3rd and 4th Division (Royal Navy)

3rd and 4th Division
Active	March 1909–May 1912
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Division

The 3rd and 4th Division was a naval formation of the British Home Fleet created before the First World War from March 1909 until May 1912.

History

In March 1909 following a re-organisation Channel Fleet was absorbed by the Home Fleet . The ships in home waters including the former Channel Fleet then became the Home Fleet first and second divisions. The former Home Fleet as it then stood became the third and fourth divisions which was a single command under a vice-admiral. These new divisions was made up of an 8-12 ship battle squadron that included either dreadnought battleships or pre-dreadnought battleships. Within that fleet there were two levels of availability - the ships of the 1st and 2nd Divisions that were fully operational, and those of the 3rd and 4th divisions that were either in reserve or partially manned.

Vice-Admirals Commanding Third and Fourth Division

Post holders included:

#	Rank	Flag	Name	Term
Vice-Admirals Commanding Third and Fourth Division
1	Vice-Admiral		Sir George Neville	24 March 1909 - 24 March 1911
2	Vice-Admiral		Prince Louis of Battenberg	24 March 1911 - 5 December 1911
3	Acting-Vice-Admiral		Frederick T. Hamilton	5 December 1911 - May, 1912

Rear Admirals Third and Fourth Division

Post holders included:

#	Rank	Flag	Name	Term
Rear Admirals Third and Fourth Division
1	Rear-Admiral		T. H. Martyn Jerram	24 March 1909 - 9 August 1910
2	Rear-Admiral		William Lowther Grant	9 August 1910 - 2 November 1911
3	Rear-Admiral		Charles H. Dundas of Dundas	2 November 1911 - May 1912

Components

Based at Devonport

Included:

#	Unit	Notes
1	Pre-dreadnought battleships	(3-7, pre-dreadnought battleships)
2	5th Destroyer Flotilla	(2, destroyers)
3	7th Destroyer Flotilla	(2, destroyers)
4	Devonport Submarine Flotilla	(5 A-class submarines, in reserve but recommissioned by 1910 and 3 B-class submarines )
5	I Submarine Flotilla	(11 B-class submarines, 1 Depot ship )
6	VI Submarine Flotilla	(a training unit )

Based at Nore

Included:

#	Unit	Notes
1	Pre-dreadnought battleships	(8, pre-dreadnought battleships)
2	3rd Destroyer Flotilla	(4, destroyers)
3	Nore Submarine Flotilla	(4 C-class submarines split into III and VII submarine flotillas, 4.1910 )
4	III Submarine Flotilla	(9 C-class submarines, 1 depot ship)
5	VII Submarine Flotilla	(12 C-class submarines, 1 depot ship)

Based at Portsmouth

Included:

#	Unit	Notes
1	Pre-dreadnought battleship	(4, pre-dreadnought battleships)
2	4th Destroyer Flotilla	(4, destroyers)
3	Portsmouth Submarine Flotilla	(9 C-class submarines, 1 depot ship - till April 1910 then flotilla is split up)
4	II Submarine Flotilla	(9 C-class submarines, 4 D-class submarines, 1 depot ship - from 4.1910 )
5	IV Submarine Flotilla	(4 A-class destroyers, 5 C-class submarines, 1 depot ship - from 4.1910)
6	V Submarine Flotilla	(formed as training unit from 4.1910)

References

• Friedman, Norman (2014). Fighting the Great War at Sea: Strategy, Tactic and Technology. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781473849709.
• Mackie, Gordon. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Gordon Mackie, p. 199. December 2017.
• Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployments 1900-1914". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.

Further reading

• Marder, Arthur J. (2013) [1961]. From Dreadnought to Scapa Flow: The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era. I: The Road to War 1904–1914. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781-59114-259-1.