# 1st Cruiser Squadron

The First Cruiser Squadron was a Royal Navy squadron of cruisers that saw service as part of the Grand Fleet during World War I, then later as part of the Mediterranean during the Interwar period and World War II. It was first established in 1904 and existed until 1952.

## History
### First formation

The squadron was formed in December 1904 when Cruiser Squadron was re-designated the 1st Cruiser Squadron. In March 1909, then consisting of battlecruisers, it was assigned to the 1st Division of the Home Fleet until April 1912. When the First World War began, the squadron was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet where it participated in the pursuit of the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and the light cruiser SMS Breslau. It joined then Grand Fleet in January 1915 where it participated in the battles of Dogger Bank and the Battle of Jutland. It was disbanded after the battle as three of its four ships had been sunk in June 1916. In July 1917 H.M. Ships Courageous, Glorious and Furious were detached from the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron and named the First Cruiser Squadron, part of the newly formed Light Cruiser Force. It remained part of Light Cruiser Force until April 1919 when it was once again disbanded.

#### Rear/Vice Admiral commanding

Post holders included:
| | Rank | Name | Term |
| Rear-Admiral/Vice-Admiral Commanding, 1st Cruiser Squadron |||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | Edmund S. Poe | December, 1904 - July, 1905 |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | George Neville | July, 1905 - July, 1907 |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | Sir Percy M. Scott | July, 1907 - September, 1908 |
| 4 | Rear-Admiral | Charles H. Adair | September, 1908 - February, 1909 |
| 5 | Rear-Admiral | Hon. Stanley C. J. Colville | February, 1909 - February, 1911 |
| 6 | Rear-Admiral | Lewis Bayly | February, 1911 - January, 1913 |
| 7 | Rear-Admiral | Ernest C.T. Troubridge | January, 1913 - September, 1914 |
| 8 | Rear-Admiral | Sir Archibald G. H.W. Moore | November, 1914 - January, 1915 |
| 9 | Rear-Admiral | Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot † | January, 1915 - May, 1916 |
| squadron disbanded 06/1916 - 06/1917 |||||
| 10 | Vice-Admiral | Trevylyan D.W.Napier | July, 1917 - April, 1919 |
| squadron disbanded 1919-1924 |||||

#### Composition, April–May 1907

As per:
* Good Hope
* Roxburgh
* Hampshire
* Argyll

#### Composition, First World War
##### August 1914

As of:
    Armoured cruisers
* Defence - Flagship of Rear-Admiral Ernest C. T. Troubridge. Captain Fawcet Wray
* Black Prince - Captain Frederick D. Gilpin-Brown
* Duke of Edinburgh - Captain Henry Blackett
* Warrior - Captain George H. Borrett
Light cruisers
* Chatham - Captain Sidney R. Drury-Lowe
* Dublin - Captain John D. Kelly
* Gloucester - Captain Howard Kelly
* Weymouth - Captain William D. Church

##### 24 January 1915

As of:
* Duke of Edinburgh - Temporary flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot
* Black Prince
* Warrior

##### 22 February 1915

As of:
* Defence - Flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot
* Duke of Edinburgh
* Black Prince
* Warrior

##### 30 May 1916

As of:
* Defence - Flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot
* Duke of Edinburgh
* Black Prince
* Warrior

##### October 1917

As of:
* Courageous
* Glorious
* Furious

##### 17 November 1917

As of:
* Courageous
* Glorious

### Second formation

In October 1924 the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron was re-designated the 1st Cruiser Squadron. This took effect in November 1924 and the squadron was reformed as an enlarged unit of the Mediterranean Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Arthur Waistell.
In June 1942 the squadron under the commander of Rear-Admiral Louis Keppel Hamilton was assigned to provide distant cover for Convoy PQ 17. The squadron consisted of the British cruisers HMS London (flagship) and Norfolk, the American cruisers USS Wichita and Tuscaloosa and four destroyers, two from the United States Navy. Louis Mountbatten served as commander of the squadron in the Mediterranean Fleet after the war. Having been granted the substantive rank of vice admiral on 22 June 1949, Mountbatten became Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1950.

#### Rear/Vice Admiral commanding

Post holders included:
| | Rank | Name | Term |
| Rear-Admiral/Vice-Admiral Commanding, 1st Cruiser Squadron |||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | Arthur K.Waistell | November, 1924 - October, 1926 |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | William H.D. Boyle | October, 1926 - October, 1928 |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | Henry W. Parker | October, 1928 - March, 1930 |
| 4 | Rear-Admiral | Joseph Henley C. W. Henley | March, 1930 -April 1932 |
| 5 | Rear-Admiral | George K. Chetwode | April, 1932 - June, 1933 |
| 6 | Vice-Admiral | John K. im Thurn | June, 1933 - July, 1935 |
| 7 | Vice-Admiral | Max K. Horton | July, 1935 - October, 1936 |
| 8 | Vice-Admiral | Charles E.Kennedy-Purvis | October, 1936-September, 1938 |
| 9 | Vice-Admiral | John H. D. Cunningham | September, 1938 - December, 1940 |
| 10 | Rear-Admiral | W. Frederic Wake-Walker | December, 1940 - February 1942 |
| 11 | Rear-Admiral | Louis H.K. Hamilton | February 1942 - August, 1943 |
| 12 | Vice-Admiral | Arthur F.E. Palliser | August, 1943 - March, 1944 |
| 13 | Vice-Admiral | Sir Rhoderick R. McGrigor | March, 1944 - July 1945 |
| 14 | Rear-Admiral | Harold R.G. Kinahan | June, 1946 - June, 1947 |
| 15 | Rear-Admiral | Richard V. Symonds-Tayler | June, 1947 - October, 1948 |
| 16 | Vice-Admiral | Earl Mountbatten of Burma | October, 1948 - May, 1950 |
| 17 | Rear-Admiral | C.T. Mark Pizey | May, 1950 - July, 1951 |
| 18 | Vice-Admiral | Ralph A.B. Edwards | July, 1951 – 1952 |

## Deployments

Included:
| from | to | deployed to |
| March 1909 | April 1912 | 1st Division, Home Fleet |
| July 1914 | January 1915 | Mediterranean Fleet |
| January 1915 | June 1916 | Grand Fleet |
| July 1917 | April 1919 | Light Cruiser Force |
| November 1924 | August 1939 | Mediterranean Fleet |
| August 1939 | 1952 | Home Fleet |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie, December 2017. pp. 206–209. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
* ↑ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "First Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Lovelll and Harley, 30 August 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
* ↑ Government, H.M. (October 1913). "Flag Officers - Vice Admirals". The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 87.
* ↑ Sieche, p. 146
* ↑ Corbett, I, p. 440
* ↑ Corbett, II, p. 413
* ↑ Corbett, II, p. 418
* ↑ Corbett, III, p. 429
* ↑ Newbolt, V, p. 152
* ↑ Newbolt, V, p. 168
* ↑ Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie, December 2017. pp. 206–209. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
* ↑ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "First Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Lovelll and Harley, 30 August 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
* ↑ Government, H.M. (October 1913). "Flag Officers - Vice Admirals". The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 87.
* ↑ Houterman, J.N. "Royal Navy, Squadrons 1939-1945". www.unithistories.com. J.N. Houterman, 2010-2017. Retrieved 25 March 2018.