Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)

Sleeve lace

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Shoulder board

The flag of an admiral of the fleet is the Union Flag, and is in 1:2 rather than the 2:3 of other admirals' flags.

Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996.

Admiral of the fleet is equivalent to a five-star rank, equivalent to a marshal of the Royal Air Force or a field marshal in the British Army.

Admiral of the fleet is also used as a title in some of the world's militaries for the most senior officer of the fleet or Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. In the German Kriegsmarine of the Second World War, the equivalent rank was grand admiral.

History in Royal Navy

The rank evolved from the ancient sailing days and the admiral distinctions then used by the Royal Navy. The British fleet was divided into three divisions and each designated a colour, that of red, white, or blue. Each coloured division was assigned an admiral, who in turn had command over a vice admiral and a rear admiral. In the 18th century, the original nine ranks began to be filled by more than one person per rank. The admiral of the fleet commanded the admirals of the various divisions and thus, the entirety of the British fleet.

The organisation of the British fleet into coloured squadrons was abandoned in 1864, with the Royal Navy keeping the White Ensign. By this time, the position admiral of the fleet had already become an honorary promotion; when the position of professional head of the Royal Navy was given the name of First Naval Lord in 1828 (renamed First Sea Lord in 1904), admiral of the fleet became an honorary promotion for retiring First Naval Lords. This allowed multiple honorary admirals of the fleet to co-exist throughout the history of the rank.

Between 1811 and 1988, six admirals of the fleet were granted to honour four members of foreign royalty and two members of British royalty. Of the British royalty granted the rank admiral of the fleet, HRH The Duke of Clarence and St Andrews (later King William IV) had actively served as a rear admiral, while HRH The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) never served in the Royal Navy.

When the position Chief of the Defence Staff was created in 1959, admirals who became overall Chief of the Defence Staff were also granted an active promotion to admiral of the fleet, with the active NATO rank code OF-10. Since 1997, recognizing the reduced post-Cold War size of the British Armed Forces would not require an Army field marshal (equivalent to admiral of the fleet), the Chief of the Defence Staff has been appointed at the NATO OF-9 rank of admiral (or equivalent general or air chief marshal). During this period, five admirals were promoted to active admirals of the fleet and Chief of Defence Staff.

The practice of the honorary promotion to admiral of the fleet also ceased after 1996, though the rank still exists for potential honorary or active use. The last honorary promotion to admiral of the fleet was the 1995 promotion of Sir Benjamin Bathurst, when he retired as First Sea Lord.

