The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the

First Sea Lord First Sea Lord, officially known as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS), is the title of a statutory position in the British Armed Forces, held by an Admiral (Royal Navy), admiral or a General (United Kingdom), general of the ...

, the professional head of the Naval Service. In its last years, as the Navy shrank, more administrative responsibilities were added. In April 2012, the post was abolished, its rank downgraded from admiral to three-star vice admiral, and re-designated

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 (United Kingdom), Naval Service. The Vice-Admiral incumbent is requ ...

and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff.

History

Prior to 1964 responsibility for control and direction of British naval affairs lay with the Admiralty, naval command lay with the Admiralty Naval Staff. Following the merger of the Admiralty in 1964 into the new

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

it became known as the Navy Department. In November 1971, force reductions resulted in the Western Fleet being amalgamated with the Far East Fleet. It was to be commanded by a four star admiral who held the title Commander-in-Chief Fleet, with his headquarters at the

Northwood Headquarters Northwood Headquarters is a military headquarters facility of the British Armed Forces in Eastbury, Hertfordshire, England, adjacent to the London suburb of Northwood. It is home to the following military command and control functions: #Headq ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Previous to November 1971, on 1 May 1971 CINCWF had already assumed responsibility for the administration of ships in the Far East Fleet. From 1971-72 CINCFLEET directed Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships; Flag Officer First Flotilla; Flag Officer, Second Flotilla; Flag Officer Submarines; the

Hydrographer of the Navy The Hydrographer of the Navy is the principal hydrographical Royal Naval appointment. From 1795 until 2001, the post was responsible for the production of charts for the Royal Navy, and around this post grew the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office ...

, Rear Admiral Geoffrey Hall (all survey vessels); Flag Officer Sea Training (all ships in workup at Portland); and Captain, Mine Countermeasures. Operational control was delegated to FOSNI, Flag Officer Plymouth, Flag Officer Gibraltar, Flag Officer Malta,

Senior Naval Officer West Indies 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 ...

, Commander, ANZUK Naval Forces, and Commodore-in-Charge, Hong Kong. The Flag Officer Gibraltar, and Gibraltar Naval Base Commander, a

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

, double-hatted as

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

's Commander Gibraltar Mediterranean (COMGIBMED). In the late 1980s two small patrol craft, , , were reported as being attached to FO Gibraltar. The post of CINCFLEET also was assigned the NATO appointments of Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Atlantic Area (CINCEASTLANT) and Commander-in-Chief Channel (CINCHAN). On 1 July 1994, the Channel Command was disestablished: however most of its subordinate commands remained in existence although reshuffled: most of the headquarters were absorbed within Allied Command Europe particularly as part of the new Allied Forces Northwestern Europe. In 1992 Fleet Headquarters moved to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. In 2005, the

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

, reduced in rank from full Admiral to Vice-Admiral, came under CINCFLEET's command, a situation that lasted until the Levene reforms of 2012.

Responsibilities

Full command of the Fleet and responsibility for the Fleet element of military operational capability including the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

and the

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service and provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RF ...

, was delegated to Commander-in-Chief Fleet, as is described in official descriptions circa 2010. In 1971 after the amalgamation of the Western and Far East Fleets the headquarters was established at Northwood, in the

London Borough of Hillingdon The London Borough of Hillingdon () is a London borough in Greater London, England. It forms part of outer London and West London, being the westernmost London borough. It was formed in 1965 from the districts of Hayes and Harlington Urban Distr ...

( HMS Warrior). Both the CINCFLEET and CINCEASTLANT staffs were co-located there. By the early 21st century the headquarters was split. In 2002 a new Command Headquarters, the Navy Command Headquarters Building at HMS ''Excellent'' in

was completed. Thereafter the headquarters was split between the Command HQ and CINCFLEET's Operational Headquarters at Northwood, co-located with the

Permanent Joint Headquarters The Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London. The Permanent Joint Headqua ...

