The professional head of 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 ...

is known as the

First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) is the military head of the Royal Navy and Naval Service of the United Kingdom. The First Sea Lord is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in the British Armed Fo ...

(1SL/CNS). There are presently two senior subordinates to the 1SL: the

Second Sea Lord The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establish ...

, who is also the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff; and the

Fleet Commander The Fleet Commander is a senior Royal Navy post, responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the Naval Service. The Vice-Admiral incumbent is required to provide ships, submarine ...

Fleets up until 2012

* Atlantic Fleet - Commander-in-Chief Atlantic Fleet (1909–1914, 1919–1932) *

Battle Cruiser Fleet The Battle Cruiser Fleet, (BCF), later known as Battle Cruiser Force, a naval formation of fast battlecruisers of the Royal Navy, operated from 1915 to 1919. History The Fleet was formed on 11 February 1915 when the Admiralty ordered the deployme ...

(1915–19) *

British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. The fleet was composed of empire naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944 from the remaining ships o ...

- Commander-in-Chief British Pacific Fleet (1944–1945) *

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 ...

(1971-2012, succeeded by post of

) * Channel Fleet - Commander-in-Chief Channel Fleet (1904-1909, 1914-1915) *

Channel Squadron Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

- Vice-Admiral, Commanding Channel Squadron (1859-1904) - designated Fleet *

Eastern Fleet Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

- Commander-in-Chief Eastern Fleet (formerly only C-in-Cs East Indies, Australia and China Stations), 1941-1971. * First Fleet - Commander-in-Chief First Fleet, (1912–14) *

Far East Fleet The Far East Fleet (also called the Far East Station) was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed between 1952 and 1971. During the Second World War, the Eastern Fleet included many ships and personnel from other navies, including those of the ...

- Commander, Far East Fleet c.1952-1971 *

Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from the F ...

- Commander-in-Chief Grand Fleet (1914-1918) * Home Fleet - Commander-in-Chief Home Fleet (1902–1904 and 1932–1967) * Mediterranean Fleet - Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean (1690–1967) * North Sea Fleet, Commander-in-Chief, North Sea Fleet, (1781-1815) * Reserve Fleet - Vice Admiral Commanding, Reserve Fleet (interwar, at least since 1928 (1700 - 1960) * Second Fleet - Commander-in-Chief Second Fleet, (1912–14) *

Third Fleet The United States Third Fleet is one of the numbered fleets in the United States Navy. Third Fleet's area of responsibility includes approximately fifty million square miles of the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean areas including the Bering ...

- Commander-in-Chief Third Fleet, (1912–14) *

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 ...

- Commander-in-Chief Western Fleet (1967–1971)

Historic commands

Included:

Commanders-in-Chief

* Commander-in-Chief, Africa, HQ Simonstown (1920–1939) (succeeded by South Atlantic from 1939). * Commander-in-Chief, Australia, HQ Admiralty House, Sydney (1859–1913) * Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland, HQ Queenstown, now called Cobh, (1915-1919) * Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Scotland (1919 to 1939, replaced Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth in 1919, and reverted to Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth in 1939) *

Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope Station The Commander-in-Chief, Africa was the last title of a Royal Navy's formation commander located in South Africa from 1795 to 1939. Under varying titles, it was one of the longest-lived formations of the Royal Navy. It was also often known as the C ...

, (1795–1939) *

Commander-in-Chief, China The Commander-in-Chief, China was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 18 ...

, HQ

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

and Wei Hai Wei (1865–1941) * Commander-in-Chief, Cork (1797-1848) * Commander-in-Chief, Devonport, (1845-1896) * Commander-in-Chief, The Downs - (1717–1834) *

Commander-in-Chief, East Indies The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. Even in official documents, the term ''East Indies Station'' was ...

, HQ Colombo Sri Lanka (Ceylon) (1865–1941) * Commander-in-Chief, Dover - (1914–1945) * Commander-in-Chief, East Indies and China, HQ

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

(1831–1865) * Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica (1655-1823) merged with North America and West Indies Station. *

Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands Station originally known as the Commander-in-Chief at Barbadoes and the Leeward Islands was a formation or command of the Kingdom of Great Britain and then the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed at English Harbour, Antigua ...

