerald C. Wynter
  • Mounsey, Lieutenant-Commander Ralph V. Eyre
  • Mandate, Lieutenant-Commander Edward McC. W. Lawrie
  • Marne, Lieutenant-Commander George B. Hartford
  • Minion, Lieutenant-Commander Henry C. Rawlings
  • Manners, Lieutenant-Commander Gerald C. Harrison
  • Michael, Lieutenant-Commander Claude L. Bate
  • Mons, Lieutenant-Commander Robert Makin
  • Martial, Lieutenant-Commander Julian Harrison
  • Milbrook, Lieutenant Charles G. Naylor

At 10.5 at night, the Eleventh was five miles from the Second Battle Squadron, bearing about Green 169 when it encountered the German battlecruisers. Castor, Marne and Magic exchanged fire at just 2,000 yards and each fired a torpedo and turned away to port. Castor lost her W/T and was unable to direct the flotilla to attack more generally. Compounding this, some destroyers worried that the battlecruisers were British.

At 0.15 a.m., Castor encountered a destroyer on her bow and fired on it with gusto at point blank range. Its disappearance was taken as a sign that it was surely sunk.

1917

The Flotilla's composition was, in part:

• Kempenfelt G.10 (flagship)
• Marne GO.5 (or G.05 per Dittmar/Colledge)
• Prince G.43
• Marmion
• Morning Star

July, 1918

The Flotilla is one of six attached to the Grand Fleet under overall command of Commodore (F) in Castor. The flotilla is tender to depot ship Blake.

• flotilla leader Seymour (Captain (D))
• flotilla leader Valorous (2nd in command)
  • Kempenfelt
  • Romola
  • Sarpedon
  • Tancred
  • Tenacious
  • Tormentor
  • Vancouver
  • Vanessa
  • Vanity
  • Versatile
  • Viscount
  • Vittoria
  • Vivacious
  • Vortigern
  • Voyager
  • Walker
  • Walrus
  • Watchman

Captains (D)

• Commodore (F) James R. P. Hawksley, in command at the Battle of Jutland.
• Captain (D) Brien Michael Money, in command at the surrender of the High Sea Fleet.^{[Citation needed]}

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).