The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the

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 ...

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 office was renamed Commander-in-Chief, Devonport. The Commanders-in-Chief were based in what is now Hamoaze House,

Devonport, Plymouth Devonport ( ), formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889. Devonport was originally one o ...

, from 1809 to 1934 and then at

Admiralty House, Mount Wise Admiralty House is a substantial building at Mount Wise, Plymouth, Mount Wise, Devonport, Plymouth. It is a Grade II listed building. History Military use in the 18th & 19th centuries The house was designed by James Wyatt and built between 178 ...

, Devonport, from 1934 until 1996.

History

The post dates back to around 1743. It extended along the South Coast from

Exmouth Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort situated on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe, southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of settl ...

East Devon East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Honiton, although Exmouth is the largest town. The district also contains the towns of Axminster, Budleigh Salterton, Cranbrook, Ottery St M ...

Penzance Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. In 1845, this office was renamed as Commander-in-Chief, Devonport, until 1896, when it was altered back to its original name. In 1941, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, elements of Plymouth Command were transferred to

Western Approaches Command 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 responsibl ...

which was established at Derby House in

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 ...

. Meanwhile, Plymouth Command occupied a new combined Headquarters, known as the ''Maritime Headquarters'', at Mount Wise. The post of Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was merged with that of

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 Thomas Williams (Royal Navy officer), Si ...

, in 1969, to form

Naval Home Command Naval Home Command administered training and garrison functions for the Royal Navy from 1969 to 2012. Its commander was Commander-in-Chief, Naval Home Command (CINCNAVHOME). History As the Royal Navy's size decreased during the Cold War, commands ...

. Between 1952 and 1969, the Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, double-hatted as Plymouth Sub-Area Channel Command (PLYMCHAN) commander in

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 ...

Allied Command Channel Allied Command Channel (ACCHAN) was one of three major North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commands from 1952 to 1994. Commander-in-Chief Channel was a Major NATO Commander (MNC). The Command was established in 1952 to defend the sea areas a ...

, and from 1969 to 1994, he double-hatted as Naval Base Commander Devonport,

Commander Central Sub-Area (CENTLANT) and Commander Plymouth Sub-Area Channel (PLYMCHAN). After 1969, Admiralty House and the Maritime Headquarters became the home of the

Flag Officer, Plymouth The Flag Officer Plymouth was a senior Royal Navy appointment first established in July 1969. The office holder was responsible for the administration of the facilities of the two major Royal Navy at Plymouth and Portsmouth. The appointment conti ...

, until that post was also disbanded in 1996. At around the same time the nearby RN Dockyard and

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

were reconstituted as HM Naval Base Devonport and placed under the command of a Commodore.

Office holders

Commanders-in-Chief and Flag Officers have included:
= died in post *Jul 1747 – Aug 1747 Rear-Admiral

Edward Hawke Admiral of the Fleet Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, (21 February 1705 – 17 October 1781) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. As captain of the third-rate , he took part in the Battle of Toulon in February 1744 during the War of the A ...

*Jun 1756 – Jul 1756 Captain

George Brydges Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a Royal Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularl ...

*1761 – 1763 Vice-Admiral

Philip Durell Vice-Admiral Philip Durell (1707 – 26 August 1766) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Port Admiral at Plymouth. Naval career Durell joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman in 1721. In 1742 he was appointed post captain on and ...

*Jan 1763 – Jun 1763 Vice-Admiral Lord Colville *1763 – 1766 Vice-Admiral Sir

Thomas Pye Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Sir Thomas Pye ( – 26 December 1785) was a Royal Navy officer who served during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the American War of Independence. He was briefly Member of Parliament ...

*1766 – 1770 Vice-Admiral Sir George Edgcumbe *1771 – 1774 Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Spry *1774 – 1778 Vice-Admiral John Amherst *1778 – 1783 Vice Admiral Sir Molyneux Shuldham *1783 – 1786 Vice Admiral Mark Milbanke *1786 – 1790 Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Graves *1790 – 1792 Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton *1792 – 1793 Rear-Admiral

Phillips Cosby Admiral Phillips Cosby (c. 1729 – 10 January 1808) was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Naval career Cosby joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman in 1747. He was given command of a schooner at the Siege ...

