The Third Fleet was a reserve formation of the Royal Navy that briefly existed before the First World War.
| Third Fleet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1 May 1912–1914 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Type | Reserve fleet |
| Size | 2 x Battle squadrons 6 x Cruiser squadrons 3 x Local Defence Flotilla |
History
Formed on 1 May 1912 from the 4th Division of the Home Fleet, its elderly ships were ordinarily only manned by a small maintenance crew during peacetime, but were intended to be manned by naval reservists when mobilised.[1] It was conducting a test mobilisation in July 1914 as tensions increased between Great Britain and Imperial Germany[2] and was only partially demobilised before full mobilisation was ordered on 2 August. At this time it consisted of the 7th and 8th Battle Squadrons of pre-dreadnought battleships and five squadrons of cruisers.[3]
Vice-Admiral Commanding
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice-Admiral Commanding Third Fleet [4] | ||||
| 1 | Vice-Admiral |  | Sir Frederick T. Hamilton | December 1911-December 1913 |
| 2 | Vice-Admiral | | Sir Cecil Burney | December 1913-August 1914. |
Components
- Included [5]
| Unit | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7th Battle Squadron | (8 pre-dreadnoughts) [6] |
| 2 | 8th Battle Squadron | (6 pre-dreadnoughts) [7] |
| 3 | 7th Cruiser Squadron | (5 armoured cruisers) [8] |
| 3 | 8th Cruiser Squadron | (5 armoured/protected cruisers) [9] |
| 4 | 9th Cruiser Squadron | (8 armoured/protected cruisers) [10] |
| 5 | 10th Cruiser Squadron | (7 protected cruisers)-from Training Squadron at Queenstown [11] |
| 6 | 11th Cruiser Squadron | (5 protected cruisers) [12] |
| 7 | 12th Cruiser Squadron | (4 protected cruisers) [13] |
| 8 | Devonport Local Defence Flotilla[14] | |
| 9 | Nore Local Defence Flotilla[15] | |
| 10 | Portsmouth Local Defence Flotilla[16] |
Footnotes
Bibliography
- Corbett, Julian. Naval Operations to the Battle of the Falklands. History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents. Vol. I (2nd, reprint of the 1938 ed.). London and Nashville, Tennessee: Imperial War Museum and Battery Press. ISBN 0-89839-256-X.
- Marder, Arthur J. (2013) [1961]. From Dreadnought to Scapa Flow: The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era. Vol. I: The Road to War 1904–1914. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781-59114-259-1.
- Wragg, David (2006). Royal Navy Handbook 1914–1918. Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-4203-7.
External links
- The Dreadnought Project: Third Fleet
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