(1743–1821), * Commander-in-Chief, Medway, (1698-1699) *

Commander-in-Chief, Medway and at the Nore The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. Nore, The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of t ...

, (1747-1797) * Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command (CINCNAVHOME) (1969-2012) * Commander-in-Chief, Newfoundland / Commodore-Governor (1729-1825) *

Commander in Chief, North Atlantic The Vice Admiral, Gibraltar was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Flag Officer Gibraltar and North Atlantic they were charged with the administration ...

(1939–1945) *

Commander-in-Chief, The Nore The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the T ...

(1745-1747), (1797-1834), (1899-1961) * Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies, HQ Bermuda (from southern Brazil to Greenland) (1745–1956) * Commander-in-Chief, Pacific HQ Valparaíso (1837–1865) Esquimalt (1865–1905) *

Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Sir Thomas Williams's tenure, his succes ...

(1667-1969) - (merged with CinC Plymouth into CinCNAVHOME) *

Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this offic ...

(1743-1845), (1896-1969) (merged with CinC Portsmouth into CinCNAVHOME) * Commander-in-Chief, Queenstown (1848-1876) *

Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India. Fr ...

(1947-1950) *

Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth The Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland (FOSNI) was a senior post in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It was based at HM Naval Base Clyde, and the holder of the post was the Royal Navy’s senior officer in Scotland. The post of FOS ...

, (1913-1919 and 1939-1946; was renamed Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Scotland from 1919 to 1939) * Commander-in-Chief, Sheerness, (1834-1899) * Commander-in-Chief, South America HQ Valparaíso (circa 1826–1837) * Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic and Pacific. Vice-Admiral

Doveton Sturdee Admiral of the Fleet Sir Frederick Charles Doveton Sturdee, 1st Baronet (9 June 18597 May 1925) was a Royal Navy officer. After training as a torpedo officer, he commanded two different cruisers and then three different battleships before becomi ...

's title when sent south in 1914 to destroy the

German East Asia Squadron The German East Asia Squadron (german: Kreuzergeschwader / Ostasiengeschwader) was an Imperial German Navy cruiser squadron which operated mainly in the Pacific Ocean between the mid-1890s until 1914, when it was destroyed at the Battle of the ...

after the

Battle of Coronel The Battle of Coronel was a First World War Imperial German Navy victory over the Royal Navy on 1 November 1914, off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. The East Asia Squadron (''Ostasiengeschwader'' or ''Kreuzergeschwader'') ...

. Resulted in the

Battle of the Falkland Islands The Battle of the Falkland Islands was a First World War naval action between the British Royal Navy and Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914 in the South Atlantic. The British, after their defeat at the Battle of Coronel on 1 November, s ...

. Title never reused. *

Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic The Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic was an operational commander of the Royal Navy from 1939. The South American area was added to his responsibilities in 1960, and the post disestablished in 1967. Immediately before the outbreak of the Sec ...

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...

(1939–1958) *

Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic and South America The Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic was an operational commander of the Royal Navy from 1939. The South American area was added to his responsibilities in 1960, and the post disestablished in 1967. Immediately before the outbreak of the Se ...

, (1958-1967) * Commander-in-Chief, South East Coast of America HQ Falkland Islands (1838–1905) *

Commander-in-Chief, Thames The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Th ...

, (1695-1696) *

Commander-in-Chief, Thames and Medway The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. Nore, The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of t ...

, (1707-1711) *

Commander-in-Chief, Thames, Medway and Nore The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Th ...

, (1711-1745) *

Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches was the commander of a major operational command of the Royal Navy during World War II. The admiral commanding, and his forces, sometimes informally known as 'Western Approaches Command,' were responsib ...

- the area from west of Portland to Clyde, HQ Liverpool (1939–1945) * Commander-in-Chief on the Lisbon Station - (1779-1841)

Admirals Commanding

Admiral Commanding, Coastguard and Reserves C, or c, is the third letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''cee'' (pronounced ), plural ''cees''. History "C" ...

, (1903-1923). * Admiral Commanding, Reserves, (1923-1976) *

Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands The Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. He was charged with the administration of the Orkney and Shetland Islands and operating and defending the fleet base at Scapa Flow that was the main a ...

