The
Home Fleet is the traditional name of the
fleet of the
Royal Navy that protects the
United Kingdom's territorial waters.
Pre-First World War
The
Channel Fleet was the historical name used for the group of
Royal Navy warships that defended the waters of the
English Channel during the 1600 - 1900 period.
On 14 December 1904 the Channel Fleet was re-styled the 'Atlantic Fleet' and the Home Fleet became the 'Channel Fleet'. (National Archives record searches)
First World War
Admiral Sir
William May was in command of the fleet in 1910-1911. He was succeeded by Admiral Sir
George Callaghan. Callaghan was scheduled to be replaced by Admiral Sir
John Jellicoe should war break out, but in August 1914 when the change was directed, Jellicoe was reluctant about displacing him. On the outbreak of the
First World War, the Fleet was combined with the
British Atlantic Fleet to form the
Grand Fleet.
The greatest engagement by the Grand Fleet during this period was the
Battle of Jutland, where it met the full Imperial German
High Seas Fleet on the latter's only sortie into the
North Sea. Although the British losses were high, the capital ships of the High Seas Fleet never attempted to contest control of the North Sea again.
Interwar
The name "Home Fleet" was resurrected in 1932, as the new name for the
Atlantic Fleet, following the
Invergordon Mutiny. The Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet in 1933 was Admiral
Sir John Kelly,
GCVO,
KCB. The Home Fleet comprised the flagship
HMS Nelson leading a force of one battle squadron (five more battleships), one battlecruiser squadron (two ships), one cruiser squadron (three), three destroyer flotillas (27), a submarine flotilla (six), two aircraft carriers and associated vessels.
Second World War
The Home Fleet was the Royal Navy's main battle force in
European waters during the Second World War. On 3 September 1939, under Admiral Forbes flying his flag in at
Scapa Flow, it consisted of the
2nd Battle Squadron, the Battle Cruiser Squadron, 18th Cruiser Squadron, Rear-Admiral, Destroyers, Rear-Admiral, Submarines, Vice-Admiral, Aircraft Carriers (Vice Admiral L.V. Wells, with , , and
HMS Pegasus), and the Orkney and Shetlands force. It comprised the main battle
squadrons and the fleet
carriers. Its chief responsibility was to keep the
German Navy from breaking out of the
North Sea. For this purpose the First World War base at
Scapa Flow was reactivated as it was well-placed for interceptions of ships trying to run the blockade.
The two most surprising losses of the Home Fleet during the early part of the war were the sinking of the old battleship by the German submarine
U-47 while supposedly safe in
Scapa Flow and the loss of the pride of the Navy, the
battlecruiser , to the German battleship
Bismarck. After the former loss the Home Fleet temporarily left
Scapa Flow and was based at The
Tail of the Bank in the upper
Firth of Clyde.
The operational areas of the Home Fleet were not circumscribed, and units were detached to other zones quite freely. However the southern parts of the North Sea and the
English Channel were made separate commands for light forces, and the growing intensity of the
Battle of the Atlantic led to the creation of
Western Approaches Command. Only with the final disposal of the
Tirpitz in 1944 did the Home Fleet assume a lower priority, and most of its heavy units were withdrawn to be sent to the
Far East.
Its
Commanders-in-Chief during the Second World War were:
- Acting Admiral Sir Henry Moore (14.06.1944 - 24.11.1945)
- Adm. Sir E. Neville Syfret, RN (24.11.1945 - 07.01.1948)
Post-Second World War
After the Second World War, the Home Fleet took back all of its peacetime responsibilities for the Royal Navy forces in home waters and also in the North and South Atlantic. With the
Cold War, greater emphasis was placed on protecting the
North Atlantic from the
Soviet Union in concert with other countries as part of NATO.
The Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, gained an additional NATO responsibility as Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Atlantic, as part of
SACLANT, when the NATO military command structure was established in 1953 at the
Northwood Headquarters in northwest London. The Commander-in-Chief Home Fleet still flew his flag however in
HMS Tyne at Portsmouth. During
Exercise Mainbrace in 1952, NATO naval forces came together for the first time to practice the defence of northern Europe; Denmark and Norway. The resulting
McMahon Act difficulties caused by potential British control of the
United States Navy's attack carriers armed with nuclear weapons led to the creation of a separate Striking Fleet Atlantic, directly responsible to the commander of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, in his NATO position as SACLANT, by the end of 1952. Admiral Sir John Eccles was serving as Commander-in-Chief in 1957.
In 1960 C-in-C Home Fleet moved to Northwood and in 1966 the NATO Channel Command (a post also held by C-in-C Home Fleet) moved to Northwood from Portsmouth. In 1963 Admiral Sir
Charles Madden took command. In April 1963 the naval unit at Northwood was commissioned as
HMS Warrior under the command of the then Captain of the Fleet.
The Home Fleet was amalgamated with the
Mediterranean Fleet in 1967. With its area of responsibility greatly increased and no longer being just responsible for the defence of home waters of the UK, the name of the fleet was changed to the
Western Fleet, consigning the famous, historic name of the Home Fleet to history. Admiral Sir John Frewen had taken command of the Fleet from Admiral Madden in 1965 and was the Fleet's last Commander-in-Chief.
Flag Officers in the Home Fleet in the 1950s and 1960s included:
- Flag Officer Flotillas, Home Fleet - flew flag in HMS Tyne, July 1960-March 1961
