The Fifth Battle Squadron covered British Expeditionary Force movements to France in August 1914, and Formidable carried a Marine battalion from Portsmouth to Le Havre on 25 August. In November the squadron moved to Sheerness, then returned to Portland after Duncan-class battleships relieved it on 30 December. Those movements reflected recurring fears of German invasion even though Germany already had its army heavily committed on the Western and Eastern Fronts. A landing in Britain would have required finding substantial additional troops, moving them across a sea dominated by the Royal Navy, and sustaining them ashore. Older battleships still supported transport cover and home defence after they ceased to belong in the Grand Fleet's principal battle line.
Chapter · 44:52-47:37
Formidable’s Channel Fleet duties in 1914
Formidable covered the British Expeditionary Force, carried Marines to France, and moved between bases as invasion fears shaped Channel Fleet deployments.