. By the 2010s, CINCFLEET was supported by: * Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command, based in HMS ''Excellent'', who was the Principal Personnel Officer for the Royal Navy. The CINCNAVHOME title lapsed in 2012. *Deputy CINCFLEET, based in HMS ''Excellent'', who directed the work of the Fleet Headquarters * Commander Operations, based at Northwood, responsible for fleet operations * Commander United Kingdom Amphibious Forces, who was

Commandant General Royal Marines Commandant General Royal Marines is the professional head of the Royal Marines. The title has existed since 1943. The role is held by a General (United Kingdom), General who is assisted by a Deputy Commandant General, with the rank of Brigadier ( ...

* Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces (previously known as Commander UK Task Group), who oversaw the commander of the UK Task Group (COMUKTG), subsequently renamed as the commander Amphibious Task Group (COMATG) and the commander UK Carrier Strike Group (COMUKCSG). Collectively, COMUKMARFOR, COMUKAMPHIBFOR, Commander UK Task Group (COMUKTG), and the

3 Commando Brigade United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), is the UK's special operations-capable commando formation of the Royal Marines. It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel f ...

Headquarters comprised the "Fleet Battle Staff".

Commanders-in-Chief Fleet

The Commanders-in-Chief were: Most are listed at their final service rank, not at their rank as CINCFLEET, an admiral's position.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and Chief of Staff

Deputy Commanders have included: * Vice Admiral Sir Roy Newman, Feb 1990–June 1992 * Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Biggs, June 1992–June 1994 * Vice Admiral Sir

Jonathan Tod Vice Admiral Sir Jonathan James Richard Tod Order of the Bath, KCB Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 26 March 1939) is a former Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet. Naval career Educated Go ...

, June 1994–June 1997 * Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham, June 1997–Jan 1999 * Vice Admiral Sir Fabian Malbon, Jan 1999–May 2001 * Vice Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, May 2001–July 2002 * Vice Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, July 2002–June 2004 * Vice Admiral Sir Timothy McClement, June 2004–Oct 2006 * Vice Admiral Paul Boissier, Oct 2006–July 2009 * Vice Admiral Sir Richard Ibbotson, July 2009–Jan 2011 * Vice Admiral Sir George Zambellas, Jan 2011–Dec 2011 * Vice Admiral Philip Jones Dec 2011–April 2012

Chiefs of Staff

The Commander-in-Chief, Fleet's principal staff officer was the Chief of Staff, Fleet, responsible for coordinating the supporting staff of Fleet Headquarters from November 1971 to 2012.

Subordinate commands

At various times included:

Structure charts

Flag Officer First Flotilla, 1989

The Flag Officer First Flotilla (FOF1) was a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

based

HMNB Portsmouth His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is loc ...

who commanded the navy's First Flotilla. * First Flotilla,

** 1st Frigate Squadron,

HMNB Devonport His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Roya ...

with ***

Type 22 frigate The Type 22 frigate also known as the ''Broadsword'' class was a ship class, class of frigates built for the British Royal Navy. Fourteen were built in total, with production divided into three batches. Initially intended to be anti-submarine ...

s (Batch 2): , , , , , ** 2nd Frigate Squadron, HMNB Devonport with ***

s (Batch 1): , , , ** 5th Destroyer Squadron,

with ***

Type 42 destroyer The Type 42 or ''Sheffield'' class was a class of fourteen guided-missile destroyers that served in the Royal Navy.Marriott, Leo: ''Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945'', , Ian Allan Ltd, 1989 A further two ships of this class were built for and ...

s: , , , , , ** 6th Frigate Squadron, HMNB Devonport with *** s (Batch 3A): , , , , *** Dartmouth Training Squadron (JFS 1989, p. 651) **** Type 82 destroyer: , s (Batch 3B): ,

Flag Officer, Second Flotilla, 1989

The Flag Officer, Second Flotilla was a

based

who commanded the navy's Second Flotilla. * Second Flotilla, with ships based

: ** 3rd Destroyer Squadron, RN Dockyard Rosyth with ***

s: , , , , , ** 4th Frigate Squadron, HMNB Devonport with ***

Type 21 frigate The Type 21 frigate, or ''Amazon''-class frigate, was a British Royal Navy general-purpose escort that was designed in the late 1960s, built in the 1970s and served throughout the 1980s into the 1990s. Development In the mid-1960s, the Royal Na ...

