Flying Squadron (1896)

For other uses of "Flying Squadron", see Flying Squadron (disambiguation).

The Flying Squadron was a special British Royal Navy squadron that operated during 1896.^[1]

Following the Jameson Raid in South Africa, the German Emperor Wilhelm II sent a telegram of support to President Kruger. This led to a war scare in Europe. To ready itself for the possibility of a war with the German Empire, the Royal Navy formed the Particular Service Squadron at England, on 14 January 1896. It was soon renamed the Flying Squadron. Its flagship was the battleship Revenge, while the other ships in the squadron were the battleship Royal Oak, the Edgar-class cruisers Gibraltar and Theseus, and the Astraea-class cruisers Charybdis and Hermione. The squadron was commanded by Rear Admiral Alfred Taylor Dale.

The Flying Squadron was held in readiness for ten months, and briefly was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet in mid-1896. No war broke out, and the Flying Squadron was disbanded in November 1896.^[1]

Notes

1 2 Burt 1988, pp. 81–82.

References

Burt, R. A. (1988). British Battleships 1889–1904. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-061-0.

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