Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy)
The Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla was a formation of destroyers of the Royal Navy. The flotilla changed composition often as ships were damaged, retired or transferred.
In 1916, it was comprised of "M" class destroyers whose sixty-six 21-in Mark II torpedo test runs in the first half of that year proved 77% probable to endanger the enemy.[1]
Captains (D)
- Captain J. U. Farie, in command at the Battle of Jutland.[2]
- Captain Arthur Brandreth Scott Dutton, November, 1917.[3][Inference]
- Captain Hugh Justin Tweedie, ?.[Fact Check]
History
Battle of Jutland
- Main article: Thirteenth D.F. (Royal Navy) at the Battle of Jutland
Ten destroyers of the Thirteenth under the lead of the light cruiser Champion screened the First Battle Cruiser Squadron during the battle, bolstered by two destroyers temporarily detached from the Tenth Destroyer Flotilla. Eight of these vessels delivered a torpedo attack against the enemy battle cruisers at about 4.15pm, after gun and torpedo battle with enemy destroyers who were similarly tasked.
They were organised as follows:[4][5]
- light cruiser Champion, flagship, Captain (D) James U. Farie
- Nestor (lost), Commander E. B. S. Bingham
- Nomad (lost), Lieutenant-Commander Paul Whitfield
- Narborough, Lieutenant-Commander Geoffrey Corlett
- Obdurate, Lieutenant-Commander Cecil H. H. Sams
- Petard, Lieutenant-Commander Evelyn C. O. Thomson
- Pelican, Lieutenant-Commander Kenneth A. Beattie
- Nerissa, Lieutenant-Commander Montague G. B. Legge
- Onslow, Lieutenant-Commander John C. Tovey
- Moresby, Lieutenant-Commander Roger V. Alison
- Nicator, Lieutenant Jack E. A. Mocatta
- Termagant, Lieutenant-Commander Cuthbert P. Blake (temporarily attached)
- Turbulent, Lieutenant-Commander Dudley Stuart (lost. temporarily attached)
At the same time, Nepean remained in harbour and Paladin, Negro, Nereus, Penn and Penn were in dockyard hands.[6]
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 Columbine.[7]
1 August, 1918
While operating with the Battle Cruiser Force, the flotilla was comprised as follows.[8]
- light cruiser Champion, flagship
- flotilla leader Valentine, half-flotilla leader
- flotilla leader Valkyrie, half-flotilla leader
- 1st Division
- 2nd Division
- 4th Division
- 5th Division
- 6th Division
- 7th Division
- Spares
Footnotes
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 87.
- ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. p. 46.
- ↑ The Navy List (December, 1918). p. 756.
- ↑ Naval Operations. Volume III. p. 430.
- ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. p. 46.
- ↑ Naval Operations. Volume III. p. 430.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List (July, 1918). p. 12.
- ↑ Battlecruiser Force Signal Orders, The National Archives. ADM 137/2135.
Bibliography
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan.
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 | |||