s: , , , , , ** 7th Frigate Squadron, HMNB Devonport with *** s (Batch 2): , (Batch 1, decommissioned April 1989), , , , , ** 8th Frigate Squadron, HMNB Devonport with ***

s (Batch 3): , , (commissioned 4 May 1990),

Flag Officer, Third Flotilla, 1989

The Flag Officer, Third Flotilla was a

based at

who doubled as NATO Commander Anti-Submarine Warfare Striking Force. In 1989 Vice Admiral Alan Grose held this appointment. * Third Flotilla,

** , (refit at HMNB Devonport), , , RFA Argus, RFA Engadine (decommissioned March 1989), , HMS ''Endurance'' (ice patrol vessel)

Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland, 1989

HMS Quorn is pictured as she departs from Portsmouth

The Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland (FOSNI) was a

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

based at RAF Pitreavie Castle, who commanded the navy's units in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

and double-hatted as Naval Base Commander at Rosyth,

Commander Northern Sub-Area (NORLANT) and Commander Nore Sub-Area Channel (NORECHAN). The main unit under his command was the Mine Countermeasures Flotilla based at Royal Naval Dockyard Rosyth on the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate ...

, which was commanded by a commodore. Additionally the Second Flotilla's 3rd Destroyer Squadron was based at RN Dockyard Rosyth. In war FOSNI would have been one of two naval operational commands, with the other being Flag Officer Plymouth. * Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland, RAF Pitreavie Castle,

Rosyth Rosyth () is a town and Garden City in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth. Scotland's first Garden city movement, Garden City, Rosyth is part of the Greater Dunfermline Area and is located 3 miles south of Dunfermline city cen ...

** Mine Countermeasures Flotilla, Royal Naval Dockyard Rosyth *** 1st Mine Countermeasures Squadron, RN Dockyard Rosyth with **** Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessels: , , , *** 2nd Mine Countermeasures Squadron, RN Dockyard Rosyth with **** Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessels: , , , , *** 3rd Mine Countermeasures Squadron,

with **** s: HMS ''Hubberston'', , HMS ''Sheraton'', HMS ''Brinton'', , HMS ''Maxton'' (decommissioned August 1989) **** : (commissioned 9 June 1989) *** 4th Mine Countermeasures Squadron, RN Dockyard Rosyth with **** Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessels: , , , *** 10th Mine Countermeasures Squadron, manned by the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original ...

and each of the squadron's ships assigned to a reserve divisions: **** s: HMS ''Waveney'', HMS ''Carron'', HMS ''Dovey'', HMS ''Helford'', HMS ''Humber'', HMS ''Blackwater'', HMS ''Itchen'', HMS ''Helmsdale'', HMS ''Orwell'', HMS ''Ribble'', HMS ''Spey'', HMS ''Arun'' *** Fishery Protection Squadron, RN Dockyard Rosyth with: **** s: , HMS ''Soberton'', HMS ''Upton'' **** Castle-class patrol vessel: **** Island-class patrol vessels: HMS ''Anglesey'', HMS ''Alderney'', HMS ''Jersey'', HMS ''Guernsey'', HMS ''Shetland'', HMS ''Orkney'', HMS ''Lindisfarne'' *** Northern Ireland Patrol Squadron,

Belfast Harbour Belfast Harbour is a major maritime hub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, handling 67% of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade and about 25% of the maritime trade of the entire island of Ireland. It is a vital gateway for raw materials, exports and c ...

with **** s: HMS ''Cuxton'', HMS ''Kedleston'', HMS ''Nurton'', (built with

glass-reinforced plastic Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...

