The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet.
Before the First World War between 1902 and 1904 the Admiralty reorganised its ships in home waters into a permanent force called the Home Squadron. At the beginning of 1905, it was renamed the Channel Fleet. In 1907 a new Home Fleet was formed from ships in reserve and new ships, and in 1909 the Channel Fleet was merged into it, forming the principal fleet in British waters. In 1912 it was renamed the Home Fleets, formed of the First, Second and Third fleets. On the outbreak of the First World War the First Fleet became the Grand Fleet. When the Grand Fleet was redistributed after the war, the reserve fleet was briefly named Home Fleet in 1919 before being renamed, and after the Invergordon Mutiny in 1931 the Atlantic Fleet was renamed Home Fleet in 1932. During the Second World War, it was the Royal Navy's main battle force in European waters.
Pre–First World War
In the first years of the 20th century the Royal Navy had a number of 'Port Guard' ships, stationed in major naval bases. In 1902 these ships were stationed at the Nore (Sheerness), Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Queenstown (now Cobh).
On 1 October 1902, the Admiral Superintendent Naval Reserves, then Vice-Admiral Gerard Noel, was given the additional appointment of Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, and allotted a rear-admiral to serve under him as commander of the Home Squadron. In the words of historian Matthew Seligmann, "... the nucleus of the Home Fleet would consist of the four Port Guard ships, which would be withdrawn from their various scattered dockyards and turned into a unified and permanent sea-going command – the Home Squadron – based on Portland. Also under the direction of the commander-in-chief of the Home Fleet would be the Coast Guard ships, which would continue to be berthed for the most part in their respective district harbours in order to carry out their local duties, but would join the Home Squadron for sea work at least three times per year, at which point the assembled force – the Home Squadron and the Coast Guard vessels – would be known collectively as the Home Fleet." Rear-Admiral George Atkinson-Willes was Second-in-Command of the Home Fleet, with his flag in the battleship HMS Empress of India, at this time. In May 1903 Noel was succeeded as Commander-in-Chief by Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson.
On 14 December 1904, the Channel Fleet was re-styled the Atlantic Fleet and the Home Fleet became the Channel Fleet. In 1907, the Home Fleet was reformed with Vice-Admiral Francis Bridgeman in command, succeeded by Admiral Sir William May in 1909. Bridgeman took command again in 1911, and in the same year was succeeded by Admiral Sir George Callaghan. On 29 March 1912, a new structure of the fleet was announced, which came into force on 1 May 1912. The former Home Fleet, which was organised into four divisions, was divided into the First, Second and Third Fleets as Home Fleets. The Home Fleets were the Navy's unified home commands in British waters from 1912 to 1914. On 4 August 1914, as the First World War was breaking out, John Jellicoe was ordered to take command of the Fleet, which by his appointment order was renamed the Grand Fleet.
Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet Post holders during the pre-war period were:''' Rank Flag Name Term Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet1 Vice-Admiral Sir Gerard Noel 1 October 1902 – 21 May 19032 Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson 21 May 1903 – 31 December 1904
Rank Flag Name Term Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet1 Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman 5 March 1907 – 24 March 19092 Vice-Admiral Sir William May 24 March 1909 – 19113 Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman 25 March 1911 – 5 December 19114 Vice-Admiral Sir George Callaghan 5 December 1911 – 31 July 1912
Second in command Post holders included: Rank Flag Name Term Second-in-Command, Home Fleet1 Rear-Admiral George Atkinson-Willes October 1902 – May 19032 Rear-Admiral Edmund Poë May 1903 – June 19043 Rear-Admiral Charles Barlow June–December 1904
Chief of staff Post holders included:
Rank Flag Name Term Chief of Staff, Home Fleet1 Rear-Admiral Alexander Bethell January 1908 – March 1909
Home Fleets, 1912–1914
The Home Fleets were a new organisation of the Royal Navy's unified home commands (First, Second and Third Fleets) instituted on 31 July 1912 to August 1914.
Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleets Rank Flag Name Term Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleets/First Fleet1 Admiral Sir George Callaghan 31 July 1912 – 4 August 1914
On 8 August 1914 units of the Home Fleets were distributed in accordance with Admiralty Fleet Order the majority of elements formed the new Grand Fleet others were assigned to the following units: Channel Fleet, Northern Patrol-Cruiser Force B, 7th Cruiser Squadron-Cruiser Force, 11th Cruiser Squadron-Cruiser Force E, Dover Patrol, Harwich Flotillas, 7th Destroyer Flotilla, 8th Destroyer Flotilla, 9th Destroyer Flotilla, 5th Submarine Flotilla, 6th Submarine Flotilla, 7th Submarine Flotilla and the 8th Submarine Flotilla.
Inter-war period
When the Grand Fleet was disbanded in April 1919, the more powerful ships were grouped into the Atlantic Fleet and the older ships became the "Home Fleet"; this arrangement lasted until late 1919, when the ships of the Home Fleet became the Reserve Fleet.
