Royal Navy Order of Battle (September 1939)

{{At the outbreak of World War 2 the Royal Navy was the largest navy, next to the Red Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy. The navy had many groups from the largest Fleets to the smallest divisions. Overall the Royal Navy controlled itself and the Royal Indian Navy. Overall the Royal Navy was and is controlled by the Admiralty, lead by the First Lord of the Admiralty. Under him was the Board of Admiralty including; Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Permanent Secretary to the Admiralty, Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel, Civil Lord of the Admiralty, Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy, Naval attaches to Embassies Legations to Foreign Courts, Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Supplies and Transport, and the Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Air Service. In September of 1939 the First Lord of the Admiralty was future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill. During the 1930s Churchill was able to re-organize the the royal navy, which proved successful during World War 2. The changes included convoy raiding, new aircraft carriers and expansion of the Special Boat Service.

Home Fleet
In 1939 the Home Fleet was the largest of the two fleets available. Headquartered at RN Scapa Flow, where Admiral Sir Charles Morton Forbes lead from the lead ship HMS Nelson. The Home Fleet included three "groups", one separate command, three separate squadrons, one separate flotilla, one small target service group, one separate ship, and a number of separate Admiralty drifters.

Vice-Admiral, Aircraft Carriers
Under the command of Vice-admiral L. V. Wells, the Aircraft Carrier group was used to provide air support to the Home Fleet. The group was headquartered at Scapa Flow. The group actually only contained 1 active aircraft carrier, but when the war started it contained 3 after the other two were entered into full service.


 * Headquarters - Scapa Flow
 * HMS Ark Royal - Lead Ship under Captain Arthur John Power
 * Commander Flying - Commander Frank Michael Rokcby Stephenson
 * No. 800 Squadron FAA
 * No. 803 Squadron FAA
 * No. 810 Squadron FAA
 * No. 820 Squadron FAA
 * No. 821 Squadron FAA
 * HMS Furious - Training Aircraft Carriers under Captain Marshal Llewelyn Clark at Rosyth
 * Commander Flying - Commander R. A. Peyton
 * HMS Pegasus - Depot Ship under Captain William Gladstone Agnew at Tyne

Rear Admiral, Destroyers
The Rear-Admiral commanding the destroyers of the Home Fleet commanded two flotillas. Each flotilla comprised of four destroyer divisions each of four ships. Rear Admiral R. H. C. Halifax had his headquarters at Scapa Flow.


 * HMS Greenwich (1915) - Commander John Henry Pipe, destroyer tender
 * 6th Destroyer Flotilla - under Captain Randolph Stewart Grosham Nicholson
 * HMS Matabele
 * HMS Ashanti
 * HMS Mashona
 * HMS Somali
 * HMS Punjabi
 * HMS Tartar
 * HMS Bedouin
 * HMS Eskimo
 * 8th Destroyer Flotilla - under Captain Charles Saumarez Daniel
 * HMS Foxhound
 * HMS Fearless
 * HMS Fury
 * HMS Forester
 * HMS Foresight
 * HMS Fortune
 * HMS Fame
 * HMS Firedrake

Rear Admiral Submarines
The Rear Admiral Submarines Group controlled the large submarine flotilla and a smaller submarine flotilla. It was headquartered in Aberdour under Rear admiral Bertram Chalmers Watson

2nd Submarine Flotilla


 * Headquarters at Dundee under Captain William Derek Stephens
 * HMS Forth - Submarine Tender
 * HMS Triton
 * HMS Triumph
 * HMS Thistle - At Portsmouth refitting
 * HMS Oxley
 * HMS Sturgeon
 * HMS Swordfish
 * HMS Seahorse
 * HMS Starfish
 * HMS Seawolf
 * HMS Spearfish
 * HMS Sterlet
 * HMS Sunfish - At Sheerness refitting

6th Submarine Flotilla


 * Headquarters at Blyth under Commander Jocelyn Slingaby Bethell. (Except for the Submarine Tender the entire flotilla was patrolling the areas of north-west Scotland.)
 * HMS Titania - Submarine Tender - Blyth
 * HMS H32
 * HMS L26
 * HMS L27
 * HMS Undine
 * HMS Unity
 * HMS Ursula

Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands
Two naval stations, seagoing units. On 3 September 1939 it included the 5th and 6th Minesweeper Flotillas and the Northern Patrol.

