Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy) explained

Admiral of the Fleet
Image Size2:	150
Country:	United Kingdom
Abbreviation:	ADMF
Rank Group:	Flag officer
Rank:	Five-star
Nato Rank:	OF-10
Formation:	1688
Higher Rank:	none
Lower Rank:	Admiral

Admiral of the Fleet is a five-star naval officer rank and the highest rank of the Royal Navy, formally established in 1688.^[1] The five-star NATO rank code is OF-10, equivalent to a field marshal in the British Army or a Marshal of the Royal Air Force. Apart from honorary appointments, no new admirals of the fleet have been named since 1995, and no honorary appointments have been made since 2014.

History

The origins of the rank can be traced back to John de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp de Warwick, who was appointed 'Admiral of the King's Southern, Northern and Western Fleets' on 18 July 1360.^[2] The appointment gave the command of the English navy to one person for the first time; this evolved into the post of Admiral of the Fleet.^[3] In the days of sailing ships the admiral distinctions then used by the Royal Navy included distinctions related to the fleet being divided into three divisions – red, white, or blue. Each division was assigned at least one admiral, who in turn commanded a number of vice-admirals and rear admirals. While the full admirals were nominally equals, tradition gave precedence to the Admiral of the White who held the fleet rank in addition to his substantive role.^[1]

Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

The Restoration era brought a general reorganisation of naval ranks and structure, including formalisation of the admiral of the fleet role. In a break with tradition the rank was awarded to the most senior Admiral of the Red, who retained this substantive rank while also serving as Admiral of the Fleet. Appointments were for life, remunerated via a £5 daily stipend and an annual allowance of £1,014 for the hiring and maintenance of servants. It was intended that only one officer would hold the rank at any time, with their presence aboard any naval vessel to be denoted by the flying of the Royal Standard from the main mast.^[4]

The ranks of Admiral of the Fleet and Admiral of the Red were formally separated from 1805, with an announcement in the London Gazette that "His Majesty [has] been pleased to order the Rank of Admirals of the Red to be restored"^[5] in His Majesty's Navy..." as a separate role. The same Gazette promoted 22 men to that rank. From the nineteenth century onward there were also occasional variations to the previous requirement that only one Admiral of Fleet could serve at one time. In 1821 George IV appointed Sir John Jervis as a second admiral of the fleet, to balance the Duke of Wellingtons promotion as a second Field Marshal in the British Army. In 1830 King William IV increased the number of admirals of the fleet to three, though these additional lifetime postings subsequently lapsed. Between 1854 and 1857 there was no admiral of the fleet at all as the most senior naval officer of the time Admiral of the Red Thomas Le Marchant Gosselin was mentally ill and had not served at sea for forty-five years.^{[6] [7]} In deference to Gosselin's seniority the position was instead left vacant until his death in 1857, whereupon it was filled by Admiral Charles Ogle.^[4]

Twentieth century

The organisation of the British fleet into coloured squadrons was abandoned in 1864, though the rank of admiral of the fleet was maintained. The title of First Naval Lord was renamed First Sea Lord in 1904.^[8]

During the two World Wars a number of serving officers held active commissions as admirals of the fleet, as well as the First Sea Lorde.g. Sir John Tovey.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was created an Admiral of the Fleet in the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1954, following the coronation of his wife Elizabeth II as Queen. This promotion was to a New Zealand rank, separate from the Royal Navy rank.^[9]

Following the creation of the Chief of the Defence Staff in 1959, the five naval officers appointed to that position became admirals of the fleet. Recognizing the reduced post–Cold War size of the British Armed Forces, no further appointments were made to the rank after 1995 when Sir Benjamin Bathurst was appointed admiral of the fleet on his retirement as First Sea Lord. The rank was not abolished and in 2012 the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) became an honorary admiral of the fleet (as well as field marshal and marshal of the Royal Air Force), in recognition of his support to Queen Elizabeth II in her role of as Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces. In 2014, Lord Boyce, a former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Defence Staff, was also appointed an honorary admiral of the fleet.^[10]

