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{{Short description|First World War fleet of the Royal Navy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
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| dates = 1914–1919
| country = {{UK}}
| allegiance =
| branch =[[File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|23px]] [[Royal Navy]]
| type = [[Naval fleet|Fleet]]
| role =
| size = ~160 ships
| command_structure =
| current_commander =
| garrison =
|
|
|
|
|
▲| march =
| battles = [[Battle of Jutland]]
| commander1 = [[John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe|Sir John Jellicoe]]
| commander1_label = Commander-in-Chief<br />1914–1916
| commander2 = [[David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty|Sir David Beatty]]
| commander2_label = Commander-in-Chief<br />1916–1919
}}
The '''Grand Fleet''' was the main [[Naval fleet|
▲The '''Grand Fleet''' was the main [[Naval fleet|fleet]] of the British [[Royal Navy]] during the [[World War I|First World War]].
==History==
[[File:2nd Battle Squadron.jpg|thumb|left|The 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet in 1914. From left to right the ships are: {{HMS|King George V|1911|2}}, {{HMS|Thunderer|1911|2}}, {{HMS|Monarch|1911|2}} and {{HMS|Conqueror|1911|2}}.]]▼
[[File:British Grand Fleet.jpg|thumb|left| The Grand Fleet sailing in parallel columns during the First World War]]▼
The 10th Cruiser Squadron carried out the [[Northern Patrol]] between Shetland and Norway and cruisers from Cromarty and Rosyth operated a second line (and screened the fleet) in enforcing the [[Blockade of Germany (1914–1919)|blockade of Germany]]. The administrative complications of the distant blockade across the northern exits of the [[North Sea]] overwhelmed the capacity of Vice Admiral [[Francis Spurstow Miller|Francis Miller]], the Base Admiral in Chief from 7 August 1914, devolving on the commander in chief, Admiral John Jellicoe.{{sfn|Corbett|1920a|p=74}} To relieve the administrative burdens on Miller and Jellicoe, the post of the [[Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands|Admiral of the Orkneys and Shetlands]] was created to oversee the defence of the islands, naval bases and shore duties.{{sfn|Corbett|1920a|pp=166–167}}{{efn|the Admiral of the Coast of Scotland was a separate authority which excluded the islands.{{sfn|Corbett|1920a|pp=166–167}}}} Vice-Admiral [[Stanley Colville]] was appointed to the command (7 September 1914 – 19 January 1916) with Miller under his authority.{{sfn|Corbett|1920a|pp=166–167}}
The Grand Fleet was based first at [[Scapa Flow]] in the [[Orkney Islands]] and later at [[Rosyth]] on the [[Firth of Forth]] and took part in the biggest fleet action during the war – the [[Battle of Jutland]] – in June 1916.<ref name=heath130/>▼
Admiral Jellicoe was significantly concerned about the possibility of submarine or destroyer attacks on Scapa Flow. While the Grand Fleet spent almost the first year of the war patrolling the west coast of the British Isles, their base at Scapa was defensively reinforced, beginning with over sixty [[blockship]]s sunk in the many entrance channels between the southern islands to enable the use of submarine nets and [[Boom (navigational barrier)|booms]]. These blocked approaches were backed by minefields, artillery and concrete barriers.<ref name="castles">{{cite book| title=[[Castles of Steel]]| author=Robert K. Massie| author-link=Robert Massie| year=2004| publisher=Ballantine Books| isbn=0-345-40878-0}}{{Page needed|date=May 2011}}</ref>
In April 1919 the Grand Fleet was disbanded, with much of its strength forming a new [[Atlantic Fleet (United Kingdom)|Atlantic Fleet]].<ref>Heathcote, p. 26</ref>▼
Admiral Jellicoe was succeeded by Admiral [[David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty|Sir David Beatty]] in December 1916.<ref>Heathcote, p. 25</ref>
▲The Grand Fleet was based first at [[Scapa Flow]] in the [[Orkney Islands]], and later at [[Rosyth]] on the [[Firth of Forth]].
