Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff

Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff
Ensign of the Royal Navy
Incumbent Vice-Admiral Jonathan Woodcock since 2016
Department of the Admiralty, Ministry of Defence
Member of	Board of Admiralty, Admiralty Board, Navy Board
Reports to	First Sea Lord
Nominator	First Lord of the Admiralty, Secretary of State for Defence
Appointer	Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council
Term length	Not fixed (typically 1–3 years)
Inaugural holder	Vice-Admiral (Acting) Henry Oliver
Formation	1917-1968, 2013-current

The Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (D.C.N.S.) is a senior appointment ^[1] in the Royal Navy currently held by the Second Sea Lord, usually a three-star rank and had a NATO ranking code of OF-8 but has previously been held by an acting two-star ranked officer and a four-star ranked officer.

History

The position was originally established in 1917 on the Board of Admiralty. It essentially replaced the position of Chief of the Admiralty War Staff.^[2]

The first incumbent was Vice-Admiral (Acting) Henry Oliver, the Chief of the Admiralty War Staff, who was appointed Deputy Chief of Naval Staff on 31 May 1917.^[3] The duties of the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, were shared with the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff and with the Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff.^[4]

In September 1917 the new post of Deputy First Sea Lord was created to meet the demand of wartime operational requirements: the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff then reported to the Deputy First Sea Lord until 1919 when that post was abolished. The Deputy Chief Naval Staff then resumed his previous role and reported to the First Sea Lord until 1941 when this post was re-named Vice Chief of the Naval Staff due to restructuring within the British Armed Forces; this continued until 1946.

After the Second World War the title was changed back and continued until 1968 when it was abolished by the Admiralty Department.

In 2013 the office was brought back once more and the current Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff became both a member of the Admiralty Board and a member of the Navy Board of the Ministry of Defence.

Duties

As of:1917.^[5][6]

1. Relieve the (C.N.S.) of all routine matters dealt with by sections under his immediate direction.
2. Fleet Movements.
3. All operations in the North Sea, the White Sea, the Baltic, and the Dover Area, except British coastal measures for the protection of trade.
4. Offensive measures in the Mediterranean and abroad generally.
5. The protection of trade in the North Sea, except the coastal trade on the East Coast of Great Britain. North Sea trade includes the Dutch trade, trade between Scandinavian countries and Great Britain, and Baltic trade, but not convoy from Lerwick, Southward.
6. All questions relating to foreign stations, except protection of trade against submarine and mine attack.
7. Policy of blockade and all questions relating thereto and to contraband of war.
8. Organisation, movements and protection of troop transports and other vessels against attack by surface vessels; Atlantic convoys other than troop convoys being under A.C.N.S. [See Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff.

NOTE: - Programmes of arrivals and departures of such vessels must be made out in co-operation with A.C.N.S., who is responsible for providing the anti-submarine escort in dangerous areas such as mining. This remained in place until 1939

Post 1939^[7]

1. Operations of War: All large Questions of Naval Policy and Maritime Warfare.
2. Fighting and Sea-going Efficiency of the Fleet and its Organisation.
3. Distribution and Movements of all Ships in Commission and in Reserve.
4. Superintendence of the Naval Staff and the Hydrographic Department.
5. Administering Naval communications.
6. Superintendence of the Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff
7. Superintendence of the Director of the Naval Intelligence Division until 1941 title is renamed Vice Chief of the Naval Staff until 1946 post changes back to original name and continues with superintendence of junior naval staff until 1968.

Post 2014 ^[8]

1. (D. C. N. S. ) has full command of all deployable Fleet units including the Royal Marines.
2. (D. C. N. S. ) is responsible for providing ships, submarines, aircraft and Royal Marine units ready in all respects for any operations that the UK Government requires.
3. (D. C. N. S. ) is responsible for the delivery of the Naval Service’s current and future personnel, equipment and infrastructure.

Deputy Chiefs of the Naval Staff

Commanders included: ^[9]

• Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Oliver, — (July 1917–January 1918)
• Rear-Admiral Sir Sydney Fremantle, — Acting — (January 1918–May 1919)
• Rear-Admiral Sir James Fergusson, — (May–August 1919)
• Vice-Admiral Sir Osmond Brock, — (August 1919–November 1921) ^[10]
• Vice-Admiral Sir Roger Keyes, — (November 1921–May 1925) ^[11]
• Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Field, — (May 1925–May 1928) ^[12]
• Vice-Admiral Sir William Wordsworth Fisher, — (May 1928–June 1930) ^[13]
• Admiral Sir Frederic Charles Dreyer, — (June 1930–January 1933) ^[14]
• Vice-Admiral Sir Charles J. C. Little, — (January 1933–October 1935) ^[15]
• Vice-Admiral Sir William Milbourne James, — (October 1935–October 1938) ^[16]
• Vice-Admiral Sir Andrew B. Cunningham, — (October 1938–May 1939) ^[17]
• Vice-Admiral Sir Tom S. V. Phillips, — (June 1939–October 1941) ^[18]

Note: Post is re-named 1941 to 1946 it's responsibilities are taken over by the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff

• Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Don Oliver — Acting — (April 1946–April 1947)
• Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Evans-Lombe, — (December 1950–January 1953)
• Rear-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Barnard, — Acting — (January 1953–April 1954) ^[19]
• Vice-Admiral Sir Eric Clifford, — (April 1954–September 1957) ^[20]

