Flag Officer-in-Charge, Humber explained

Unit Name:Humber Station
Dates:1914-1921, 1939-1945
Country:United Kingdom
Branch: Royal Navy
Type:Naval station
Command Structure:Royal Navy
Garrison:HMS Wallington, (1914-1920)
HMS Pembroke VII (1919-1920)
HMS Pembroke VIII (1920-1921)
HMS Beaver (1939-1945)
HM Naval Base, Immingham
(AO at Grimsby)

The Flag Officer-in-Charge, Humber was a Royal Navy officer who administered naval forces located at Immingham and Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. His formation was sometimes known as the Humber Station or Humber Area. In World War I it was a sub-command of the Admiral of Patrols from 1914 to 1916, then came under the Commander-in-Chief at the Nore until 1921. In World War II the FOIC was responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.

History

Prior to World War I an Admiral of Patrols was appointed to command the destroyer and torpedo boat patrol flotillas that were formed and operating from different bases down the east coast of Britain, from the Forth to the Humber. Immingham was headquarters for 7th Destroyer Flotilla from August 1914 to November 1918.[1] [2] In 1915 The Auxiliary Patrol a component force under the (ADMP) based at Grimsby was designated Auxiliary Patrol Area IX,[3] during this period HMNB Immingham was also a submarine base for British D class submarine. During World War II the Humber Force received shore support from this station from 1939 to 1940. In 1941 various mine-laying and mine-seeping flotillas and groups were under the command.[4]

Administration world war one

Senior Naval Officer, Grimsby

Post holders included:[5]

Rank Insig Name Term Notes/Ref
Senior Naval Officer, Grimsby
1 Charles. S. ForbesNovember 1916 – 9 March 1919 (& Mobilising Officer, Humber District)
2 Francis H. Pollen9 March 1919 – 15 June 1920 (Acting Cpt & Mobilising Officer, Humber District)[6]

Commanding Officer, Humber Area

Post holders included:

Rank Insig Name Term Notes/Ref
Commanding Officer, Humber Area
1 Stephen. H. RadcliffeAugust 1920 – January, 1921(as Commanding Officer, Humber Area)[7]

Administration world war two

Flag Officer-in-Charge, Humber

Post holders included:[8]

Rank Flag Name Term Notes/Ref
Flag Officer-in-Charge, Humber
1 Rear-Admiral Arthur Francis PridhamSeptember 1939 - 1 October 1940(as Flag Officer, Humber Area)
2 Vice-Admiral 1 October 1940 - 15 October 1942(retd) [9]
3 Rear-Admiral 15 October 1942 - July 1945[10]

Flag Captain, Chief Staff Officer and in command of HM Naval Base Immingham

Post holders included:[11]

Rank Insig Name Term Notes/Ref
Flag Captain, Chief Staff Officer, Humber, and Commander HMNB Immingham
1 Captain Edwin Mansergh Palmer22 December 1941 - July 1945 (retd) [12]

Naval formations in this command

Various units that served in this command included:[13]

Naval Units Based at Date Notes
Humber August - December, 1916 transfer from Grand Fleet allocated to Humber Force, 1 Cruiser (L) 1 depot ship, 10 - 15 destroyers
Humber August 1914 - November 1918 11 torpedo boat destroyers (Admiral of Patrols)
Immingham 1914 - 1918 40th Division - 6 ships under Captain (D), Nore
Immingham 1941 a specialist mine laying flotilla inc 13 ships
Immingham 1939 - 1941 8 ships
Immingham 1939 - 1941 8 ships
Immingham August 1916 - February 1917 C class for coastal defence
Immingham/Humber September 1916 - 1918D class for offensive patrols & C class for coastal defence
Humber August 1914 - August 1916 C class for coastal defence

Naval formations receiving shore support from this command

Various units that served in this command included:

Naval Units Based at Date Notes
Humber August - December, 1916
Humber (Admiral of Patrol) August 1914 - November 1918

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Book: Friedman . Norman . Naval Weapons of World War I . 2011 . Seaforth Publishing . Barnsley, England . 9781848321007 . 395 . en.
  2. Web site: Watson . Dr Graam . Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914-1918: Admiral of Patrol/East Coast of England . www.naval-history.net . Gordon Smith, 27 October 2015 . 7 July 2018.
  3. Web site: Archives . The National . Auxiliary Patrol Reports, Area IX, Humber, 1915. . discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk . National Archives UK, ADM 137/158, 1915. . 7 July 2018.
  4. Book: Bertke . Donald A. . Smith . Gordon . Kindell . Don . World War II Sea War, Volume 3: The Royal Navy is Bloodied in the Mediterranean . 2012 . Lulu Publishing . 9781937470012 . en.
  5. Web site: Harley . Simon . Lovell . Tony . Grimsby - The Dreadnought Project . www.dreadnoughtproject.org . Harley and Lovell, 19 July 2017 . 7 July 2018 . en.
  6. Web site: Harley . Simon . Lovell . Tony . Grimsby - The Dreadnought Project . www.dreadnoughtproject.org . Harley and Lovell, 19 July 2017 . 7 July 2018 . en.
  7. Book: The Navy List . January 1921 . H. M. Stationery Office . London, England . 693 . Flag Officers in Commission; Officers Commanding Areas.
  8. Web site: Houterman . J.N. . Royal Navy Nore Command 1939-1945: Humber . unithistories.com . Houterman and Kloppes . 7 July 2018.
  9. Book: Parkinson . Jonathan . The Royal Navy, China Station: 1864 - 1941: As seen through the lives of the Commanders in Chief . 2018 . Troubador Publishing Ltd . Leicester, England . 9781788035217 . 433 . en.
  10. Book: Gilbert . Martin . Winston S. Churchill . 1977 . Houghton Mifflin . Boston . 9780395251041 . 853 . 1. American ed., 1. [Dr.] . registration .
  11. Web site: Houterman . J.N. . Royal Navy Nore Command 1939-1945: Humber . unithistories.com . Houterman and Kloppes . 7 July 2018.
  12. Web site: Houterman . J.N. . Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945 - P: Palmer, Edwin Mansergh . www.unithistories.com . Houterman and Kloppes . 7 July 2018.
  13. Web site: Watson . Graham . Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914-1918 . www.naval-history.net . Gordon Smith, 27 October 2015 . 8 July 2018.

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