First World War
Upon the outbreak of war with Germany in 1914, the Royal Navy's Second and Third Fleets were combined to form a Channel Fleet. The 7th Cruiser Squadron consisted of Cressy, Aboukir, Bacchante, Euryalus and Hogue. Their task was to patrol the relatively shallow waters of the Dogger Bank and the "Broad Fourteens" in the North Sea supported by destroyers of the Harwich Force. The aim was to protect ships carrying supplies between Britain and France against German ships operating from the northern German naval ports.
Although the cruisers had been designed for a speed of 21 kn (24 mph; 39 km/h), wear and tear meant they could now only manage 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h) at most and more typically only 12 kn (14 mph; 22 km/h). Bad weather sometimes meant that the smaller destroyers could not sail, and at such times the cruisers would patrol alone. A continuous patrol was maintained with some ships on station while others returned to harbour for coal and supplies.
From 26-28 August 1914, the squadron was held in reserve during the operations which led to the Battle of Heligoland Bight.
Read more about this topic: 7th Cruiser Squadron (United Kingdom)
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