*1793 – 1794 Vice-Admiral Rowland Cotton *1794 – 1796 Vice-Admiral Sir Richard King *1796 – 1799 Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Onslow *1799 – 1801 Vice-Admiral Sir

Thomas Pasley Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet (2 March 1734 – 29 November 1808) was a senior and highly experienced British Royal Navy officer of the eighteenth century, who served with distinction at numerous actions of the Seven Years' War, America ...

*1802 – 1803 Vice-Admiral Sir James Dacres *1803 – 1804 Vice-Admiral Sir

John Colpoys Admiral Sir John Colpoys, (''c.'' 1742 – 4 April 1821) was a Royal Navy officer who served in three wars but is most notable for being one of the catalysts of the Spithead Mutiny in 1797 after ordering his marines to fire on a deputation ...

*1804 – 1810 Vice-Admiral Sir William Young *1810 – 1813 Admiral Sir

Robert Calder Admiral Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet, (2 July 174531 August 1818) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. For much of his career he w ...

*1813 – 1815 Vice-Admiral William Domett *1815 – 1817 Admiral Sir John Duckworth *1817 – 1821 Admiral Viscount Exmouth *1821 – 1824 Admiral Sir

Alexander Cochrane Admiral Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane, GCB (born Alexander Forrester Cochrane; 23 April 1758 – 26 January 1832) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of admi ...

*1824 – 1827 Admiral Sir James Saumarez *1827 – 1830 Admiral Lord Northesk *1830 – 1833 Admiral Sir

Manley Dixon Admiral Sir Manley Dixon, KCB (3 January 1757 – 8 February 1837) was a prominent Royal Navy officer during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Born into a military family in the late 1750s or early 1760s, Dixon joined the Navy ...

*1833 – 1836 Admiral Sir

William Hargood Admiral of the White Sir William Hargood (6 May 1762 – 12 December 1839) was a British naval officer who served with distinction through the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, during which he g ...

*1836 – 1839 Admiral

Lord Amelius Beauclerk Admiral Lord Amelius Beauclerk (23 May 1771 – 10 December 1846) was a Royal Navy officer. Early life Beauclerk was born on 23 May 1771, the third son of Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans (1740–1802) and his wife, the former Lady C ...

*1839 – 1842 Admiral Sir Graham Moore *1842 – 1845 Admiral Sir David Milne :Office is renamed Commander-in-Chief, Devonport *1900 – 1902 Vice-Admiral Lord Charles Montagu Douglas Scott *1902 – 1908 Vice-Admiral Sir

Lewis Beaumont Admiral Sir Lewis Anthony Beaumont, (19 May 1847 – 20 June 1922) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Naval career Beaumont joined the Royal Navy as a boy in 1860 and was engaged in operations in Malaya b ...

*1908 – 1911 Vice-Admiral Sir

Wilmot Fawkes Admiral Sir Wilmot Hawksworth Fawkes, (22 December 1846 – 29 May 1926) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Naval career Fawkes joined the Royal Navy in 1860 and by 1867 had been promoted to lieutenant. He s ...

*1911 – 1913 Vice-Admiral Sir William May *1913 – 1916 Vice-Admiral Sir

George Egerton Mary Chavelita Dunne Bright (born Mary Elizabeth Annie Dunne; 14 December 1859 – 12 August 1945), better known by her pen name George Egerton (pronounced Edg'er-ton), was a writer of short stories, novels, plays and translations, noted for ...

*Mar 1916 – Dec 1916 Vice-Admiral Sir George Warrender *1916 – 1918 Admiral Sir

Alexander Bethell Admiral Sir Alexander Edward Bethell (28 August 1855 – 13 June 1932) was a British naval officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth of the Royal Navy. Naval career Born the second son of Richard Augustus Bethell, 2nd Baron Westbury, B ...

*1918 – 1920 Vice-Admiral Sir

Cecil Thursby Admiral Sir Cecil Fiennes Thursby, (17 January 1861 – 28 May 1936) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, after serving in World War I mainly in the Mediterranean Sea. Family Thursby was born in Warwickshi ...

*1920 – 1923 Admiral Sir

Montague Browning Admiral Sir Montague Edward Browning, (18 January 1863 – 4 November 1947) was a senior Royal Navy officer who served as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel. Military career Browning joined the Royal Navy in 1876. He served in the An ...