,(1914–1945), Admiral commanding was in charge of the Northern Patrol Force. * Admiral Commanding Western Squadron (1650-1849) *

Admiral of Patrols The Admiral of Patrols was a former command appointment within the Admiralty during world war one usually held by a junior flag officer the post was established from 1912 to 1916. History In the preceding years before world war the Admiralty we ...

, (1912-1916) * Admiral Superintendent, Contract-Built Ships * Admirals-Superintendent on the Clyde * Admiral Superintendent, Chatham, (1832-1951) * Admiral-Superintendent, Devonport, (1885-1930) * Admiral-Superintendent of Esquimalt Dockyard, (1842 to 1905) * Admiral-Superintendent, Gibraltar, (1898-1945) *

Admiral-Superintendent, Halifax Dockyard H, or h, is the eighth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, including the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''aitch'' (pronounced , plural ''aitches'' ...

* Admiral Superintendent, Malta, (1832-1934) *

Admiral Superintendent, Naval Reserves N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

, (1875-1903) * Admiral Superintendent, Plymouth, (1846-1970) * Admiral-Superintendent, Portsmouth, (1832-1971) * Admiral-Superintendent, Naval Reserves, (1874-1903) * Admiral-Superintendent, Pembroke (1906-1915) * Admiral-Superintendent, Rosyth, (1915-1971) * Admiral, British Joint Services Mission, U.S.A, (1942-1997) *

Deputy Admiral Commanding Reserves Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spa ...

, (1942-1946)

Vice-Admirals Commanding

* Vice-Admiral, Aircraft Carriers. World War II. Became Flag Officer Mediterranean Aircraft Carriers. * Vice-Admiral Commanding, Light Forces, and Second-in-Command Mediterranean Fleet * Vice-Admiral Commanding Second Division (1909-1912) * Vice-Admiral Commanding, 3rd and 4th Divisions *

Vice-Admiral Commanding Western Squadron The Western Squadron was a squadron or formation of the Royal Navy based at Plymouth Dockyard. It operated in waters of the English Channel, the Western Approaches, and the North Atlantic. It defended British trade sea lanes from 1650 to 1814 and ...

(1650-1849) * Vice-Admiral Reserve Fleet Destroyers, (1939-1945) The Vice-Naval Deputy to the

Supreme Allied Commander Europe The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is ...

was not technically a Vice-Admiral Commanding.

Rear-Admirals Commanding

* Rear-Admiral, Aircraft Carriers, Pre World War II. Became Flag Officer, Mediterranean Aircraft Carriers. *

Rear-Admiral and Senior Officer, Dover The Commander in Chief, Dover was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Dover Command. History First World War Dover Patrol In late July 1914, with ...

(1917-1918) * Rear-Admiral Commanding Destroyer Flotillas, Mediterranean Fleet * Rear-Admiral, Scapa (responsible to the

, during the Second World War) * Rear-Admiral Commanding Dover Patrol (1914-1915) *

Rear-Admiral Commanding, Nore Reserve The Reserve Fleet was a Royal Navy formation of decommissioned vessels which could be brought to a state of readiness at time of war. In the early years of the 18th century ships were "laid up in ordinary" at various British naval bases forming a ...

(1919-1922) * Rear-Admiral Commanding Portsmouth Reserve (1919-1921) * Rear-Admiral Commanding, Rosyth Reserve (1919-1938) * Rear-Admiral Commanding,

Harwich Force The Harwich Force originally called Harwich Striking Force was a squadron of the Royal Navy, formed during the First World War and based in Harwich. It played a significant role in the war. History After the outbreak of the First World War, a ...

(1914-1919) * Rear-Admiral Destroyers British Pacific Fleet * Rear-Admiral in the 1st Division, Home Fleet, (1909-1912) * Rear-Admiral in the 2nd Division, Home Fleet, (1909-1912) * Rear-Admiral in the 3rd and 4th Divisions, Home Fleet (1909-1912) * Rear Admiral, Naval Air Stations (1939-1945) * Rear-Admiral, Second-in-Command, Atlantic Fleet (1904-1912)

Senior Officers, commanding

* Senior British Naval Officer, Suez Canal Area (1939-1942) *

Senior British Naval Officer, Western Atlantic W, or w, is the twenty-third letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. It represents a consonant, but in some languages it represents a vowe ...