The name "Home Fleet" was resurrected in March 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. The Home Fleet comprised the flagship leading a force that included the 2nd Battle Squadron (five more battleships), the Battlecruiser Squadron ( and ), the 2nd Cruiser Squadron (Vice-Admiral Edward Astley-Rushton) aboard (three cruisers), three destroyer flotillas (27), a submarine flotilla (six), two aircraft carriers and associated vessels.Home Fleet listing for 1933
Commander-in-Chief, Home FleetPost holders during the inter-war period were: Rank Flag Name Term Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet1 Admiral Sir John Kelly October 1931 – September 19332 Admiral Sir William BoyleSeptember 1933 – August 19353 Admiral Sir Roger Backhouse August 1935 – April 1938
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 (2nd Submarine Flotilla, Dundee, 6th Submarine Flotilla Blyth, Northumberland); Vice-Admiral, Aircraft Carriers (Vice-Admiral L. V. Wells, with , , and Pegasus); and the Orkney and Shetlands force.Leo Niehorster, Home Fleet, 3 September 1939, accessed January 2009 Its chief responsibility was to keep Germany's Kriegsmarine 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 battleship by the German submarine while supposedly safe in Scapa Flow, and the loss of the pride of the Navy, the battlecruiser , to the German battleship . 2nd Battle Squadron under Admiral Blagrove was effectively disestablished when he died in the sinking of Royal Oak.
The Home Fleet was used extensively in the protection in PQ, QP, JW and RA convoys from the UK and Iceland to Russia and vice versa. One of the Home Fleet's biggest successes along the Arctic Convoys was the sinking of the German battleship Scharnhorst while protecting convoy JW55B under the command of Sir Bruce Fraser, who was sailing in HMS Duke of York. The growing intensity of the Battle of the Atlantic led to the creation of Western Approaches Command. Only with the destruction of the German battleship 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.
Rank Flag Name Term +Commanders-in-Chief, Home Fleet, 1938–19451 Admiral Sir Charles Forbes April 1938 – December 19402 Admiral Sir John ToveyDecember 1940 – May 1943 3 Admiral Sir Bruce FraserMay 1943 – June 19444 Admiral Sir Henry Moore14 June 1944 – 24 November 1945
Post holder sources for the Second World War:Whitaker's Almanacks 1939–1945Unit Histories, accessed July 2009
Second in command Post holders included: Rank Flag Name Term Second-in-Command, Home Fleet1 Vice-Admiral Sir Alban Curteis 1941 – June 19422 Vice-Admiral Sir Bruce A. FraserJune 1942 – June 19433 Vice-Admiral Sir Henry R. Moore June 1943 – June 19444 Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Dalrymple-HamiltonJune 1944 – April 19455 Vice-Admiral Sir Rhoderick McGrigor April–July 19456 Vice-Admiral Sir Angus Cunninghame Graham July 1945 – October 1946
Post–Second World War
As the Cold War began, greater emphasis was placed on protecting the North Atlantic sea lanes from the Soviet Union in concert with other Western countries. Admiral Sir Rhoderick McGrigor supervised combined Western Union exercises involving ships from the British, French, and Dutch navies in June–July 1949. Admiral McGrigor flew his flag from the aircraft carrier . Also taking part in the exercises were and , along with cruisers and destroyers. During the exercise, the combined force paid a visit to Mount's Bay in Cornwall from 30 June – 4 July 1949.
Admiral Sir Philip Vian, Commander-in-Chief from 1950 to 1952, flew his flag in .Biography: Philip Vian Royal Naval Museum, accessed November 2009
From 1947 to 1957 superfluous battleships and aircraft carriers were assigned to the Training Squadron, Home Fleet headquartered at Portland to provide basic training. The carriers stationed here were mobilised as helicopter carriers for the Suez operation in 1956.
After 1951 the term flotilla applied to the higher command organisation of squadrons in the Home and Mediterranean Fleets.
In October 1951, Rear-Admiral Geoffrey Robson, D.S.O., D.S.C., was advised of his appointment as Flag Officer (Flotillas) Home Fleet (short title F.O.F.H.). He hoisted his flag and took up the post in December 1951. became his flagship. With his appointment as F.O.F.H. the post of Flag Officer Commanding 2nd Cruiser Squadron was disestablished. The remaining Home Fleet cruisers were added to the 3rd Aircraft Carrier Squadron, which then became the Heavy Squadron, Home Fleet (under the Flag Officer, Heavy Squadron, Home Fleet, short title, F.O.H.S.). In addition to the carriers and cruisers, the battleship Vanguard formed part of the squadron. The squadron was disbanded in October 1954.
In late 1951, joined the fleet as flagship of the 3rd Aircraft Carrier Squadron.Naval-history.net, HMS Theseus, accessed October 2011
After the Second World War, the Royal Navy's geographic commands were gradually merged into fewer but larger formations (1954 to 1971). The squadrons of the Home Fleet were grouped under a Flag Officer, Flotillas, Home Fleet, who became the main seagoing flag officer. Among these officers were Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Madden and Vice-Admiral Royston Wright. In the Far East the Flag Officer 5th Cruiser Squadron became Flag Officer Second in Command Far East Fleet with similar seagoing duties. Increasingly the term 'Submarine Flotilla' was used to describe the squadrons under command of the Flag Officer Submarines.
After the disbandment of the Heavy Squadron, Home Fleet, the Flag Officer, Aircraft Carriers assumed administrative responsibility for all the operational carriers.