"fighter—and operated them until the end of the war. The 2nd BCS again supported minelayers in the North Sea between 25–26 June and 29–30 July. During September and October, ""Australia"" and the 2nd BCS supervised and protected minelaying operations north of Orkney. When the armistice with Germany was signed on 11 November 1918 to end World War I, one of the conditions was that the German High Seas Fleet was to be interred at Scapa Flow. The German fleet crossed the North Sea, and on 21 November, the British Grand Fleet sailed out to meet it; ""Australia"" led the port"
"the Grand Fleet's principal base at Scapa Flow. Included: Included: Primary source for this article is by Harley, Simon and Lovell Tony, Admiral. (2015), Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands, http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands The Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Orkneys and Shetlands Command; they were charged with the administration of the Orkney and Shetland Islands and operating and defending the fleet base at Scapa Flow that was the main anchorage for both the Home Fleet and Grand Fleet at"
"of an Orcadian fishing fleet until the 19th century but it grew rapidly and 700 boats were involved by the 1840s with Stronsay and then later Stromness becoming leading centres of development. Many Orcadian seamen became involved in whaling in Arctic waters during the 19th century, although the boats were generally based elsewhere in Britain. Orkney was the site of a naval base at Scapa Flow, which played a major role in World War I. After the Armistice in 1918, the German High Seas Fleet was transferred in its entirety to Scapa Flow while a decision was to be made"
"the centre of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland, the natural harbour, large enough to contain the entire Grand Fleet, was surrounded by a ring of islands separated by shallow channels subject to fast-racing tides. The threat from U-boats had long been realised, and a series of countermeasures were installed during the early years of the First World War. Blockships were sunk at critical points, and floating booms deployed to block the three widest channels, and operated by tugboats to allow the passage of friendly shipping. It was considered possible—but highly unlikely—that a daring U-boat commander could"
"received a letter from the War Office to inform it that it had been taken under Government control, pursuant to the Regulation of Railways Act 1871. Eight days after the declaration of war, Grangemouth Docks were declared a military area, and access was only permitted on production of an official pass. The Grand Fleet was based at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, and on a wartime footing it had a huge demand for fuel, provisions and other supplies, that the Highland Railway and the northern port facilities were incapable of handling. Grangemouth became the effective railhead for the fleet,"
"Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of Great Britain. Orkney is 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the coast of Caithness and comprises approximately 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, Mainland, is often referred to as ""the Mainland"". It has an area of , making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall. A form of the name dates to the pre-Roman era and the islands"
"Scapa Flow Scapa Flow ( or ; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. Its sheltered waters have been used by ships since prehistory and it has played an important role in travel, trade and conflict throughout the centuries - especially during both World Wars. A consultation in ballast water management in 2013 measured the commonly used Harbour Authority definition of Scapa Flow at and just under 1 billion cubic metres of water. Since the post-World War I scuttling of the German fleet at"
"operated under control of the commander of the Home or Grand Fleet. It was to operate from Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. Later the force was redesignated 10th Cruiser Squadron. During the First World War, the Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands was established at the outbreak of hostilities to establish and maintain the Grand Fleet's principal base at Scapa Flow. This included the local defence forces for the base. The Northern Patrol operated within this command but its relationship to this shore command is unclear."". By 1914 the Northern Patrol was to be composed of eight old Edgar class"