(1942-1945) * Senior Naval Officer, Mudros (1914–1919) *

Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf The Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf, was a Royal Navy command appointment who was responsible for administering the Persian Gulf Station military formation including its establishments and naval forces known as the Persian Gulf Squadron later c ...

(1818-1972) *

Senior Naval Officer, Red Sea Force R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars'', or in Irelan ...

(1939-1941) * Senior Naval Officer, West Indies (1956-1976) *

Senior Officer on the Coast of Ireland Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

(1876-1915) * Senior Officer, West Indies, (1854-1859)

Flag Officers

Former Flag Officers

Included: * Flag Officer Sea Training (1958 - 2020) * Flag Officer, Administration *

Flag Officer, Aircraft Carriers Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships (FOCAS) was a senior Royal Navy post that existed from 1970 to 1979. However, its antecedents date to 1931. A Flag Officer with specific responsibilities for command of aircraft carriers within the Roy ...

– with variously up to 6–8 carriers in the 1950s/60s, was responsible for providing worked up carriers to the operational commands. Amalgamated with Flag Officer Amphibious Ships to become FOCAS towards the end of the 1960s, after the cancellation of

CVA-01 CVA-01 was a proposed United Kingdom aircraft carrier, designed during the 1960s. The ship was intended to be the first of a class that would replace all of the Royal Navy's carriers, most of which had been designed before or during the Second ...

. H. R. B. Janvrin, DSC, ADC, was promoted to rear admiral and succeeded Rear Admiral D. C. E. F. Gibson, DSC, as FOAC. * Flag Officer, Air, Far East – existing until 1945–47. In late 1946, sailed out from the UK to Singapore as the flagship of Flag Officer Air, Far East. After her arrival, she became flagship of the

1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron The 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron was a formation of Royal Navy aircraft carriers assigned to the British Pacific Fleet in November 1943. They were , , , and . It was disbanded in 1947. Second World War and aftermath The squadron was formed in ...

. * Flag Officer, Air, Home – Flew flag from

RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus'') was one of the primary shore airfields of the Fleet Air Arm. First established as a seaplane base in 1917 during the First World War, it later became the main training establishment and ad ...

in the 1930s, post extant until 1963. Responsible for shore-based air command working up squadrons to operational effectiveness, and after an Operational Readiness Inspection, delivering them to the Fleet. RA Sir Cloudesley Robinson KCB (1 Jan 1945 – June 1945), VA Sir Dennis Boyd KCB CBE DSC (1 June 1945 – April 1946). Admiral

Walter Couchman Admiral Sir Walter Thomas Couchman, (19 March 1905 – 2 May 1981) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff from February to November 1960, when he retired from service. Early life The son of Malcolm Edward Couchman ...

1957–60. * Flag Officer, Air and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet (1947-1958) – Admiral

Ralph Edwards Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...

in the late 1940s. Vice Admiral William Davis, 1952–54. Flag Officer Second-in-Command Mediterranean – F.O.2 i/c MED. In 1951 Rear Admiral G. Grantham, CB, CBE, DSO. Responsible for Mediterranean Fleet aircraft carriers, and, under Captain, Air, Mediterranean, the naval air stations in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. Vice-Admiral R A B Edwards (Flag Officer, Second-in-Command Mediterranean), May 1952. *

Flag Officer, Air, Pacific Fleet A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design emplo ...

Flag Officer, Air, Mediterranean Fleet A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design emplo ...

* Flag Officer Admiralty Interview Board – FOAIB * Flag Officer Attached Middle East – FOAM – Rear Admiral H T Baillie-Grohman, 1941 * Flag Officer, Ceylon - FOCEY - (1942-1945) * Flag Officer Commanding HM's Australian Fleet – FOCAF – 1911–88 * Flag Officer Commanding, British Naval Forces Germany * Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Navy, (1928-1950) *

Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships (FOCAS) was a senior Royal Navy post that existed from 1970 to 1979. However, its antecedents date to 1931. A Flag Officer with specific responsibilities for command of aircraft carriers within the Ro ...