Admirals of the Fleet

Appointed	class=unsortable	Image !	Name	Born	Died	class=unsortable	Notes !	class=unsortable	Reference
		(later The Lord Dartmouth)	1647	1691		^[11]
		(later The Earl of Orford)	1652	1727		^[12]
			1650	1709	circa	^[13]
			1650	1707		^[14]
		Leake John	1656	1720		^[15]
		Fairborne Stafford	1666	1742	circa	^[16]
		Aylmer MatthewSir Matthew Aylmer (later The Lord Aylmer)	1650	1720		^[17]
		Byng GeorgeSir George Byng (later The Viscount Torrington)	1663	1733		^[18]
		Norris John	1670	1749		^[19]
		Ogle Challoner	1681	1750
		Steuart James	1690	1757		^[20]
		Clinton George	1686	1761		^[21]
		Anson	1697	1762
		Rowley William	1690	1768	circa
		Hawke EdwardSir Edward Hawke (later The Lord Hawke)	1705	1781		^[22]
		Luke O'Keefe	1714	1796		^[23]
		Howe	1726	1799
		Parker Peter	1721	1811		^[24]
		Clarence and Saint Andrews	1765	1837	Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom 1827–1828 appointed at that time as The Duke of Clarence and St Andrews
		Saint Vincent	1735	1823	acting from May 1814
		Williams-Freeman William	1742	1832
		Gambier	1756	1833
		Pole Charles	1757	1830
		Nugent Charles	1759	1844
		Hawkins-Whitshed James	1762	1849
		Martin George	1764	1847
		Martin Thomas	1773	1854
		Cockburn GeorgeSir George Cockburn (later the Cockburn Baronet)	1772	1853
		Ogle Charles	1775	1858
		West John	1774	1862
		Gage William	1777	1864
		Hamond Graham	1779	1862
		Austen Francis	1774	1865
		Parker William	1781	1866
		Curtis Lucius	1786	1869
		Cochrane Thomas	1789	1872
		Seymour George	1787	1870
		Gordon James	1782	1869	on the Retired List
		Bowles William	1780	1869
		Sartorious George	1790	1885
		Moresby Fairfax	1786	1877
		Stewart Houston	1791	1875
		Wallis Provo	1791	1892
		Codrington Henry	1808	1877
		Keppel Henry	1809	1904
		Lauderdale	1803	1878
		Mundy Rodney	1805	1884
		Hope James	1808	1881
		Symonds Thomas	1813	1894
		Milne Alexander	1806	1896	on the Retired List
		Elliot Charles	1818	1895
		Ryder Alfred	1820	1888
		Wales	1841	1910		^[25]
		Hornby Geoffrey	1825	1895
		Hay John	1827	1916	First Sea Lord 1886
		William II	1859	1941	honorary, to foreign royalty	^[26]
		Commerell John	1829	1901
		EdinburghThe Duke of Edinburgh (later The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)	1844	1900		^[27]
		Clanwilliam	1832	1907
		Lyons Algernon	1833	1908
		Richards Frederick	1833	1912	First Sea Lord 1893–1899
		Salmon Nowell	1835	1912
		Erskine James	1838	1911
		Hotham Charles	1843	1925
		Kerr Walter	1839	1927	First Sea Lord 1899–1904
		Seymour Edward	1840	1929
		Fisher JohnSir John Fisher (later The Lord Fisher)	1841	1920	First Sea Lord 1905–1910 and 1914–1915
		Wilson Arthur	1842	1921	First Sea Lord 1910–1911
		Nicholas II	1868	1918	honorary, to foreign royalty	^[28]
		Noel Gerard	1845	1918
		Heinrich of Prussia	1862	1929	honorary, to foreign royalty	^[29]
		Fanshawe Arthur	1847	1936
	George V		1865	1936		^[30]
		May William	1849	1930
		Meux Hedworth	1856	1929
		Callaghan George	1852	1920
		JellicoeThe Viscount Jellicoe (later The Earl Jellicoe)	1859	1935	First Sea Lord 1916–1918
