The Atlantic Fleet was a major fleet formation of the
Royal Navy.
There have been two main formations in the Royal Navy officially called the Atlantic Fleet. The first was created in 1909 and lasted until 1914. The second lasted from 1919 until 1932.
The Atlantic Fleet was formed in 1909 from the
Channel Fleet as part of a reorganisation of the Royal Navy by the then
First Sea Lord Admiral of the Fleet Jackie Fisher. National Archives records, however, say that on 14 December 1904 the Channel Fleet was re-styled the 'Atlantic Fleet' and the Home Fleet became the 'Channel Fleet'.
The Atlantic Fleet lasted until 1914 when rising tensions with
Germany forced the Royal Navy to relook at fleet formations. As a result, the majority of the fleet's assets were merged together into the
Home Fleet which was renamed the
Grand Fleet.
The Atlantic Fleet was again formed after the end of
World War I, 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, which had fought at the
Battle of Jutland, absorbing many, but not all of its elements.
The fleet never fought in a naval battle in its short history. The fleet's only point of note in history was in 1931, during the
Invergordon Mutiny. Sailors of the fleet openly refused to obey orders over a dispute on pay sparked by the government at the time. The mutiny lasted 2 days.
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, which had been the name prior to the
Grand Fleet.
The Admiralty felt that this act would help expunge the memory of the incident.
Category:Fleets of the Royal NavyCategory:Military units and formations established in 1909de:Atlantic Fleetit:Atlantic Fleetja:大西洋艦隊 (イギリス)