The 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron was a
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 ...
squadron of
battlecruiser
The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of att ...
s that saw service as part of the
Grand Fleet
The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.
History
Formed in August 1914 from th ...
during the
First World War
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 ...
.
August 1914
In August 1914, the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron was in the Mediterranean, and consisted of:
[Dittmar, F.J & Colledge J.J., ''British Warships 1914–1919'' Ian Allan, London. 1972; ]
*
*
*
1915
On 15 January 1915, became flagship of the 2nd BCS. She was replaced as flagship by the
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
battlecruiser on 8 February 1915.
With the transfer of HMS ''Inflexible'' and ''Indomitable'' to the newly created
3rd Battlecruiser Squadron during 1915, the squadron was left with three ships, namely HMS ''New Zealand'' and ''Indefatigable'', and HMAS ''Australia''.
Battle of Jutland
HMAS ''Australia'' was damaged in collision with HMS ''New Zealand'' on 22 April 1916, and did not participate in the
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland () was a naval battle between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, durin ...
on 31 May 1916. The 2nd BCS therefore consisted of:
*HMS ''New Zealand'' Flagship of
Rear Admiral W. C. Pakenham; Captain
J. F. E. Green
*HMS ''Indefatigable'' Captain C. F. Sowerby
HMS ''New Zealand'' sustained light damage during the engagement; however, HMS ''Indefatigable'' was sunk by the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
battlecruiser .
After Jutland
With the loss of three battlecruisers at Jutland, the Royal Navy reverted to two Battlecruiser squadrons. For the remainder of the war, the squadron comprised:
*HMAS ''Australia''
*HMS ''New Zealand''
*HMS ''Inflexible''
*HMS ''Indomitable''
Rear-Admirals commanding
Post holders included:
References
External links
Composition of the Grand Fleet
{{Battle Cruiser squadrons of the Royal Navy, state=collapsed
Battlecruiser squadrons of the Royal Navy
Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War I