2nd Battle Squadron

 * Headquarters at Scapa Flow under Rear Admiral H. E. C. Blagrovan
 * HMS Royal Sovereign
 * HMS Ramillies
 * HMS Royal Oak
 * HMS Nelson
 * HMS Rodney

Battlecruiser Squadron

 * Headquarters at Scapa Flow under Read Admiral W. J. Whitworth
 * HMS Repulse
 * HMS Hood
 * HMS Renown

18th Cruiser Squadron

 * Headquarters at Scapa Flow
 * HMS Aurora
 * HMS Sheffield
 * HMS Belfast
 * HMS Edinburgh
 * HMS Norfolk
 * HMS Newcastle

1st Minesweeper Flotilla

 * Headquarters at Scapa Flow
 * HMS Bramble
 * HMS Hazard
 * HMS Speedy
 * HMS Britomart
 * HMS Hebe
 * HMS Sharpshooter
 * HMS Seagull

Fleet Target Service

 * HMS Centurion
 * HMS Shikari
 * HMS Sabre
 * HMS Guardian

Admiralty Drifters

 * HMS Cloud
 * HMS Coldsnap
 * HMS Fumarole
 * HMS Halo
 * HMS Harmattan
 * HMS Horizon
 * HMS Leeward
 * HMS Lunar Bow
 * HMS Mist
 * HMS Noontide
 * HMS Seabreeze
 * HMS Shower
 * HMS Sheen
 * HMS Whirpool

Seperate Ships

 * HMS Calcutta at Scapa Flow

Rosyth Command
Rosyth Command controlled the navy units at Rosyth, Cromarty, Glasgow, Stornoway, Aberdeen, Cromarty, Newcastle upon Tyne, Humber, Blyth, and Tyne. Was under command of Rear Admiral C. G. Ramsey. The command had the following strucute in early september:

Rosyth Escort Force

 * Headquarters at Rosyth under Captain R. Kerr
 * HMS Cochrane under direct control at Rosyth
 * 15th Destroyer Flotilla
 * Headquarters at Rosyth under Captain R. Kerr
 * Destroyer Division 29
 * HMS Broke (On Patrol)
 * HMS Wanderer (On Patrol)
 * HMS Whitehall (On Patrol)
 * HMS Witch (Moving to Harwich Dockyard)
 * Destroyer Division 30
 * HMS Wolverine
 * HMS Witherington
 * HMS Volunteer
 * HMS Verity
 * Convoy C
 * Headquarters at Rosyth under Captain R. Kerr
 * HMS Wallace at Leith
 * HMS Valorous (On Patrol)
 * HMS Whitley (On Patrol)
 * HMS Pelican (On Patrol)
 * HMS Bittern at Rosyth
 * HMS Enchantress (On Patrol)
 * HMS Hastings at Plymouth Re-fitting

3rd Anti-Submarine Group

 * HMS Amethest
 * HMS Agate
 * HMS Jasper

Seperate Units

 * Admiral-Superintendent, Rosyth Dockyard under Vice Admiral Charles Gordon Ramsey
 * King's Harbour Master, Cromarty at Cromarty under Commander L. G. Addington
 * Liason Officer for RN and MN Duties at Rosyth under Commander G. E. Boultbee
 * Clyde Sub-Command at Glasgow
 * Stornoway Sub-Command at Stornoway
 * Aberdeen Sub-Command at Aberdeen
 * Cromarty Sub-Command at Invergordon
 * Rosyth Sub-Command at Rosyth
 * Newcastle Sub-Command at Newcastle
 * Humber Sub-Command at Grimsby

Nore Command
Nore Command was, despite the name, not based in Northern Great Britain but was instead headquartered in Eastern England. The Nore Command had control over units based in Chatham, Dover, Sheerness, Ipswich, London, and Harwich. The command was lead by Admiral Sir Henry John Studholme Brownrigg.

19th Destroyer Flotilla


 * Headquarters at Port of Dover under Captain David James Robert Simson. All units of the flotilla were on patrol at time of the breakout of war.
 * Destroyer Division 37
 * HMS Basilisk
 * HMS Beagle
 * HMS Boreas
 * Destroyer Division 38
 * HMS Blanche
 * HMS Brazen
 * HMS Brilliant - At Dover
 * HMS Boadicea

5th Minesweeper Flotilla


 * HMS Sphinx

Seperate Units


 * Admiral-Superintendent Chatham Dockyard
 * Captain Superintendent, Sheerness Dockyard
 * Commodore, Chatham Naval Barracks
 * Captain in Charge, Harwich
 * Liaison officer for Royal Navy and Merchant Navy Duties, London
 * Harwich Sub-Command
 * Nore Sub-Command
 * Dover Sub-Command

Additional Notes
I found the full names that were just abbreviated from this reference:

Source
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 * http://www.niehorster.org/017_britain/39_navy/_navy.html