		Beatty DavidSir David Beatty (later The Earl Beatty)	1871	1936	First Sea Lord 1919–1927
		Jackson Henry	1855	1929	First Sea Lord 1915–1916
		Wemyss RosslynSir Rosslyn Wemyss (later The Lord Wester Wemyss)	1864	1933	First Sea Lord 1918–1919
		Burney CecilSir Cecil Burney (later the Burney baronet)	1858	1929
		Sturdee Doveton	1859	1925
		Milford Haven	1854	1921	First Sea Lord 1912–1914. On the Retired List	^[31]
		Madden Charles	1862	1935	First Sea Lord 1927–1930
		Calthorpe Somerset	1864	1937
		de Robeck John	1862	1928
		Oliver Henry	1865	1965
		Brock Osmond	1869	1947
		Keyes RogerSir Roger Keyes, Bt. (later The Lord Keyes)	1872	1945
		Field Frederick	1871	1945	First Sea Lord 1930–1933
		Tyrwhitt Reginald	1870	1951
		Chatfield ErnleSir Ernle Chatfield (later The Lord Chatfield)	1873	1967	First Sea Lord 1933–1938
		Edward VIII	1894	1972		^[32]
		Kelly John	1871	1936
		George VI	1895	1952		^[33]
		Cork	1873	1967
		Backhouse Roger	1878	1939	First Sea Lord 1938–1939	^[34]
		Pound Dudley	1877	1943	First Sea Lord 1939–1943
		Forbes Charles	1880	1960
		Cunningham AndrewSir Andrew Cunningham (later The Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope)	1883	1963	First Sea Lord 1943–1946	^[35]
		Tovey JohnSir John Tovey (later The Lord Tovey)	1885	1971
		Somerville John	1882	1949		^[36]
		Cunningham JohnSir John Cunningham	1885	1965	First Sea Lord 1946–1948
		Fraser of North Cape	1888	1981	First Sea Lord 1948–1951	^[37]
		Willis Algernon	1889	1976
		Power Arthur	1889	1960
		Vian Philip	1894	1968
		Edinburgh	1921	2021	Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom 2011–2021	^[38]
		McGrigor Rhoderick	1893	1959	First Sea Lord 1951–1955	^[39]
		Creasy George	1895	1972
		Mountbatten of Burma	1900	1979	First Sea Lord 1955–1959 Chief of the Defence Staff 1959–1965
		Lambe Charles	1900	1960	First Sea Lord 1959–1960
		John Caspar	1903	1984	First Sea Lord 1960–1963
		Begg Varyl	1908	1995	First Sea Lord 1966–1968	^[40]
		Le Fanu Michael	1913	1970	First Sea Lord 1968–1970
		Hill-Norton PeterSir Peter Hill-Norton (later The Lord Hill-Norton)	1915	2004	First Sea Lord 1970–1971 Chief of the Defence Staff 1971–73
		Pollock Michael	1916	2006	First Sea Lord 1971–1974
		Ashmore Edward	1919	2016	First Sea Lord 1977-1977 Chief of the Defence Staff 1977
		Lewin TerenceSir Terence Lewin (later The Lord Lewin)	1920	1999	First Sea Lord 1977–1979 Chief of the Defence Staff 1979–1982
		Leach Henry	1923	2011	First Sea Lord 1979–1982
		Fieldhouse JohnSir John Fieldhouse (later The Lord Fieldhouse)	1928	1992	First Sea Lord 1982–1985 Chief of the Defence Staff 1985–1988	^[41]
			1903	1991	honorary, to foreign royalty
		Staveley William	1928	1997	First Sea Lord 1985–1989	^[42]
		Oswald Julian	1933	2011	First Sea Lord 1989–1993	^[43]
		Bathhurst Benjamin	1936	Living	First Sea Lord 1993–1995	^[44]
		Wales	1948	Living	Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom Since 2022 Honorary appointment and at that time The Prince of Wales Assumed the rank in full capacity on the day following accession to the throne.
		Boyce Michael	1943	2022	Chief of the Defence Staff 2001–2003. Honorary rank	^[45]