"to the First World War the War Office improved the Napoleonic forts and their armaments as well as adding another fort at the entrance to the lough at Lenan Head with guns (12-mile range) – the largest in Ireland at the time. The remains of these fortifications are still at Lenan Head Fort, Fort Dunree (now a military and wildlife museum), Ned's Point, Buncrana, Inch Fort and on the west coast at Rathmullan, Knockalla and Macamish Point. During the First World War, the lough was used by the Royal Navy as an anchorage for elements of the Grand Fleet, an"
"Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, serving as leader of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla. She was part of the Grand Fleets 1st Light Cruiser Squadron from February to November 1915. In early 1916 she joined the Grand Fleets 4th Light Cruiser Squadron and remained with it – fighting as part of it at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May-1 June 1916 under the command of Captain Henry R. Crooke – through the end of the war in November 1918. From 1917 until late 1918, she carried a flying-off platform for the launching of Royal Naval"
"of them Royal Navy. Although it took place during the First World War it was an entirely accidental tragedy and no enemy forces were present. It was therefore not a ""Battle"" and was only referred to as such with black humour. Around 40 naval vessels left Rosyth on the Firth of Forth, Scotland on the afternoon bound for Scapa Flow in Orkney where the exercise, EC1, involving the entire Grand Fleet would take place the following day. The vessels included the 5th Battle Squadron of three battleships with their destroyer escorts, the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron of four battlecruisers and their"
"of World War I, the Home Fleet was reorganised as the Grand Fleet, and placed under the command of Admiral Jellicoe. Repeated reports of submarines in Scapa Flow led Jellicoe to conclude that the defences there were inadequate and he ordered that the Grand Fleet be dispersed to other bases until the defences be reinforced. On 16 October the 2nd BS was sent to Loch na Keal on the western coast of Scotland. The squadron departed for gunnery practice off the northern coast of Ireland on the morning of 27 October and the dreadnought struck a mine, laid a few"
"January 1915 west of the Orkney and Shetland Islands. On the evening of 23 January, the bulk of the Grand Fleet sailed in support of Beatty's battlecruisers, but the fleet was too far away to participate in the Battle of Dogger Bank the following day. On 7–10 March, the Grand Fleet conducted a sweep in the northern North Sea, during which it conducted training manoeuvres. Another such cruise took place on 16–19 March. On 11 April, the Grand Fleet conducted a patrol in the central North Sea and returned to port on 14 April; another patrol in the area took"
"57"", pp. 178–184 British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation which saw action against Japan during the Second World War. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944 from the remaining ships of the former Eastern Fleet then being re-designated the East Indies Fleet and continuing to be based in Trincomalee. The British Pacific Fleet's main base was at Sydney, Australia, with a forward base at Manus Island. One of the largest fleets ever assembled by the Royal Navy, by VJ Day it"
"number of navies. Vikings anchored their longships in Scapa Flow more than a thousand years ago, but it is best known as the site of the United Kingdom's chief naval base during World War I and World War II. The facility was closed in 1956. The Viking expeditions to Orkney are recorded in detail in the 11th century ""Orkneyinga sagas"" and later texts such as the ""Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar"". According to the latter, King Haakon IV of Norway anchored his fleet, including the flagship ""Kroussden"" that could carry nearly 300 men, on 5 August 1263 at St Margaret's Hope, where"
"them, and then upon each other, near the Dogger Bank, nearly causing Britain to enter the war on the side of Japan. During the First World War, Great Britain's Grand Fleet and Germany's Kaiserliche Marine faced each other in the North Sea, which became the main theatre of the war for surface action. Britain's larger fleet and North Sea Mine Barrage were able to establish an effective blockade for most of the war, which restricted the Central Powers' access to many crucial resources. Major battles included the Battle of Heligoland Bight, the Battle of the Dogger Bank, and the Battle"
"a possible surprise attack by the Imperial German Navy. In August 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, the Home Fleet was reorganised as the Grand Fleet, and placed under the command of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe. Most of it was briefly based (22 October to 3 November) at Lough Swilly, Ireland, while the defences at Scapa were strengthened. On the evening of 22 November 1914, the Grand Fleet conducted a fruitless sweep in the southern half of the North Sea; ""Colossus"" stood with the main body in support of Vice-Admiral David Beatty's 1st Battlecruiser Squadron. The fleet was"