*1923 – 1926 Vice-Admiral Sir

Richard Phillimore Admiral Sir Richard Fortescue Phillimore, (23 December 1864 – 8 November 1940) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth from 1923 to 1926. Naval career Phillimore was born at Boconnoc in Cornwall on 23 December 1864, ...

*1926 – 1929 Vice-Admiral Sir Rudolph Bentinck *1929 – 1932 Vice-Admiral Sir

Hubert Brand Admiral Sir Hubert George Brand, (20 May 1870 – 14 December 1955) was a senior Royal Navy officer who served as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel. Background Brand was the second son of Henry Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden, Governor ...

*1932 – 1935 Vice-Admiral Sir Eric Fullerton *1935 – 1938 Admiral Sir

Reginald Drax Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, KCB, DSO, JP, DL ( Plunkett; 28 August 1880 – 16 October 1967), commonly known as Sir Reginald Plunkett or Sir Reginald Drax, was an Anglo-Irish admiral. The younger son of the 17th ...

*1938 – 1941 Admiral Sir

Martin Dunbar-Nasmith Admiral Sir Martin Eric Dunbar-Nasmith, (1 April 1883 – 29 June 1965) was a Royal Navy officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forc ...

*1941 – 1943 Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Forbes *1943 – 1945 Vice-Admiral Sir Ralph Leatham *1945 – 1947 Admiral Sir

Henry Pridham-Wippell Admiral Sir Henry Daniel Pridham-Wippell, (12 August 1885 – 2 April 1952) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the First and Second World Wars. Early life Educated at The Limes, Greenwich, and at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Henry Dani ...

*1947 – 1950 Vice-Admiral Sir

Robert Burnett Admiral Sir Robert Lindsay Burnett, (22 July 1887 – 2 July 1959) was an officer in the Royal Navy. Naval career Educated at Eastman's Royal Naval Academy and Bedford School, Burnett joined the Royal Navy in 1902. He served on the China S ...

*1950 – 1951 Vice-Admiral Sir

Rhoderick McGrigor Admiral of the Fleet Sir Rhoderick Robert McGrigor, (12 April 1893 – 3 December 1959) was a senior Royal Navy officer. He fought in the First World War and saw action during the Gallipoli Campaign and then the Battle of Jutland. He also serv ...

*1951 – 1953 Vice-Admiral Sir

Maurice Mansergh Admiral Sir Maurice James Mansergh KCB CBE (14 October 1896 – 29 September 1966) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Early life and education Mansergh was born in Ealing, Essex, the second son of civil eng ...

*1953 – 1955 Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Madden *1955 – 1958 Vice Admiral Sir Charles Pizey *1958 – 1961 Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Onslow *1961 – 1962 Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Madden *1962 – 1965 Vice-Admiral Sir

Nigel Henderson Admiral Sir Nigel Stuart Henderson, (1 August 1909 – 2 August 1993) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1968 to 1971. Naval career Henderson joined the Royal Navy in 1927.

*1965 – 1967 Vice-Admiral Sir

Fitzroy Talbot Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Allison Fitzroy Talbot KBE CB DSO & Bar DL (22 October 1909 – 16 June 1998) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Early life Son of Royal Navy Captain Henry Fitzroy George Talbot ( ...

*1967 – 1969 Vice-Admiral Sir

Charles Mills Charles, Charlie or Chuck Mills may refer to: Academics * C. Wright Mills (Charles Wright Mills) (1916–1962), American academic sociologist * Charles Henry Mills Charles Henry Mills (January 29, 1873 – July 23, 1937) was an England, En ...

Post 1969 period

On 30 December 1970, Vice-Admiral J R McKaig CBE was appointed as

Port Admiral Port admiral is an honorary rank in the United States Navy, and a former appointment in the British Royal Navy. Royal Navy In British naval usage, the term 'port admiral' had two distinct (and somewhat contradictory) meanings, one generic, one sp ...

, Her Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport, and

. On 5 September 1971, all Flag Officers of the Royal Navy holding positions of Admiral Superintendents at Royal Dockyards were restyled as Port Admirals.

References

{{Royal Navy fleets P Military units and formations disestablished in 1969 Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War I Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War II Military history of the English Channel

History

Office holders

Post 1969 period

See also

References