– FOCAS, succeeded by Flag Officer Third Flotilla - (1971-1979) * Flag Officer, Carrier Training and Administration - Vice Admiral

Lumley Lyster Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Lumley St George Lyster, (27 April 1888 – 4 August 1957) was a Royal Navy officer during the Second World War. Naval career After leaving Berkhamsted School, in 1902 Lyster joined HMS ''Britannia'' to train for a nav ...

1943-1945 *

Flag Officer Dover A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design emplo ...

Flag Officer, Flying Training The Flag Officer, Flying Training, later called Flag Officer Naval Flying Training, was a senior Royal Navy appointment responsible for all naval aviation flying training from 1945 to 1970. History Vice-Admiral Lumley Lyster held the post of Fla ...

, * Flag Officer First Flotilla – FOF1 – Cold War – (1971-1990). Rear Admiral David Halifax 1980–82. Rear Admiral

Sandy Woodward Admiral Sir John Forster "Sandy" Woodward, (1 May 1932 – 4 August 2013) was a senior Royal Navy officer who commanded the Task Force of the Falklands War. Early life Woodward was born on 1 May 1932 at Penzance, Cornwall, to a bank clerk. He ...

, FOF 1, commanded the Carrier Group (CTG 317.8) of the Falklands War task force. * Flag Officer Flotillas, Home Fleet – deployed on the Spring cruise, 1955, under Rear Admiral J.W. Cuthbert. Vice Admiral Richard Onslow in 1955-56. Flew flag in , July 1960–March 1961. * Flag Officer Flotillas, Mediterranean Fleet – May 1952 Vice-Admiral F R Parham. * Flag Officer Flotillas,

1967-71 * Flag Officer

Force A In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a p ...

* Flag Officer Force B * Flag Officer Force C * Flag Officer Force D * Flag Officer Force E * Flag Officer

Force F In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a pu ...

* Flag Officer Force G * Flag Officer Force H * Flag Officer Force I * Flag Officer Force J * Flag Officer Force K * Flag Officer

Force L In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a pu ...

* Flag Officer Force M * Flag Officer

Force N In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a pu ...

* Flag Officer Force Q * Flag Officer Force R * Flag Officer

Force X The Force X was a squadron of the French Navy, assembled on 29 April 1940, after the outbreak of the Second World War, to deter Italy from striking in the Levantine Sea. It was constituted of the old battleship ''Lorraine'', of the three modern hea ...

* Flag Officer Force Y * Flag Officer

Force Z Force Z was a British naval squadron during the Second World War, consisting of the battleship , the battlecruiser and accompanying destroyers. Assembled in 1941, the purpose of the group was to reinforce the British colonial garrisons in the ...

* Flag Officer Gibraltar (FOGIB) (1902–39, 1946–92) *

Flag Officer, Gibraltar and North Atlantic British Forces Gibraltar is the British Armed Forces stationed in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is used primarily as a training area, thanks to its good climate and rocky terrain, and as a stopover for aircraft and ship ...

(1939–43). Also reported as FOC North Atlantic; (northern Portugal – northern Morocco – Atlantic). Admiral Dudley North commanded the station during the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, the destruction of the French fleet in 1940. *

Flag Officer, Gibraltar and Mediterranean Approaches British Forces Gibraltar is the British Armed Forces stationed in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is used primarily as a training area, thanks to its good climate and rocky terrain, and as a stopover for aircraft and ships ...

(1943-1946) * Flag Officer, Ground Training * Flag Officer Malaya - (1939-1941) * Flag Officer, Malaya and Forward Areas- (1945-1955) * Flag Officer, Malayan Area, by 1956 occupied by Rear Admiral George Thring. * Flag Officer Maritime Aviation/AOC No. 3 Group RAF, 2000–2003. Superseded by Rear Admiral

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 ...

who is not a Flag Officer. * Flag Officer, Malta – FO Malta (1934–43, 1946–79). * Flag Officer, Malta and Central Mediterranean (1943–46) *

Flag Officer, Medway Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...

