The Fifth Sea Lord was formerly one of the

Naval Lord The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628 when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requi ...

s and members of the

Board of Admiralty The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628 when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requi ...

that controlled the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. The post's incumbent had responsibility for

naval aviation Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

History

In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were assigned to each of the 'Naval' Lords, who were described as 'Professional' Lords, leaving to the 'Civil' Lords the routine business of signing documents. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

it was one of four additional Sea Lords created during the war to manage the Navy. The only officer to hold the title during World War I was Commodore

Godfrey Paine Rear Admiral Sir Godfrey Marshall Paine, (21 November 1871 – 23 March 1932) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force in the early part of the 20th century. He played a leading role in joint and naval flying training befor ...

. Commodore Paine simultaneously held the title of Director of Naval Aviation. After the Air Force Bill received the Royal Assent in November 1917, the

Air Council Air Council (or Air Force Council) was the governing body of the Royal Air Force until the merger of the Air Ministry with the other armed forces ministries to form the Ministry of Defence in 1964. It was succeeded by the Air Force Board. Me ...

was created on 3 January 1918 which included Paine. The post of Fifth Sea Lord then lapsed until 1938 when the Admiralty regained responsibility for naval aviation: the post was reestablished and was the Chief of Naval Air Services, responsible for preparation and management of all of the Royal Navy's aircraft and air personnel. From 1957 to 1965 the Fifth Sea Lord's post was held jointly with the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. The post was abolished in 1965. In the 21st century the Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Aviation, Amphibious Capability & Carriers) has a similar role.

List of Fifth Sea Lords

Fifth Sea Lords and Chief of Naval Air Service 1917–1918

Included: * Rear Admiral Sir Godfrey Paine 1917 :''Note: with the transfer of naval aviation to the Royal Air Force in 1918, the appointment lapsed and was not revived until 1938''

Fifth Sea Lords 1938-1956

* Admiral The Hon. Sir Alexander Ramsay 1938–1939 * Vice Admiral Sir Guy Royle 1939–1941 * Rear Admiral Sir Lumley Lyster 1941–1942 :''Note: the title was in abeyance from 1942 to 1943 although Admiral Sir

Frederic Dreyer Admiral Sir Frederic Charles Dreyer, (8 January 1878 – 11 December 1956) was an officer of the Royal Navy. A gunnery expert, he developed a fire control system for British warships, and served as flag captain to Admiral Sir John Jellicoe at ...

was Chief of Naval Air Services'' * Vice Admiral Sir Denis Boyd 1943–1945 * Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Troubridge 1945–1946 * Admiral Sir Philip Vian 1946–1948 * Vice Admiral Sir George Creasy 1948–1949 * Vice Admiral Sir Maurice Mansergh 1949–1951 * Vice Admiral Sir Edmund Anstice 1951–1954 * Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Bingley 1954–1956

Fifth Sea Lords and Deputy Chiefs of the Naval Staff 1957–1965

* Vice Admiral Sir Manley Power 1957–1959 * Admiral Sir Laurence Durlacher 1959–1962 * Vice Admiral Sir Peter Gretton 1962–1963 * Vice Admiral Sir Frank Hopkins 1963–1965

Admiralty departments and divisions under the fifth sea lord

As of 1917 *

Air Department The Air Department of the British Admiralty later succeeded briefly by the Air Section followed by the Air Division was established prior to World War I by Winston Churchill to administer the Royal Naval Air Service. History In 1908, the Briti ...

* Air Division As of 1939 * Air Branch * Air Materiel Department *Department of the Director Aircraft Maintenance & Repair * Department of Air Personnel As of 1941 * Air Branch * Naval Air Division (co-responsibility with the Naval Staff) * Department of the Director Airfield & Carrier Requirements *

Department of the Director of Air Equipment Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

* Department of the Director Aircraft Maintenance & Repair As of 1957 *

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

Naval Air Warfare Division A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

(co-responsibility with the Naval Staff) * Naval Air Organisation and Training Division (co-responsibility with the Naval Staff) * Department of the Director of Air Equipment and Naval Photography * Department of the Director Aircraft Maintenance & Repair * Department of the Director Naval Aircraft Development and Production *Office of the Adviser on Aircraft Accidents As of 1962 *

In fiction

In the title story of his 1960 short story collection '' For Your Eyes Only,''

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

wrote that M,

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

superior, gave up a likely appointment as Fifth Sea Lord in order to head the spy agency.

References

Sources

* Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division (1929). ''The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. Its Work and Development.'' B.R. 1845 (late C.B. 3013). Copy at The National Archives. ADM 234/434. {{Board of Admiralty, state=collapsed Royal Navy * Royal Navy appointments Admiralty during World War II