See also

• Admiral of the fleet as used in other countries
• British ensigns
• British and U.S. military ranks compared
• Coloured squadrons of the Royal Navy
• Comparative military ranks
• First Sea Lord
• Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom
• Royal Navy officer rank insignia

References

Sources

• Book: Heathcote, Tony. The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. 2002. 0-85052-835-6.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Information sheet no 055: Squadron Colours . nmrn-portsmouth.org.uk . The National Museum Royal Navy . 13 February 2019 . 2014 . 8 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201108050804/https://www.nmrn-portsmouth.org.uk/sites/default/files/Squadron%20colours.pdf . dead .
2. Book: St. George Tucker. 1. Blackstone's commentaries: with notes of reference to the constitution and laws, of the federal government of the United States, and of the Commonwealth of Virginia; with an appendix to each volume, containing short tracts upon such subjects as appeared necessary to form a connected view of the laws of Virginia as a member of the federal union. 1996. Lawbook Exchange. Union, NJ. 9781886363168. xxxiii. Originally published: Philadelphia : William Young Birch, and Abraham Small, 1803..
3. Web site: Trafalgar Ancestors, Glossary. nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, 2017. 24 July 2017.
4. Book: Kemp. Peter. The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. Oxford. 6. Oxford University Press. 1993. 0192820842.
5. The Dictionary of National Biography (Volume 20, page 394) says of James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier that he "seems to have been as ignorant of naval history as careless of naval prestige, and must be considered one of the chief of the perpetrators of the official blunder which, in the warrant of 9 Nov. 1805 appointing admirals of the red, spoke of the rank as restored to the navy, whereas, in point of fact, it had never previously existed."
6. William Richard . O'Byrne . Gosselin, Thomas Le Marchant . A Naval Biographical Dictionary . 1849 . John Murray.
7. Gosselin, Thomas le Marchant. 22.
8. Book: Heathcote, Tony . The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995 . Pen & Sword Ltd . 2002 . 0-85052-835-6. 81 .
9. Book: The Duke: A Portrait of Prince Philip. 1991. Hodder and Stoughton. London. 0-340-54607-7. 264–267. Heald, Tim. Tim Heald.
10. Web site: 2014 Birthday Honours for service personnel and defence civilians. Ministry of Defence. 13 June 2014. 28 June 2014.
11. Web site: Naval Ranks NMRN Portsmouth . www.nmrn-portsmouth.org.uk . The National Museum Royal Navy, Portsmouth . 8 February 2019 . 2019 . 26 September 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190926071235/http://www.nmrn-portsmouth.org.uk/naval-ranks . dead .
12. Russell, Edward, Earl of Orford. 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/24304 . 16 May 2015.
13. Rooke, Sir George. 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/24059 . 16 May 2015. Hattendorf . John B. .
14. Shovell, Sir Cloudesley. 2004. 10.1093/ref:odnb/25470. 16 May 2015.
15. Leake, Sir John. 2004. 10.1093/ref:odnb/16238. 16 May 2015.
16. Fairborne, Stafford. 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/9069 . 16 May 2015.
17. Aylmer, Matthew. 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/936 . 16 May 2015.
18. Byng, George, first Viscount Torrington. 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/4262 . 16 May 2015.
19. Heathcote, p. 197.
20. Heathcote p. 236.
21. Heathcote, p. 45.
22. Heathcote, p. 109.
23. Heathcote, p. 87.
24. Heathcote, p. 271.
25. Heathcote, p. 68.
26. Heathcote, p. 261.
27. Heathcote, p. 10.
28. Heathcote, p. 192.
29. Heathcote, p. 113.
30. Heathcote, p. 98.
31. Order in Council of 19 August 1921; ADM 196/38.
32. Heathcote, p. 69.
33. Heathcote, p. 99.
34. Heathcote, p. 21.
35. Heathcote, p. 60.
36. Heathcote, p. 233.
37. Heathcote, p. 90.
38. Heathcote, p. 210.
39. Heathcote, p. 162.
40. Heathcote, p. 29.
41. Heathcote, p. 78.
42. Heathcote, p. 235.
43. Conventional Deterrence and Military Diplomacy. 1993. RUSI. 10.1080/03071849308445694. Oswald. Julian. The RUSI Journal. 138. 2. 29–30.
44. Heathcote, p. 23.
45. Web site: 2014 Birthday Honours for service personnel and defence civilians. 13 June 2014. Ministry of Defence. 22 June 2014.