British admirals of the fleet

Appointed		Name	Born	Died
	1690	Edward Russell (later Earl of Orford)	1652	1727
	1696	Sir George Rooke	1650	1709	circa
13 January	1705	Sir Cloudesley Shovell	1650	1707
21 December	1708	Fairborne StaffordSir Stafford Fairborne	1666	1742	circa
14 March	1718	Byng GeorgeSir George Byng (later Viscount Torrington)	1663	1733
20 February	1734	Norris JohnSir John Norris	1670	1749
1 July	1749	Ogle ChallonerSir Chaloner Ogle	1681	1750
22 November	1751	Steuart JamesJames Steuart	1690	1757
March	1757	Clinton GeorgeThe Hon. George Clinton	1686	1761
30 July	1761	AnsonThe Lord Anson	1697	1762
17 December	1762	Rowley WilliamSir William Rowley	1690	1768	circa
15 January	1768	Hawke EdwardSir Edward Hawke (later Lord Hawke)	1705	1781
24 October	1781	Luke O'KeefeThe Hon. John Forbes	1714	1796
12 March	1796	HoweThe Earl Howe	1726	1799
16 September	1799	Parker PeterSir Peter Parker	1721	1811
24 December	1811	Clarence and Saint AndrewsHRH The Duke of Clarence and St Andrews (later King William IV)	1765	1837	honorary, did serve as a rear admiral
29 January	1820	Saint VincentThe Earl of St Vincent	1735	1823	acting from May 1814
28 June	1830	Williams-Freeman WilliamWilliam Williams-Freeman	1742	1832
22 July	1830	GambierThe Lord Gambier	1756	1833
22 July	1830	Pole CharlesSir Charles Pole	1757	1830
24 April	1833	Nugent CharlesSir Charles Nugent	1759	1844
8 January	1844	Whitshed JamesSir James Whitshed	1762	1849
9 November	1846	Martin GeorgeSir George Martin	1764	1847
13 October	1849	Martin ThomasSir Thomas Byam Martin	1773	1854
1 July	1851	Cockburn GeorgeSir George Cockburn	1772	1853
8 December	1857	Ogle CharlesSir Charles Ogle	1775	1858
25 June	1858	West JohnSir John West	1774	1862
20 May	1862	Gage WilliamSir William Gage	1777	1864
10 November	1862	Hamond GrahamSir Graham Hamond	1779	1862
27 April	1863	Austen FrancisSir Francis Austen	1774	1865
27 April	1863	Parker WilliamSir William Parker	1781	1866
11 January	1864	Curtis LuciusSir Lucius Curtis	1786	1869
12 September	1865	Cochrane ThomasSir Thomas Cochrane	1789	1872
30 November	1866	Seymour GeorgeSir George Seymour	1787	1870
30 January	1868	Gordon JamesSir James Gordon	1782	1869
15 January	1869	Bowles WilliamSir William Bowles	1780	1869
3 July	1869	Sartorious GeorgeSir George Sartorius	1790	1885
21 January	1870	Moresby FairfaxSir Fairfax Moresby	1786	1877
20 October	1872	Stewart HoustonSir Houston Stewart	1791	1875
22 January	1877	Codrington HenrySir Henry Codrington	1808	1877
5 August	1877	Keppel HenrySir Henry Keppel	1809	1904
11 December	1877	Wallis ProvoSir Provo Wallis	1791	1892
27 December	1877	LauderdaleThe Earl of Lauderdale	1803	1878
27 December	1877	Mundy GeorgeSir George Mundy	1805	1884
15 June	1879	Hope JamesSir James Hope	1808	1881
15 July	1879	Symonds ThomasSir Thomas Symonds	1813	1894
10 June	1881	Milne AlexanderSir Alexander Milne	1806	1896
1 December	1881	Elliot CharlesSir Charles Elliot	1818	1895
29 April	1885	Ryder AlfredSir Alfred Ryder	1820	1888
18 July	1887	WalesHRH The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII)	1841	1910	honorary to non-Navy royalty
1 May	1888	Hornby GeoffreySir Geoffrey Hornby	1825	1895
8 December	1888	Hay JohnLord John Hay	1827	1916
2 August	1889	William IIHIM German Emperor William II	1859	1941	honorary, to foreign royalty
13 February	1892	Commerell JohnSir John Commerell	1829	1901
3 June	1893	EdinburghHRH The Duke of Edinburgh (later Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)	1844	1900
20 February	1895	ClanwilliamThe Earl of Clanwilliam	1832	1907
23 August	1897	Lyons AlgernonSir Algernon Lyons	1833	1908
29 November	1898	Richards FrederickSir Frederick Richards	1833	1912
13 January	1899	Salmon NowellSir Nowell Salmon	1835	1912
3 October	1902	Erskine JamesSir James Erskine	1838	1911
30 August	1903	Hotham CharlesSir Charles Hotham	1843	1925
16 June	1904	Kerr WalterLord Walter Kerr	1839	1927
20 February	1905	Seymour EdwardSir Edward Seymour	1840	1929
5 December	1905	Fisher JohnSir John Fisher (later Lord Fisher)	1841	1920
1 March	1907	Wilson ArthurSir Arthur Wilson	1842	1921
