The Atlantic Fleet was a
naval fleet
A fleet or naval fleet is a large formation of warships – the largest formation in any navy – controlled by one leader. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land.
Purpose
In the modern sense, fleets are usually, but no ...
of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
. It existed for two periods; 1909 until 1914, and then 1919 until 1932.
History
On 14 December 1904 the
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915.
History
Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history th ...
was re-styled the 'Atlantic Fleet'.
[National Archives records] The Atlantic Fleet lasted until 1912 when rising tensions with
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
forced the Royal Navy to relook at fleet formations and the Atlantic Fleet became the
3rd Battle Squadron. The Atlantic Fleet was based at Gibraltar to reinforce either the Channel Fleet or the Mediterranean Fleet, from January 1905 to February 1907. It remained at Gibraltar until April 1912.
The Atlantic Fleet was again formed after the end of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, when British naval forces were reorganised to reflect the changed economic and political situation in Europe. The fleet was created upon the disbandment of the
Grand Fleet in April 1919, absorbing many, but not all of its elements. It was placed under a Commander-in-Chief, who for part of that year held the title of Commander-in-Chief Atlantic and Home Fleets, before the
Home Fleet became the
Reserve Fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully Ship decommissioning, decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothba ...
and a totally separate command. became the Fleet's flagship and served in that capacity until 1924.
The fleet never fought in a naval battle in its short history. In 1931, during the
Invergordon Mutiny, sailors of the fleet openly refused to obey orders because of a dispute over pay with the government. The fleet's short history ended in 1932, when the
Admiralty having been shaken by the events of the Invergordon Mutiny, renamed the fleet, as the
Home Fleet.
Senior officers
Commanders-in-Chief Atlantic Fleet
The Commander-in-Chief's title was "Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet" between 1904–1910, and "Vice-Admiral Commanding, Atlantic Fleet" from 1910 to 1912.
Rear-Admiral, Second-in-Command, Atlantic Fleet
The post of Rear-Admiral Second-in-Command, Atlantic existed during the first formation of the Atlantic Fleet from June 1904 to August 1912. There were no admirals appointed as seconds-in-command in the fleet's second iteration.
Commodore/Rear-Admiral (D) Commanding Destroyer Flotillas, Atlantic Fleet
Post holders included:
Chief of Staff, Atlantic Fleet
:Second Formation included
Components
First formation
:Distribution of the Fleet first formation included:
Second formation
:Distribution of the Fleet second formation included:
References
External links
Fleet Organisation Accessed March 2010
{{Authority control
Fleets of the Royal Navy
Military units and formations established in 1909
Military units and formations disestablished in 1932
Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War I