– FOMDY (1961-1984) * Flag Officer, Mediterranean Aircraft Carriers (1940 to 1943) * Flag Officer, Middle East – Rear Admiral Patrick Brock 1954–56, responsible for Ismailia and Cyprus. Brock was appointed Flag Officer, Middle East in April 1954, initially with his headquarters at Fayid, in the Suez Canal Zone. However, after Britain agreed to remove its forces from the Canal Zone, his staff moved to Episkopi, in southern Cyprus, in December 1954. Hauled down flag March 1956. Rear Admiral Peter Howes 1964–66. Directed the

Beira Patrol The Beira Patrol was a blockade of oil shipments to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) through Beira, Mozambique, resulting from United Nations trade sanctions on Rhodesia. Background Rhodesia's government unilaterally declared the former colony's ind ...

. 1968 withdrew from in Aden. * Flag Officer Naval Air Command (FONAC) (1963-1993)- superseded by FONA. * Flag Officer Naval Aviation – FONA (1993 - 2000) Fleet Air Arm (superseded by Flag Officer Maritime Aviation (FOMA)) * Flag Officer, Naval Flying Training – FONFT. Created 30 September 1963 as renaming of Flag Officer Flying Training. * Flag Officer Plymouth - (1969-1996) * Flag Officer Portsmouth – FOP, 1975-1993 * Flag Officer, Portsmouth Area, 1969-1975 * Flag Officer, Red Sea *

Flag Officer, Maritime Reserves The Naval Secretary is the Royal Navy officer who advises the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff on naval officer appointing (and General Officers). Their counterpart in the British Army is the Military Secretary. The Royal Air Force equi ...

- FORes (2005-2015) * Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland - FOSNNI. Changed title to FOSNI when (briefly) combined with FOST in 2011-12 and new title (without Northern England) remained extant when re-established as separate post. * Flag Officer Rosyth – FOR *

Flag Officer, Royal Yachts The Flag Officer, Royal Yachts, (FORY) also styled Flag Officer Commanding Royal Yachts was a senior Royal Navy post that existed from 1884 to 1997. History Royal yachts have been a feature of the monarchy since at least 1660, during this perio ...

– FORY, (1864-1997) * Flag Officer Scotland & Northern Ireland - FOSNI, unfilled *

Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. History ...

- FOSNNI * Flag Officer Sea Training (Submarines) - (1958-1999) * Flag Officer, Second Flotilla – FOF2 (1971-1992) Admiral

William Staveley Lieutenant-General William Staveley (29 July 1784 – 4 April 1854) was a British Army officer who fought in the Peninsular War and later became Commander and Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong. Military career Staveley was born in York, t ...

had this command in the 1970s. *

Flag Officer Second in Command Far East Fleet The Far East Fleet (also called the Far East Station) was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed between 1952 and 1971. During the Second World War, the Eastern Fleet included many ships and personnel from other navies, including those of the N ...

– FO2FEF, to 1971 * Admiral-superintendent, Portsmouth, Flag Officer, Spithead and Admiral Superintendent, Portsmouth, 1969-1971 * Admiral-superintendent, Portsmouth, Flag Officer, Spithead and Port Admiral, Portsmouth, 1971-1975 * Commodore Submarine Service, Flag Officer Submarines (FOSM). Succeeded by Rear-Admiral, Submarines. * Flag Officer Surface Flotilla – FOSF – 1992–2000s * Flag Officer, Third Flotilla – (FOF3), 1979-1992. Vice Admiral Derek Reffell in 1982. Vice Admiral Richard Fitch was Flag Officer, Third Flotilla and Commander, Anti-Submarine Group Two (NATO SACLANT Striking Fleet Atlantic) 1983-85; Vice Admiral Julian Oswald held this position from 1987. * Flag Officer, Training and Recruitment - FOTR. Merged with FOST in 2005. * Flag Officer, Training Squadron, * Flag Officer, Yangtse Flotilla - (1937-1941)

