British Baltic Fleet

British Baltic Fleet
Active	1658-1812
Country	Kingdom of Great Britain
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Naval Fleet
Part of	Department of Admiralty
HQ	Spithead
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	None

The British Baltic Fleet was a series of adhoc fleets assembled for specific naval campaigns of the Royal Navy from 1658 to 1812 commanded by the Commander-in-Chief, British Baltic Fleet.

1) History

The British Baltic Fleet was a series of temporary fleets assembled for various naval campaigns of the Royal Navy from 1658 to 1812 it was commanded by the Commander-in-Chief, British Baltic Fleet. In 1658 Vice-Admiral William Goodsonn was appointed to command the British Baltic Fleet of twenty ships he was transporting General at Sea Sir George Ayscue who was being loaned to Sweden to assist in there naval operations against Denmark and the Dutch.

In 1715 Sir John Norris was sent with a fleet to the Baltic Sea to support a coalition of naval forces from Russia, Denmark and Hanover taking in the Great Northern War. Tsar Peter took personal command of the coalition fleet and appointed Norris as his deputy in 1716: together they protected British and other allied merchant vessels from attack by warships of the Swedish Empire. Norris joined the Board of Admiralty led by the Earl of Berkeley in March 1718. In November 1718, following the death of Charles XII of Sweden, Britain switched sides and Norris returned to the region to protect British merchant shipping from attack by Russian raiders. Norris also acted as a commissioner in the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Nystad which ended the War in September 1721

in 1726 Sir Charles Wager was appointed to take command of a large battle fleet sent to the Baltic to protect Sweden and Denmark from the threat of a recently mobilized Russian fleet. Stopping first at Copenhagen, he met with the court and completed arrangements for co-operation with the Danish navy. His report of 30 April 1726 evoked a glowing response from the secretary of state, Viscount Townshend: "his Majesty has commanded me to let you know from Him, that he was before persuaded you was a very good Admiral, but he now sees that you are likewise an able Minister. All the answers you gave to the questions proposed to you at the Conference with the Danish Council were extremely right." After calling on the Swedish court, Wager took his twenty ships of the line to Reval. He had orders to engage and destroy the Russian fleet if it came out. A frustrated and angry tsarina felt compelled to demobilize it instead. To reassure Sweden the British fleet stayed at Reval all summer, losing many men to sickness, and did not enter the Thames until 1 November 1726.

In 1801 Sir Hyde Parker was appointed to command the British Baltic fleet destined to break up the northern armed neutrality, with Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson as his second-in-command. Copenhagen, the first objective of the expedition, fell in the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801 to the fierce attack of Nelson's squadron – Parker, with the heavier ships, taking little part due to the shallowness of the channel. At the height of the battle Parker, who was loath to infringe the customary rules of naval warfare, raised the flag to disengage. Famously, Nelson ignored the order from his commander by raising his telescope to his blind eye and exclaiming “I really do not see the signal ” (although this is generally accepted to be a myth). Nelson pressed on with the action and ultimately compelled the Danish forces to capitulate. Parker’s hesitation to advance up the Baltic Sea after his victory was later severely criticised.

In 1808 James Saumarez was given command of the Baltic fleet with his flag in HMS Victory. Saumarez's mission was to protect the British trade which was of vital importance for Royal Navy supplies and to blockade enemy ports such as those under French control in northern Germany. The Russian fleet was also kept under blockade until Alexander I reopened Russian ports. Sweden, under pressure from France, declared war on Britain in November 1810 but Saumarez showed conspicuous tact towards the government of Sweden and her shipping, correctly guessing that the Swedes, like their Russian neighbours, would eventually defy Napoleon.[14] Charles XIII later bestowed on him the Grand Cross of the military Order of the Sword. Denmark, a French satellite, also needed to be kept under observation until it was invaded by the Swedish Army in 1814. In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with half a million troops and Saumarez's fleet was instrumental in hampering French operation

2) Commander-in-Chief, British Baltic Fleet

Incomplete list post holders included:

1. Vice-Admiral: Sir William Goodsonn, (1658-1659)
2. General at Sea: Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich (1659)
3. Admiral of the Blue: Sir John Norris, (1715)
4. Admiral of the White: Sir George Byng, (1717)
5. Admiral of the Blue: Sir John Norris, (1718-1725)
6. Vice-Admiral of the Red: Sir Charles Wager (1726)
7. Admiral of the Blue: Sir John Norris, (1727)
8. Admiral of the Blue: Sir Hyde Parker (1801)
9. Vice-Admiral of the Red: James Saumarez (1808-1812)

3) Sources

1. Harrison. Simon. (2010-2018), https://threedecks.org/fleet list:1553 to 1821