Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships (FOCAS) was a senior

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 ...

post that existed from 1970 to 1979. However, its antecedents date to 1931. A

Flag Officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

with specific responsibilities for command of

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s within the Royal Navy was first established in September 1931 with the appointment of Rear-Admiral

Reginald Henderson Admiral Sir Reginald Guy Hannam Henderson, GCB (1 September 1881 – 2 May 1939) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy. Early life and education Henderson was born into a naval family in Falmout ...

as Rear-Admiral, Aircraft Carriers. He was succeeded by Rear-Admiral the Hon. Sir Alexander R. M. Ramsay later Vice-Admiral, Aircraft Carriers. The post was held by successive flag officers under the titles listed below. In June 1968 the post Rear-Admiral, Carriers was renamed to Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships (FOCAS). The post was renamed Flag Officer, Third Flotilla in December 1979. The admiral commanding's remit was broadened to include units other than aircraft carriers and amphibious ships. The office holder reported to different senior flag officers during its existence including the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, the Commander-in-Chief,

Western Fleet The Red Sea Fleet Command or officially Western Fleet (WF), also called ''" West Coast Fleet ",'' is a regional naval fleet and one of the two main formations of the Saudi Arabian Navy, with headquarters at Royal Naval Base at Jeddah, Western Pr ...

and finally the

Commander-in-Chief Fleet The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the British Royal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional he ...

Rear-Admirals/Vice-Admirals Aircraft Carriers

Post holders included:

Flag Officer, Mediterranean Aircraft Carriers

Admirals Commanding, Home Fleet Aircraft Carriers

On hauling down his flag as Vice-Admiral, Home Fleet Aircraft Carriers, about 27 April 1943, Admiral Lyster was appointed Flag Officer Carrier Training and Administration at HMS Monck (HQ Combined Training, Largs), which was transferred from 1 June 1944 to HMS Faraway, a training establishment & HQ of Flag Officer Carrier Training, at

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

. He served in that post until 17.03.1945. Rear-Admiral

Charles Woodhouse Admiral Sir Charles Henry Lawrence Woodhouse KCB (9 July 1893 – 23 September 1978) was an officer of the Royal Navy. Naval career Woodhouse joined the Royal Navy in 1906. He served in World War I and specialized in gunnery. In 1935 he was a ...

was listed as Rear-Admiral Aircraft Carriers, aboard , March–April 1946.

Flag Officer, Aircraft Carriers

Duties may have included (a) being responsible for the

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 ...

afloat (b) ensuring the operational effectiveness of Carrier Task Groups. Probably referring to pre-1967 when Home Fleet still existed. Admirals flying this flag included:Mackie.pp.84. In July 1970 the post was renamed Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships.

Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships

Included:

Notes

References

* * Brown, David K. (2006). Nelson to Vanguard : warship development, 1923-1945 (Paperback ed. ed.). London: Chatham. . * Drucker, G. (2005). "Fleet Air Arm Service Records: Flag Officer Index". Fleet Air Arm Archive. * Mackie, Colin. (2018) "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie. Scotland, UK. * Tailyour, Ewen Southby (1990). Reasons in Writing: A Commando's View of the Falklands War. Barnsley, England: Pen and Sword. . * The Fighting Services". (1960). Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News. Volume 99. {{Naval Service (British), state=collapsed C 1970 establishments in the United Kingdom 1979 disestablishments in the United Kingdom