Commodores in command appointments

Included:
Current Commodores, flying Broad Pennants in Command * Commander Amphibious Task Group - COMATG * Commander British Forces, Gibraltar * Commander UK Carrier Strike Group -COMCSG * Commander Surface Flotilla * Commander Submarine Flotilla * Commander UK Maritime Component Command, Bahrain (UKMCC) * Naval Base Commander, HMNB Portsmouth * Naval Base Commander, HMNB Devonport * Naval Base Commander, HMNB Clyde * Commanding Officer, RNAS Yeovilton * Commander Maritime Reserves - COMMARRES (flies blue broad pennant of an RNR Officer) * Commodore of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary - COMRFA (flies blue RFA broad pennant) Selection of current Commodores, not entitled to fly a Broad Pennant * Commodore, Head Defence Maritime Regulator, Defence Safety Agency * Commodore, Operational Training * Commodore, Assistant Chief of Staff Carrier Strike and Aviation

Former Commodore command appointments

Included: * Commodore Air Train,

(COMAT/BPF) - 1945 * Commodore, Amphibious Warfare - COMAW or COM(AW) * Commodore, Commander Naval Forces Gulf * Commander UK Task Group (COMUKTG) - 2001-2011 * Commander, Devonport Flotilla COMDEVFLOT - (2002-2020) * Commander, Faslane Flotilla COMFASFLOT - (2011-2020) * Commodore Commanding 12th Cruiser Squadron * Commodore Commanding Cruiser Squadron, (1899-1902) * Commodore Commanding Landing Craft Bases * Commodore Commanding Mine-Countermeasures Flotilla - (1971-1999) * Commodore Commanding New Zealand Squadron, March 1921 - October 1940. HQ Auckland, commanding naval forces in New Zealand. Commodore's appointment abolished and forces brought directly under CNS from October 1940. The operational authority was the Commodore, Auckland, from 1961 which changed to the Maritime Component Commander (New Zealand), Maritime Commander in March 1993. Alternately rendered as Commodore Commanding, New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, New Zealand Station, HQ Auckland, (1919–1941). * Commodore Commanding Pakistan Flotilla * Commodore Commanding South American Division * Commodore Commanding South American Division of the America and West Indies Squadron * Commodore Commanding South East Coast of America, * Commodore Eastern Fleet Destroyer Flotilla * Commodore Fleet Train,

(COFT/BPF) - 1945 * Commodore for Flotilla Duties, Gibraltar * Commodore, Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham - (1904-1969) * Commodore, Royal Naval Barracks, Devonport - (1902-1969) * Commodore-in-Charge and Commodore Superintendent, HM Dockyard, Simonstown * Commodore-in-Charge, Naval Air Stations, Eastern Stations * Commodore-in-Charge, Hamburg * Commodore in Charge, HM Australian Naval Establishments, Sydney * Commodore in Charge, Hong Kong * Commodore in Charge, Jamaica * Commodore-in-Charge, Naval Air Stations, Ceylon * Commodore, Malaya * Commodore, Naval Air Stations, East Africa * Commodore, Naval Air Stations, North * Commodore, Naval Aviation * Commodore of Convoys * Commodore Royal Naval Reserve - Cdre RNR * Commodore Royal Yachts * Commodore Superintendent, Taranto RN Base (1945) * Senior Naval Officer West Indies - SNOWI

Senior Royal Marines appointments

''The Royal Marines are part of the Naval Service'' * Commandant General Royal Marines (and Commander UK Amphibious Forces) - CGRM * 3 Commando Brigade, Commander 3 Commando Brigade

Former Royal Marines appointments

* Major General Royal Marines Commando Forces - MGRM Cdo Forces * Major General Royal Marines Training - MGRM Trng

Squadrons and flotillas

* Commander, Flying Squadron (1869), Flying Squadron (1869-1870) * Commander, Detached Squadron (1870-1882) * Commander, Particular Service Squadron (1882-1896) * Commander, Home Fleet Destroyers (1908-1967) * Commander Mediterranean Fleet Destroyers (1922-1965) * New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy (1921-1940) * Commander, Pacific Fleet Destroyers (1945-1946) * Vice-Admiral Commanding,