"of four causeways in the Orkney Islands with a total length of 1.5 miles (2.4 km). They link the Orkney Mainland in the north to the island of South Ronaldsay via Burray and the two smaller islands of Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm. The barriers were built in the 1940s as naval defences to protect the anchorage at Scapa Flow. They were commissioned following the sinking of HMS ""Royal Oak"" in 1939 by German U-boat ""U-47"" which had penetrated the existing defences of sunken blockships and anti-submarine nets. The barriers now serve as road links, carrying the A961 road from"
"Barriers were built during World War II to block the eastern entrances. Much of the labour for the causeways was provided by over 1300 Italian prisoners of war, captured in North Africa and stationed in Camp 60 on Lamb Holm and two camps on Burray. Glims Holm Glims Holm (OS: Glimps Holm; ) is a small uninhabited islet in Orkney, Scotland. Glims Holm lies in Holm Sound, one of the eastern entrances to Scapa Flow, between Mainland, Orkney and the island of Burray. The Churchill Barriers link South Ronaldsay to the Orkney Mainland. Glims Holm is connected to Lamb Holm,"
"where it later exploded while at anchor and sank. The sinking of the Maine resulted in the United States declaring war on Spain, and the entire U.S. Atlantic Fleet moved to Key West for the duration of the war. During World War I (1914–1918) the base was expanded again, and in 1917, a U.S. naval submarine base was established on the main island of Key West on what is now naval air station ""annex"" property. Its mission during World War I was to supply oil to the U.S. fleet and to block German ships from reaching Mexican oil supplies. The"
"the two world wars as a military base aiding control of the South Atlantic. In the First World War Battle of the Falkland Islands in December 1914, a Royal Navy fleet defeated an Imperial German squadron. In the Second World War, following the December 1939 Battle of the River Plate, the battle-damaged HMS ""Exeter"" steamed to the Falklands for repairs. In 1942, a battalion en route to India was redeployed to the Falklands as a garrison amid fears of a Japanese seizure of the archipelago. After the war ended, the Falklands economy was affected by declining wool prices and the"
"heightened in 1904 by the Dogger Bank incident. However, the British did not face a challenge to their dominance of the North Sea until World War I broke out in 1914. During the First World War the North Sea became the main theatre of the war for surface action. The Second World War also saw action in the North Sea, though it was restricted more to submarines and smaller vessels such as minesweepers, and torpedo boats and similar vessels. After the war, the North Sea lost much of its military significance because it is bordered only by NATO member-states. However,"
"the North Sea though on an intermittent basis. From 1652-1654 Yarmouth used by the Royal Navy for stationing its fleets during the First Anglo-Dutch War. A more permanent command was then established in 1781 with the fleet usually anchored at Yarmouth Roads. The fleet is most well known for its key role in the Battle of Camperdown against the Dutch Navy on the 11 October 1797 which resulted in a decisive British victory. The fleet was also involved in trade protection with the advent of the looming Napoleonic Wars and later it turned to the blockading of enemy ports. The"
"point: RNAS Hatston RNAS Hatston, also called HMS ""Sparrowhawk"", was a Royal Naval Air Station, one mile to the north west of Kirkwall on the island of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It was located near the strategically vital naval base of Scapa Flow, which for most of the twentieth century formed the main base of the ships of the Home Fleet. Hatston's main period of activity came during the Second World War, when it was host to a number of different types of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm, including Fairey Swordfish, Blackburn Rocs and Grumman Avengers. Two squadrons of Blackburn"
"United States Naval Station White's Island, Bermuda The United States Naval Station Whites Island was a United States Navy (USN) facility located on White's Island in Hamilton Harbour, in the British Colony of Bermuda, 640 miles off the coast of North Carolina. It was established during the First World War (or the ""Great War"", as it was originally known in Britain) by the US Navy for use by anti-submarine vessels transiting on their way from the United States to the European theatre of operations. Bermuda had already housed the Admiralty House, dockyard, and naval base of the North America and"