11 June	1908	Nicholas IIHIM Tsar Nicholas II of Russia	1868	1918	honorary, to foreign royalty
2 December	1908	Noel GerardSir Gerard Noel	1845	1918
27 January	1910	Heinrich of PrussiaHRH Prince Heinrich of Prussia	1862	1929	honorary, to foreign royalty
30 April	1910	Fanshawe ArthurSir Arthur Fanshawe	1847	1936
20 March	1913	May WilliamSir William May	1849	1930
5 March	1915	Meux HedworthSir Hedworth Meux	1856	1929
2 April	1917	Callaghan GeorgeSir George Callaghan	1852	1920
3 April	1919	JellicoeThe Viscount Jellicoe (later Earl Jellicoe)	1859	1935
3 April	1919	Beatty DavidSir David Beatty (later Earl Beatty)	1871	1936
31 July	1919	Jackson HenrySir Henry Jackson	1855	1929
1 November	1919	Wemyss RosslynSir Rosslyn Wemyss (later Lord Wester Wemyss)	1864	1933
24 November	1920	Burney CecilSir Cecil Burney	1858	1929
5 July	1921	Sturdee DovetonSir Doveton Sturdee	1859	1925
22 August	1921	Milford HavenThe Marquess of Milford Haven	1854	1921
31 July	1924	Madden CharlesSir Charles Madden	1862	1935
8 May	1925	Calthorpe SomersetSir Somerset Calthorpe	1864	1937
24 November	1925	de Robeck JohnSir John de Robeck	1862	1928
21 January	1928	Oliver HenrySir Henry Oliver	1865	1965
31 July	1929	Brock OsmondSir Osmond Brock	1869	1947
8 May	1930	Keyes RogerSir Roger Keyes (later Lord Keyes)	1872	1945
21 January	1933	Field FrederickSir Frederick Field	1871	1945
31 July	1934	Tyrwhitt ReginaldSir Reginald Tyrwhitt	1870	1951
8 May	1935	Chatfield ErnleSir Ernle Chatfield (later Lord Chatfield)	1873	1967
21 January	1936	Edward VIIIHM King Edward VIII	1894	1972
12 July	1936	Kelly JohnSir John Kelly	1871	1936
11 December	1936	George VIHM King George VI	1894	1952
21 January	1938	CorkThe Earl of Cork and Orrery	1873	1967
7 July	1939	Backhouse RogerSir Roger Backhouse	1878	1939
31 July	1939	Pound DudleySir Dudley Pound	1877	1943
8 May	1940	Forbes CharlesSir Charles Forbes	1880	1960
21 January	1943	Cunningham AndrewSir Andrew Cunningham (later Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope)	1883	1963
22 October	1943	Tovey JohnSir John Tovey (later Lord Tovey)	1885	1971
8 May	1945	Somerville JohnSir James Somerville	1882	1949
21 January	1948	Cunningham JohnSir John Cunningham	1885	1965
22 October	1948	Fraser of North CapeThe Lord Fraser of North Cape	1888	1981
20 March	1949	Willis AlgernonSir Algernon Willis	1889	1976
22 April	1952	Power ArthurSir Arthur Power	1889	1960
1 June	1952	Vian PhilipSir Philip Vian	1894	1968
15 January	1953	EdinburghHRH The Duke of Edinburgh	1921
1 May	1953	McGrigor RhoderickSir Rhoderick McGrigor	1893	1959
22 April	1955	Creasy GeorgeSir George Creasy	1895	1972
22 October	1956	Mountbatten of BurmaThe Earl Mountbatten of Burma	1900	1979	Chief of the Defence Staff 1959–65
29 August	1960	Lambe CharlesSir Charles Lambe	1900	1960	promoted when died as First Sea Lord
23 May	1962	John CasparSir Caspar John	1903	1984
12 August	1968	Begg VarylSir Varyl Begg	1908	1995
30 June	1970	Le Fanu MichaelSir Michael Le Fanu	1913	1970
12 March	1971	Hill-Norton PeterSir Peter Hill-Norton (later Lord Hill-Norton)	1915	2004	Chief of the Defence Staff 1971–73
1 March	1974	Pollock MichaelSir Michael Pollock	1916	2006
9 February	1977	Ashmore EdwardSir Edward Ashmore	1919		Chief of the Defence Staff 1977
6 July	1979	Lewin TerenceSir Terence Lewin (later Lord Lewin)	1920	1999	Chief of the Defence Staff 1979–82
1 December	1982	Leach HenrySir Henry Leach	1923	2011
2 August	1985	Fieldhouse JohnSir John Fieldhouse (later Lord Fieldhouse)	1928	1992	Chief of the Defence Staff 1985–88
12 April	1988	King Olav V of Norway	1903	1991	honorary, to foreign royalty
25 May	1989	Staveley WilliamSir William Staveley	1928	1997
2 March	1992	Oswald JulianSir Julian Oswald	1933	2011
10 July	1995	Bathhurst BenjaminSir Benjamin Bathurst	1936

From 1828, with the creation of the title First Sea Lord, until 1995, the promotion to admiral of the fleet was ordinarily saved for a retiring First Sea Lords or an admiral who became Chief of the Defence Staff. This tradition has stopped.

References

• Admiral of the Fleet