Note: From 1957 to 1965 the post was held jointly by the Fifth Sea Lord

• Vice Admiral Sir Manley Power, — (October 1957–February 1959)
• Admiral Sir Laurence Durlacher, — (February 1959–January 1962) ^[21]
• Vice Admiral Sir Peter Gretton, — (January 1962–January 1963) ^[22]
• Vice Admiral Sir Frank Hopkins, — (January 1963–March 1966) ^[23]
• Vice-Admiral Sir Richard B. Janvrin, — (March 1966–October 1968) ^[24]

Note: Post ceased from 1969 to 2012, Post is re-established from 2013 to 2015 it was held by the Fleet Commander. From 2016 is held jointly by the Second Sea Lord

• Vice-Admiral Sir Philip Jones, — (2013–2016) ^[25][26]
• Vice-Admiral Jonathan Woodcock, — (2016–current) ^[27]

See also

• Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff
• Vice Chief of the Naval Staff
• First Sea Lord
• Second Sea Lord
• Third Sea Lord
• Fourth Sea Lord
• Fifth Sea Lord

References

1. "The Secretary of State announces new Senior Appointments in the Armed Services". www.gov.uk. Ministry of Defence, 29 January 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
2. Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Deputy Chief of Naval Staff". dreadnoughtproject.org. Dreadnought Project, 1 September 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
3. Oliver Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 319.
4. Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Deputy Chief of Naval Staff". dreadnoughtproject.org. Dreadnought Project, 1 September 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
5. "War Staff Duties." Jellicoe Papers. British Library. Add. MS. 48992. ff. 94-95.
6. Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Deputy Chief of Naval Staff". dreadnoughtproject.org. Dreadnought Project, 1 September 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
7. Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Deputy Chief of Naval Staff". dreadnoughtproject.org. Dreadnought Project, 1 September 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
8. "Navy Command senior, as of March 2014". gov.uk. MOD, Updated 29 January 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
9. Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy - Senior Appointments" (PDF). Retrieved 23 November 2016.
10. "The Admiralty British Government Department, 1920's". warwick.ac.uk. University of Warwick, 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
11. "The Admiralty British Government Department, 1920's". warwick.ac.uk. University of Warwick, 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
12. "The Admiralty British Government Department, 1920's". warwick.ac.uk. University of Warwick, 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
13. Stewart, William (2009). Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present. McFarland. p. 126. ISBN 9780786482887.
14. Bevand, Paul. "Biography: Admiral Sir Frederick Charles Dreyer". HMS Hood Association, 6 May 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
15. McKercher, Brian J. C. (1999). Transition of Power: Britain's Loss of Global Pre-eminence to the United States, 1930–1945. Cambridge University Press. p. 191. ISBN 9781139425063.
16. "Vice-Admiral Sir William Milbourne James (1881-1973)". rmg.co.uk. Royal Museums Greenwich, Collections, 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
17. Brown, [G.A. Titterton]. Vol. 1, September 1939-October 1940 / with an introduction by David (2002). September 1939 - October 1940. ([New ed.]. ed.). London [u.a.]: Whitehall History Publ. in assoc. with Frank Cass. p. 3. ISBN 9780714651798.
18. Hunter, Brian Farrell & Sandy (2002). Sixty years on : the fall of Singapore revisited. Singapore: Eastern Univ. Press. p. 146. ISBN 9789812102027.
19. Cook, Chris (2012). The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources since 1945. Routledge. p. 13. ISBN 9781136509612.
20. "Adm. Eric Clifford, Headed U.N. Units Off Korea in '52". nytimes.com. New York Times, 10 Sept, 1964. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
21. editores, edited by William D. Rubinstein ; associate; Jolles, Michael A.; Rubinstein, Hilary L. (2011). The Palgrave dictionary of Anglo-Jewish history. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 235. ISBN 9781403939104.
22. Cook, Chris (2012). The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources since 1945. 85: Routledge. ISBN 9781136509612.
23. Dyndal, Gjert Lage (2016). Land Based Air Power Or Aircraft Carriers?: A Case Study of the British Debate about Maritime Air Power in the 1960s. Routledge. p. 96. ISBN 9781317108405.
24. "Rt. Hon. Robin Berry Janvrin, Baron Janvrin". thepeerage.com. The Peerage, Person Page - 25226, 24 Nov, 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
25. "Senior organogram". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
26. "Senior Appointments". March 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
27. "Navy Board". royalnavy.mod.uk. MOD, UK, 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.

Sources

• Rodger. N.A.M., (1979) The Admiralty (offices of state), T. Dalton, Lavenham, ISBN 978-0900963940.
• Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division (1929). The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. Its Work and Development. B.R. 1845 (late C.B. 3013). Copy at The National Archives. ADM 234/434.
• Harley, Simon and Lovell, Tony, (2016) The Dreadnought Project, http://dreadnoughtproject.org.
• Mackie, Colin, (2010-2014), British Armed Services between 1860 and the present day — I Royal Navy - Senior Appointments, http://www.gulabin.com/.

External links

• http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Deputy Chief of Naval Staff
• http://www.gulabin.com/Royal Navy - Senior Appointments
• http://www.naval-history.net/Royal Navy Organisation 1939 to 1945
• http://www.naval-history.net/British Admiralty and its functions 1914