"to the July Crisis. Arriving in Portland on 27 July, she was ordered to proceed with the rest of the Home Fleet to Scapa Flow two days later to safeguard the fleet from a possible German surprise attack. In August 1914, following the outbreak of the First World War, the Home Fleet was reorganised as the Grand Fleet, and placed under the command of Admiral Jellicoe. Most of it was briefly based (22 October to 3 November) at Lough Swilly, Ireland, while the defences at Scapa were strengthened. On the evening of 22 November 1914, the Grand Fleet conducted a"
"War I. Following the German naval attack on Great Yarmouth in November 1914, defences such as trenches, concrete pillboxes and gun batteries were constructed along much of the Norfolk coast. The main bases were outside the SSSI boundaries, but Thornham Marsh was used between 1914 and 1918 by the Royal Flying Corps as a bombing range. A World War I concrete building on Titchwell's west bank was let as holiday accommodation until the British Army returned in 1942; some brickwork on Titchwell Marsh is all that remains of a military hospital dating from that period. There were no new fortifications"
"Fleet. On the outbreak of the First World War ""Gossamer"" joined the newly established Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys. In August 1914, the minesweepers attached to the Grand Fleet, including ""Gossamer"" were employed on carrying out daily sweeps of the Pentland Firth. In October 1914 ""Gossamer"" was based at Devonport. On 17 December 1914, ""Gossamer"" and the torpedo gunboats and were on passage from Lowestoft to Scapa Flow, when they were temporarily diverted to help to deal with a minefield laid off Scarborough during the Bombardment of Scarborough on 16 December. On 16 July 1915, ""Gossamer"" and"
"the Great White Fleet to Auckland over six days in 1908. The plan advocated Manukau Harbour as the best invasion point and landing heavy guns on Rangitoto Island to shell the forts on the North Shore. The plan was not very realistic and may have been an exercise to keep young officers busy (see United States war plans; which allocated the colour Garnet to New Zealand as part of War Plan Red). Coastal fortifications of New Zealand Coastal fortifications were constructed in New Zealand in two main waves: around 1885 as a response to fears of an attack by Russia,"
"shipped from Britain for the duration of the conflict. In 1910 a new East Dock was built together with a dry dock facility which proved timely in the event of the breakout of the First World War. From 1914 to until 1919 its primary tasks was to seek out and destroy German commerce raiding forces. During the interwar period it resumed the work of maintaining and refitting vessels stationed there and those travelling en route to Asia. In 1939, at the start of the Second World War, the base played an early prominent role in the Battle of the Atlantic,"
"these roles and more during the Second World War) used as a convoy staging point during both World War I and World War II. When the US entered the war in 1917, it required a staging point for smaller anti-submarine vessels that were deploying to Europe to use during the voyage across the Atlantic. Most of the small islands in Hamilton Harbour and the Great Sound, including White's Island, were at that point property of the Royal navy or the British Army. Other than several of the islands, which had been used to isolate servicemen infected with Yellow Fever, and"
"was simply not enough work for all, so the eldest often left for the mainland or emigrated to Canada or the United States to find work. The lack of a proper harbour meant that the islanders could not make use of larger boats or develop a modern fishery. Young people started moving away to seek better-paying opportunities elsewhere, eventually followed by their parents. Both of the World Wars had a major impact on Stroma, which was only a dozen miles from the Royal Navy's chief base at Scapa Flow in Orkney. Six islanders died in each of the World Wars;"
"in Portland on 27 July, she was ordered to proceed with the rest of the Home Fleet to Scapa Flow two days later to safeguard the fleet from a possible German surprise attack. In August 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, the Home Fleet was reorganised as the Grand Fleet, and placed under the command of Admiral John Jellicoe. Most of it was briefly based (22 October to 3 November) at Lough Swilly, Ireland, while the defences at Scapa were strengthened. On the evening of 22 November 1914, the Grand Fleet conducted a fruitless sweep in the southern"