After the [[Battle of Jutland]], the German High Seas Fleet rarely ventured out of its bases at [[Wilhelmshaven]] and [[Kiel]] in the last two years of the war to engage with the British fleet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-jutland|title=Battle of Jutland, greatest naval battle of WWI, begins|publisher=History.com|access-date=10 July 2022}}</ref>
Following the German defeat, 74 ships of the [[High Seas Fleet]] ({{lang|de|Hochseeflotte}}) of the [[Imperial German Navy]] ({{lang|de|Kaiserliche Marine}}) were interned in [[Gutter Sound]] at Scapa Flow pending a decision on their future in the peace [[Treaty of Versailles]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Tarrant|first=V. E.|title=Jutland: The German Perspective|year=1995|publisher=Cassell Military Paperbacks|isbn=0-304-35848-7|location=London|page=282}}</ref>
▲
Most of the interned German warships were later [[Scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow|scuttled]] despite Royal Navy attempts to save them.<ref> {{cite book|last=van der Vat |first=Dan|title=The Grand Scuttle: The Sinking of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919|year=2007|orig-year=1987|publisher=Birlinn Ltd.|location=Edinburgh|isbn=978-1-84341-038-6|pages=163–171}}</ref>
==Order of battle==
▲[[File:2nd Battle Squadron.jpg|thumb
Not all the Grand Fleet was available to put to sea at any one time, because ships required maintenance and repairs. At the time of the [[battle of Jutland]] in May 1916 it had 32 dreadnought and super-dreadnought battleships. Of these 28 were in the [[Order of battle at Jutland]].▼
▲Not all the Grand Fleet was available
The actual strength of the fleet varied through the war as new ships were built and others were transferred or sunk
▲[[File:British Grand Fleet.jpg|thumb|
The order of battle of the Grand Fleet at the end of the war in 1918 included 35 dreadnought battleships and 11 battlecruisers.{{efn|Two of these were the very lightly armoured {{sclass|Courageous|battlecruiser|2}}.}} Twenty ships had been completed since the outbreak of war. Five of these ships were from the [[United States Navy]] and one {{HMAS|Australia|1911|6}} from the [[Royal Australian Navy]].<ref name=PinkNov18>{{cite web |website=naval-history.net |url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishShips-Locations2PL1811.htm|title=Pink List: 11th November 1918 |date=24 March 2015}}</ref>{{efn|Although built for defence of the dominions and funded by New Zealand, {{HMS|New Zealand|1911|6}} was operated by the Royal Navy.}} It had five battle squadrons, each of four to ten capital ships, plus the flagship [[HMS Queen Elizabeth (1913)|HMS ''Queen Elizabeth'']], three cruiser squadrons, the "Flying Squadron" of seaplane carriers, and six destroyer flotillas, with another destroyer flotilla and three minesweeper flotillas under its command. The Battle Cruiser Force was two battle squadrons and the flagship {{HMS|Lion|1910|6}} (9 ships in total), and five cruiser squadrons (21 ships).<ref name=PinkNov18 />
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
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==Sources==
* {{
* {{cite book |series=History of the Great War |title=Naval Operations |volume=II |first=J. S. |last=Corbett |year=1920b |edition =1921 printing |publisher=Longmans, Green & Co. |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/navaloperations00newbgoog |oclc=754160010 |via=The Internet Archive}}
*{{Cite book|last=Jones|first=Jerry |year=1998|title= U.S. Battleship Operations in World War I|publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=978-1557504111}}▼
* {{cite book |series=History of the Great War |title=Naval Operations |volume=III |first=J. S. |last=Corbett |year=1923 |publisher=Longmans, Green & Co. |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/navaloperations03corb |oclc=867968279 |via=The Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book|title=British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995: A Biographical Dictionary |last=Heathcote |first=T. A. |year=2002 |publisher=Leo Cooper |location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire |isbn=0-85052-835-6 }}
▲* {{
==External links==
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{{Royal Navy fleets}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Fleets of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1914]]
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