Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
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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 | Sir Stafford Fairborne | 1666 | 1742 | circa |
14 March | 1718 | Sir George Byng (later Viscount Torrington) | 1663 | 1733 | |
20 February | 1734 | Sir John Norris | 1670 | 1749 | |
1 July | 1749 | Sir Chaloner Ogle | 1681 | 1750 | |
22 November | 1751 | James Steuart | 1690 | 1757 | |
March | 1757 | The Hon. George Clinton | 1686 | 1761 | |
30 July | 1761 | The Lord Anson | 1697 | 1762 | |
17 December | 1762 | Sir William Rowley | 1690 | 1768 | circa |
15 January | 1768 | Sir Edward Hawke (later Lord Hawke) | 1705 | 1781 | |
24 October | 1781 | The Hon. John Forbes | 1714 | 1796 | |
12 March | 1796 | The Earl Howe | 1726 | 1799 | |
16 September | 1799 | Sir Peter Parker | 1721 | 1811 | |
24 December | 1811 | HRH The Duke of Clarence and St Andrews (later King William IV) | 1765 | 1837 | honorary, did serve as a rear admiral |
29 January | 1820 | The Earl of St Vincent | 1735 | 1823 | acting from May 1814 |
28 June | 1830 | William Williams-Freeman | 1742 | 1832 | |
22 July | 1830 | The Lord Gambier | 1756 | 1833 | |
22 July | 1830 | Sir Charles Pole | 1757 | 1830 | |
24 April | 1833 | Sir Charles Nugent | 1759 | 1844 | |
8 January | 1844 | Sir James Whitshed | 1762 | 1849 | |
9 November | 1846 | Sir George Martin | 1764 | 1847 | |
13 October | 1849 | Sir Thomas Byam Martin | 1773 | 1854 | |
1 July | 1851 | Sir George Cockburn | 1772 | 1853 | |
8 December | 1857 | Sir Charles Ogle | 1775 | 1858 | |
25 June | 1858 | Sir John West | 1774 | 1862 | |
20 May | 1862 | Sir William Gage | 1777 | 1864 | |
10 November | 1862 | Sir Graham Hamond | 1779 | 1862 | |
27 April | 1863 | Sir Francis Austen | 1774 | 1865 | |
27 April | 1863 | Sir William Parker | 1781 | 1866 | |
11 January | 1864 | Sir Lucius Curtis | 1786 | 1869 | |
12 September | 1865 | Sir Thomas Cochrane | 1789 | 1872 | |
30 November | 1866 | Sir George Seymour | 1787 | 1870 | |
30 January | 1868 | Sir James Gordon | 1782 | 1869 | |
15 January | 1869 | Sir William Bowles | 1780 | 1869 | |
3 July | 1869 | Sir George Sartorius | 1790 | 1885 | |
21 January | 1870 | Sir Fairfax Moresby | 1786 | 1877 | |
20 October | 1872 | Sir Houston Stewart | 1791 | 1875 | |
22 January | 1877 | Sir Henry Codrington | 1808 | 1877 | |
5 August | 1877 | Sir Henry Keppel | 1809 | 1904 | |
11 December | 1877 | Sir Provo Wallis | 1791 | 1892 | |
27 December | 1877 | The Earl of Lauderdale | 1803 | 1878 | |
27 December | 1877 | Sir George Mundy | 1805 | 1884 | |
15 June | 1879 | Sir James Hope | 1808 | 1881 | |
15 July | 1879 | Sir Thomas Symonds | 1813 | 1894 | |
10 June | 1881 | Sir Alexander Milne | 1806 | 1896 | |
1 December | 1881 | Sir Charles Elliot | 1818 | 1895 | |
29 April | 1885 | Sir Alfred Ryder | 1820 | 1888 | |
18 July | 1887 | HRH The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) | 1841 | 1910 | honorary to non-Navy royalty |
1 May | 1888 | Sir Geoffrey Hornby | 1825 | 1895 | |
8 December | 1888 | Lord John Hay | 1827 | 1916 | |
2 August | 1889 | HIM German Emperor William II | 1859 | 1941 | honorary, to foreign royalty |
13 February | 1892 | Sir John Commerell | 1829 | 1901 | |
3 June | 1893 | HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (later Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) | 1844 | 1900 | |
20 February | 1895 | The Earl of Clanwilliam | 1832 | 1907 | |
23 August | 1897 | Sir Algernon Lyons | 1833 | 1908 | |
29 November | 1898 | Sir Frederick Richards | 1833 | 1912 | |
13 January | 1899 | Sir Nowell Salmon | 1835 | 1912 | |
3 October | 1902 | Sir James Erskine | 1838 | 1911 | |
30 August | 1903 | Sir Charles Hotham | 1843 | 1925 | |
16 June | 1904 | Lord Walter Kerr | 1839 | 1927 | |
20 February | 1905 | Sir Edward Seymour | 1840 | 1929 | |
5 December | 1905 | Sir John Fisher (later Lord Fisher) | 1841 | 1920 | |
1 March | 1907 | Sir Arthur Wilson | 1842 | 1921 | |