* 3rd and 4th Divisions (Royal Navy) (1909-1912) * Rear-Admiral, 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron * 3rd Aircraft Carrier Squadron (1948-1954) * 11th Aircraft Carrier Squadron * 1st Battle Squadron (1912-1914, 1916-1924, 1926-1938, 1939, 1940, 1941-1945) * 2nd Battle Squadron (1912-1921, 1937-1939, 1941-1944) * 3rd Battle Squadron (1912-1918, 1925-1926, 1927-1928, 1942-1945 (also as North Atlantic Escort Force)) * 4th Battle Squadron (1912-1915, 1918, 1919-1924) * 5th Battle Squadron (United Kingdom), 5th Battle Squadron (Vice Admiral commanding 1913-1914, 1914-1915; also 1914-1919) * 6th Battle Squadron (United Kingdom), 6th Battle Squadron (1913-1917) * 7th Battle Squadron (1912-1914) * 8th Battle Squadron (1912-1914) * 9th Battle Squadron (United Kingdom), 9th Battle Squadron (1914) * 1st Battlecruiser Squadron (1915-1919) * 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron (1915-1919) * 3rd Battlecruiser Squadron (1915-1916) * Battlecruiser Squadron (United Kingdom), Battlecruiser Squadron (1919-1923, 1938-1941)) * Training Squadron (1885-1899) * Cruiser Squadron (1900-1905) * 1st Cruiser Squadron (1905-1918, 1924–33, 1940–43, 1946–48, 1950–51) * 2nd Cruiser Squadron (1905–14, 1916–17, 1918–19, 1921–31, 1932–34, 1936–38, 1940–41, 1946–48, 1949–50)) * 3rd Cruiser Squadron (1902-1916, 1922–31, 1932–41) * 4th Cruiser Squadron (1905-1918) * 5th Cruiser Squadron (1907-1915) * 6th Cruiser Squadron (1909-1915) * 7th Cruiser Squadron (1914-1916)(1913-1941) * 9th Cruiser Squadron (1914-1919) * 10th Cruiser Squadron (1914-1917) * 11th Cruiser Squadron (1914-1915) * 12th Cruiser Squadron (1914-1915) * 18th Cruiser Squadron * Rear-Admiral Commanding 1st Light Cruiser Squadron, Rear-Admiral Commanding, 1st Light Cruiser Squadron, (1917-1924) * Rear-Admiral Commanding 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, Rear-Admiral Commanding, 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, (1914–15, 1918–31, 1932–34, 1936–38, 1940–41 * Rear-Admiral Commanding 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron, Rear-Admiral Commanding, 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron, (1915-1919, 1921-1931, 1932-1938) * Rear-Admiral Commanding 4th Light Cruiser Squadron, Rear-Admiral Commanding, 4th Light Cruiser Squadron, (1918-1919)

Footnotes

References

* Drucker, G. (2005). "Fleet Air Arm Service Records: Flag Officer Index". Fleet Air Arm Archive. * Government, H.M. (18 April 1902). The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. * Houterman, Hans; Koppes, Jeroen. (2016) "World War II unit histories & officers, Royal Navy". www.unithistories.com. Houterman and Koppes. * * * Niehorster, Leo Dr. (2013) World War II Armed Forces — Orders of Battle and Organizations - British, Colonial, and Dominion Armed Forces - British, Colonial, and Dominion Navies . http://niehorster.org/index.htm * Roskill, S.W., Captn., DSC., RN, ''The war at sea, 1939-1945'', Vol.I, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1954 (maps of operational Commands of the Royal Navy during the Second World War taken from Roskill, but not attributed, together with Fleet appendixes also taken from his work can be found at http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4201-40RNShips4Overseas.htm. Note from Naval-History.Net. The map was assembled from a variety of sources. The Fleet Appendices are not from Roskill's work, which does not include them. They were compiled from Admiralty Pink and Red lists. * Stationery Office, H. M. (May 1951). The Navy List. Spink and Son Ltd, London, England. * Stewart, William . (2009). Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. .

External links

*
http://morethannelson.com/Royal Navy Stations
{{Naval Service (British), state=collapsed Commands of the Royal Navy, Fleets and major commands Fleets of the Royal Navy Lists of Royal Navy units and formations, Fleets and major commands