3rd and 4th Divisions (Royal Navy)

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

The 3rd and 4th Divisions was a naval formation of the Home Fleet, Royal Navy. It was created before the First World War from March 1909 until May 1912.

In March 1909, following a Royal Navy re-organisation, the Channel Fleet was absorbed by the Home Fleet. The ships in home waters, including the former Channel Fleet, then became the Home Fleet's First and Second Divisions. The former Home Fleet as it then stood became the Third and Fourth Divisions, which was actually a single formation 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 the Home Fleet there were two levels of availability - the ships of the 1st and 2nd Divisions which were fully operational, and those of the 3rd and 4th divisions that were either in reserve or partially manned.

Vice-Admirals Commanding 3rd and 4th Divisions

Post holders included:

#	Rank	Flag	Name	Term
Vice-Admirals Commanding Third and Fourth Divisions
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 in the 3rd and 4th Divisions

Post holders included:

#	Rank	Flag	Name	Term
Rear Admirals in the Third and Fourth Divisions
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

Devonport Division

Post holders included:

#	Rank	Flag	Name	Term
Rear-Admiral Commanding, Devonport Division, Home Fleet
1	Rear-Admiral		Cecil Burney	5 January, 1910 – 5 January 1911
2	Rear-Admiral		Richard B. Farquhar	5 January 1911 - 5 January 1912
3	Rear-Admiral		Henry Loftus Tottenham	5 January 1912 - May 1912

Components

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 )

Nore Division

The Rear-Admiral Commanding, Nore Division, Home Fleet from 4 January, 1909 - 5 January, 1910 was Rear Admiral Charles J. Briggs.

Components

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)

Portsmouth Division

Post holders included:

#	Rank	Flag	Name	Term
Rear-Admiral Commanding, Portsmouth Division, Home Fleet
1	Rear-Admiral		Frederic E. E. Brock	17 November, 1909 – 10 November, 1910
2	Rear-Admiral		Arthur H. Limpus	10 November, 1910 - 17 November, 1911
3	Rear-Admiral		Arthur Y. Moggridge	17 November, 1911 - May 1912

Components

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)

Sources

• 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. Vol. I: The Road to War 1904–1914. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781-59114-259-1.