11 June | 1908 | HIM Tsar Nicholas II of Russia | 1868 | 1918 | honorary, to foreign royalty |
2 December | 1908 | Sir Gerard Noel | 1845 | 1918 | |
27 January | 1910 | HRH Prince Heinrich of Prussia | 1862 | 1929 | honorary, to foreign royalty |
30 April | 1910 | Sir Arthur Fanshawe | 1847 | 1936 | |
20 March | 1913 | Sir William May | 1849 | 1930 | |
5 March | 1915 | Sir Hedworth Meux | 1856 | 1929 | |
2 April | 1917 | Sir George Callaghan | 1852 | 1920 | |
3 April | 1919 | The Viscount Jellicoe (later Earl Jellicoe) | 1859 | 1935 | |
3 April | 1919 | Sir David Beatty (later Earl Beatty) | 1871 | 1936 | |
31 July | 1919 | Sir Henry Jackson | 1855 | 1929 | |
1 November | 1919 | Sir Rosslyn Wemyss (later Lord Wester Wemyss) | 1864 | 1933 | |
24 November | 1920 | Sir Cecil Burney | 1858 | 1929 | |
5 July | 1921 | Sir Doveton Sturdee | 1859 | 1925 | |
22 August | 1921 | The Marquess of Milford Haven | 1854 | 1921 | |
31 July | 1924 | Sir Charles Madden | 1862 | 1935 | |
8 May | 1925 | Sir Somerset Calthorpe | 1864 | 1937 | |
24 November | 1925 | Sir John de Robeck | 1862 | 1928 | |
21 January | 1928 | Sir Henry Oliver | 1865 | 1965 | |
31 July | 1929 | Sir Osmond Brock | 1869 | 1947 | |
8 May | 1930 | Sir Roger Keyes (later Lord Keyes) | 1872 | 1945 | |
21 January | 1933 | Sir Frederick Field | 1871 | 1945 | |
31 July | 1934 | Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt | 1870 | 1951 | |
8 May | 1935 | Sir Ernle Chatfield (later Lord Chatfield) | 1873 | 1967 | |
21 January | 1936 | HM King Edward VIII | 1894 | 1972 | |
12 July | 1936 | Sir John Kelly | 1871 | 1936 | |
11 December | 1936 | HM King George VI | 1894 | 1952 | |
21 January | 1938 | The Earl of Cork and Orrery | 1873 | 1967 | |
7 July | 1939 | Sir Roger Backhouse | 1878 | 1939 | |
31 July | 1939 | Sir Dudley Pound | 1877 | 1943 | |
8 May | 1940 | Sir Charles Forbes | 1880 | 1960 | |
21 January | 1943 | Sir Andrew Cunningham (later Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope) | 1883 | 1963 | |
22 October | 1943 | Sir John Tovey (later Lord Tovey) | 1885 | 1971 | |
8 May | 1945 | Sir James Somerville | 1882 | 1949 | |
21 January | 1948 | Sir John Cunningham | 1885 | 1965 | |
22 October | 1948 | The Lord Fraser of North Cape | 1888 | 1981 | |
20 March | 1949 | Sir Algernon Willis | 1889 | 1976 | |
22 April | 1952 | Sir Arthur Power | 1889 | 1960 | |
1 June | 1952 | Sir Philip Vian | 1894 | 1968 | |
15 January | 1953 | HRH The Duke of Edinburgh | 1921 | ||
1 May | 1953 | Sir Rhoderick McGrigor | 1893 | 1959 | |
22 April | 1955 | Sir George Creasy | 1895 | 1972 | |
22 October | 1956 | The Earl Mountbatten of Burma | 1900 | 1979 | Chief of the Defence Staff 1959–65 |
29 August | 1960 | Sir Charles Lambe | 1900 | 1960 | promoted when died as First Sea Lord |
23 May | 1962 | Sir Caspar John | 1903 | 1984 | |
12 August | 1968 | Sir Varyl Begg | 1908 | 1995 | |
30 June | 1970 | Sir Michael Le Fanu | 1913 | 1970 | |
12 March | 1971 | Sir Peter Hill-Norton (later Lord Hill-Norton) | 1915 | 2004 | Chief of the Defence Staff 1971–73 |
1 March | 1974 | Sir Michael Pollock | 1916 | 2006 | |
9 February | 1977 | Sir Edward Ashmore | 1919 | Chief of the Defence Staff 1977 | |
6 July | 1979 | Sir Terence Lewin (later Lord Lewin) | 1920 | 1999 | Chief of the Defence Staff 1979–82 |
1 December | 1982 | Sir Henry Leach | 1923 | 2011 | |
2 August | 1985 | Sir 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[2] |
25 May | 1989 | Sir William Staveley | 1928 | 1997 | |
2 March | 1992 | Sir Julian Oswald | 1933 | 2011 | |
10 July | 1995 | Sir 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.
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See also
![](http://up.wiki.x.io/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
References
- ^ Prothero, David (3 December 2002). "United Kingdom: Royal Navy rank flags". Flags of the World. Retrieved 28 July 2006.
- ^ "No. 51297". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 April 1988.