) **** Bird-class patrol vessels: HMS ''Cygnet'', , HMS ''Redpole''

Flag Officer Plymouth, 1989

The Flag Officer Plymouth was a

based at Admiralty House, who commanded the navy's units in

and

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and double-hatted as Naval Base Commander Devonport,

Commander Central Sub-Area (CENTLANT) and Commander Plymouth Sub-Area Channel (PLYMCHAN). In war Flag Officer Plymouth would have been one of two naval operational commands, with the other being Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Flag Officer Submarines, 1989

The Flag Officer Submarines was a

based at

, who commanded the

Royal Navy Submarine Service The Royal Navy Submarine Service is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. It is sometimes known as the Silent Service, as submarines are generally required to operate undetected. The service operates six fleet submarines ( SSNs), ...

and double-hatted as

Commander Submarine Force Eastern Atlantic (COMSUBEASTLANT). * Flag Officer Submarines (FOSM),

, Eastbury *** 1st Submarine Squadron, HMS ''Dolphin'' with **** s: (only harbour service), (sold to Canada in 1989), (sold to Canada in 1989), , , , , , *** 2nd Submarine Squadron,

with **** s: , (refit at

), **** s: , , , , , (commissioned 12 May 1990) *** 3rd Submarine Squadron,

HMNB Clyde His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...

with **** s: , , **** s: (refit at RN Dockyard Rosyth), , **** s: , (refit at

) **** s: , , *** 10th Submarine Squadron, HMNB Clyde with **** ''Resolution''-class

ballistic missile submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. These submarines became a major weapon system in the Cold War because of their nuclear deterrence capabi ...

s: , , (refit at RN Dockyard Rosyth),

Flag Officer Naval Air Command, 1989

The Flag Officer Naval Air Command was a

based at

RNAS Yeovilton Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, commonly referred to as WAFU central, (HMS ''Heron'') is an airbase of the Royal Navy, sited a few miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. It is one of two active Fleet Air Arm bases, the ...

, who commanded the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

. * Flag Officer Naval Air Command (FONAC),

** RNAS Prestwick: *** 819 Naval Air Squadron (

Anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapon ...

, Sea King HAS.5) *** 824 Naval Air Squadron (Anti-submarine, Sea King HAS.6) (disbanded August 1989) **

: *** 707 Naval Air Squadron (

Air assault Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, such as helicopters, to seize and hold key terrain that has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind enemy l ...

, Sea King HC.4) *** 800 Naval Air Squadron ( Sea Harrier FRS.1, being upgraded to F(A).2) *** 801 Naval Air Squadron (Sea Harrier FRS.1, being upgraded to F(A).2) *** 845 Naval Air Squadron (Air assault, Sea King HC.4) *** 846 Naval Air Squadron (Air assault, Sea King HC.4) *** 899 Naval Air Squadron (Training, Sea Harrier FRS.1, Sea Harrier T.4A/T.4N, Hunter T.8M) *** Fleet Requirements and Aircraft Direction Unit ( Canberra TT.18, Hunter GA.11/T.8,

Dassault Falcon 20 The Dassault Falcon 20 is a French business jet developed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. The first business jet developed by the firm, it became the first of a family of business jets to be produced under the same name; of these, both t ...

) **

RNAS Culdrose Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose (RNAS Culdrose, also known as HMS ''Seahawk''; International Civil Aviation Organization airport code, ICAO: EGDR) is a Royal Navy Military airbase, airbase located beside the town of Helston, situated on the L ...

: *** 705 Naval Air Squadron (Basic helicopter training, Gazelle HT.2/HT.3) *** 706 Naval Air Squadron (Sea King training, various Sea King) **** Sea King Training Unit (RAF unit attached to 706 Naval Air Squadron, 2x Sea King HAR.3) *** 750 Naval Air Squadron (Observer training, Jetstream T.2) *** 771 Naval Air Squadron (Search & Rescue, Sea King HAR.5) *** 814 Naval Air Squadron (Anti-submarine, Sea King HAS.5) *** 820 Naval Air Squadron (Anti-submarine, Sea King HAS.6) *** 826 Naval Air Squadron (Anti-submarine, Sea King HAS.6) *** 849 Naval Air Squadron (

Airborne early warning and control An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar early warning system designed to detect aircraft, ships, vehicles, missiles and other incoming projectiles at long ranges, as well as performing command and control of the ...

