The Channel Force was a temporary squadron of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

during the Second World War that was based at Portland, England from September to October 1939. It was under the command of Rear-Admiral

Lancelot Holland Vice-Admiral Lancelot Ernest Holland, (13 September 1887 – 24 May 1941) was a Royal Navy officer who commanded the British force in the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941 against the German battleship ''Bismarck''. Holland was lost ...

throughout the period.

History

The Channel Force was a powerful squadron established at Portland on 3 September 1939 to deal with any attempt by the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

to operate light forces in the southern part of the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

, certain cruisers and destroyers were detached from the Home Fleet to be based on the Humber. It was under direct operational control by the Admiralty until 7 October 1939 when it was dispersed. The force was formed with ships from both

Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Sir Thomas Williams's tenure, his succes ...

and

Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this offic ...

Components

:Components of the force included:

References

{{Squadrons of the Royal Navy, state=collapsed Royal Navy ad hoc formations Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War II Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939