, 10x Sea King AEW.2A) ** RNAS Portland: ***

702 Naval Air Squadron 702 Naval Air Squadron (702 NAS), also referred to as 702 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated the Westland Lynx, as the Lynx Headquarters and Training Squadr ...

(Training, Lynx HAS.3S) *** 772 Naval Air Squadron (Air assault, Sea King HC.4) *** 810 Naval Air Squadron (Anti-submarine, Sea King HAS.5, began conversion to HAS.6 in October 1989) *** 815 Naval Air Squadron (Frigate & destroyer helicopters, Lynx HAS.3S, most deployed on frigates and destroyers at sea) *** 829 Naval Air Squadron (Frigate & destroyer helicopters, Lynx HAS.3S, most deployed on frigates and destroyers at sea) *** Lynx HMA.8 trials unit (formed in September 1989) ** Roborough: ***

Flying Grading Flight Flying may refer to: * Flight, the process of flying * Aviation, the creation and operation of aircraft Music Albums * ''Flying (Cody Fry album)'', 2017 * Flying (Grammatrain album), ''Flying'' (Grammatrain album), 1997 * Flying (Jonathan Fag ...

( Chipmunk T.10)

Commandant General Royal Marines, 1989

The

, in 1989

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Sir Martin Garrod based at

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...

, was the service head of the

. In 1991 their structure was described as "very top heavy. They have nearly 8,000 men to put 2,400 in the field...they have three 'tied' generals, the Commandant General, a major general as his chief of staff, and a major general commando forces." *

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

**Major-General, Commando Forces **

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

*** 40 Commando,

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

*** 42 Commando, Bickleigh *** 45 Commando,

Arbroath Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the Subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Angus, Scotland, Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast, some east-northeast of ...

*** 4 Assault Squadron, Plymouth (4x LCU Mk.9, 4x LCVP Mk.4, 2x Centurion BARV), served aboard *** 539 Assault Squadron, Plymouth (4x LCU Mk.9, 4x LCVP Mk.4, 2x Centurion BARV), served aboard *** 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron,

(12x Gazelle AH.1, 6x Lynx AH.1) *** 2 Raiding Squadron, Royal Marines (Reserve), Plymouth **

Comacchio Group The 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (43 Cdo FP Gp RM), formerly Comacchio Company Royal Marines (1980–1983), Comacchio Group Royal Marines (1983–2001) and Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (2001–2012), is a 550-man u ...

, guarded HMNB Clyde and the UK's naval nuclear weapons stored at

RNAD Coulport Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport, shortened to RNAD Coulport, on Loch Long in Argyll, Scotland, is the storage and loading facility for the nuclear warheads of the United Kingdom's Trident programme. The base, near the village of Coulpo ...

Royal Marines Police The Royal Marines Police, or Royal Marines Police Troop (RM Police Troop) is the Royal Marines element of the Royal Navy Police and the military police arm of the Royal Marines. Members of the RM Police enforce service law and discipline. St ...

, Plymouth ** Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, Lympstone **

Royal Marines Reserve The Royal Marines Reserve (RMR) is the volunteer reserve force used to augment the regular Royal Marines. The RMR consists of some 600 trained ranks distributed among the four units within the UK. About 10 percent of the force are working with ...

(RMR), Plymouth *** RMR Bristol,

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

*** RMR London,

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

*** RMR Merseyside,

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

*** RMR Scotland,

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

*** RMR Tyne,

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

Note: "(V)" denotes

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

reserve units.

History

Responsibilities

Commanders-in-Chief Fleet

Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and Chief of Staff

Chiefs of Staff

Subordinate commands

Structure charts

Flag Officer First Flotilla, 1989

Flag Officer, Second Flotilla, 1989

Flag Officer, Third Flotilla, 1989

Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland, 1989

Flag Officer Plymouth, 1989

Flag Officer Submarines, 1989

Flag Officer Naval Air Command, 1989

Commandant General Royal Marines, 1989

See also

References

Further reading