First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) | |
---|---|
Ensign of the Royal Navy | |
Ministry of Defence | |
Member of |
Defence Council Admiralty Board |
Reports to | Chief of the Defence Staff |
Nominator | Secretary of State for Defence |
Appointer |
Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council |
Term length | Not fixed (typically 4–5 years) |
Inaugural holder | John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher |
Formation | 1904 |
Website | Official Website |
The First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff (1SL/CNS)[1][2] is the professional head of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; originally the title was the First Naval Lord.[3] The concept of a professional "First Naval Lord" was introduced in 1805, and the title of the First Naval Lord was changed to "First Sea Lord" on the appointment of Sir Jackie Fisher in 1904. From 1923 onward, the First Sea Lord was a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee; he now sits on the Defence Council and the Admiralty Board.[4]
The current First Sea Lord is Admiral Sir Philip Jones (appointed in April 2016).[5] The flagship of the First Sea Lord is HMS Victory.[6]
History
Lords High Admiral were appointed from the 15th century until the 18th, and Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty from the 17th century, as the governors of the English and later British Royal Navy. From 1683 to 1684, there were seven paid Commissioners and one supernumerary Commissioner who served without salary. The number varied between five and seven Commissioners through the 18th century. The standing of all the Commissioners was in theory the same, although the First Commissioner or First Lord exercised an ascendancy over his colleagues from an early date.[7]
In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were assigned to each of the 'Naval' Lords, who were described as 'Professional' Lords, leaving to the 'Civil' Lords the routine business of signing documents.[7] The title of the First Naval Lord was changed to First Sea Lord on the appointment of Sir Jackie Fisher in 1904.[8] In 1917, the First Sea Lord was designated as "Chief of the Naval Staff".[9] From 1923 onward, the First Sea Lord was a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee; and from 1923 to 1959 in rotation with the representatives of the other services (the Chief of the Imperial General Staff and Chief of the Air Staff) would serve as the chairman of that committee and head of all British armed forces.[a] The title was retained when the Board of Admiralty was abolished in 1964 and its functions integrated into the Ministry of Defence.
Under the current organisation, the First Sea Lord sits on both the Defence Council[2] and the Admiralty Board.[2]
First Naval Lords, 1828–1904
Rank | Name | Image | In office | Notes | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vice Admiral | Sir George Cockburn | 19 September 1828 – 25 November 1830 | [7] | ||
Rear Admiral | Sir Thomas Hardy | 25 November 1830 – 1 August 1834 | [7] | ||
Rear Admiral | The Hon. Sir George Dundas | 1 August 1834 – 1 November 1834 | [7] | ||
Rear Admiral | Sir Charles Adam | 1 November 1834 – 23 December 1834 | [7] | ||
Vice Admiral | Sir George Cockburn | 23 December 1834 – 25 April 1835 | [7] | ||
Vice Admiral | Sir Charles Adam | 25 April 1835 – 8 September 1841 | [7] | ||
Admiral | Sir George Cockburn | 8 September 1841 – 13 July 1846 | [7] | ||
Vice Admiral | Sir William Parker | 13 July 1846 – 24 July 1846 | [7] | ||
Vice Admiral | Sir Charles Adam | 24 July 1846 – 20 July 1847 | [7] | ||
Rear Admiral | Admiral Sir James Dundas | 20 July 1847 – 13 February 1852 | [7] | ||
Rear Admiral | The Hon. Maurice Fitzhardinge Berkeley | 13 February 1852 – 2 March 1852 | [7] | ||
Vice Admiral | Hyde Parker | 2 March 1852 – 26 May 1854 | [7] | ||
Vice Admiral | The Hon. Maurice Fitzhardinge Berkeley | 26 May 1854 – 24 November 1857 | [7] | ||
Vice Admiral | The Hon. Sir Richard Saunders Dundas | 24 November 1857 – 8 March 1858 | [7] | ||
Vice Admiral | Sir William Martin | 8 March 1858 – 28 June 1859 | [7] | ||
Vice Admiral | The Hon. Sir Richard Saunders Dundas | 28 June 1859 – 15 June 1861 | [7] | ||
Admiral | The Hon. Sir Frederick Grey | 15 June 1861 – 13 July 1866 | [7] | ||
Vice Admiral | Sir Alexander Milne | 13 July 1866 – 18 December 1868 | [7] | ||
Admiral | Sir Sydney Dacres | 18 December 1868 – 27 November 1872 | [7] | ||
Admiral | Sir Alexander Milne | 27 November 1872 – 7 September 1876 | [10] | ||
Admiral | Sir Hastings Yelverton | 7 September 1876 – 5 November 1877 | [10] | ||
Admiral | Sir George Wellesley | 5 November 1877 – 12 August 1879 | [10] | ||
Admiral | Sir Astley Cooper Key | 12 August 1879 – 1 July 1885 | [10] | ||
Admiral | Sir Arthur Hood | 1 July 1885 – 15 February 1886 | [10] | ||
Admiral | Lord John Hay | 15 February 1886 – 9 August 1886 | [10] | ||
Admiral | Sir Arthur Hood | 9 August 1886 – 24 October 1889 | [10] | ||
Admiral | Sir Richard Hamilton | 24 October 1889 – 28 September 1891 | [10] | ||
Admiral | Sir Anthony Hoskins | 28 September 1891 – 1 November 1893 | [10] | ||
Admiral of the Fleet | Sir Frederick Richards | 1 November 1893 – 19 August 1899 | [10] | ||
Admiral of the Fleet | Lord Walter Kerr | 19 August 1899 – 21 October 1904 | [11] |
First Sea Lords, 1904–present
Fictional First Sea Lords
In John Buchan's novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), the First Sea Lord is named as Lord Alloa, an impostor of whom Richard Hannay recognizes at a meeting as a spy and recent pursuer of his. Hannay describes Lord Alloa as recognizable from news pictures for his "beard cut like a spade, the firm fighting mouth, the blunt square nose, and the keen blue eyes...the man, they say, that made the New British Navy".[48] The real First Sea Lord at the time the story is set (early summer 1914) was Prince Louis of Battenberg, coincidentally also bearded.
See also
- Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
- Second Sea Lord
- Third Sea Lord
- Fourth Sea Lord
- Fifth Sea Lord
Notes
a. ^ In 1955, it was decided to create a new post, Chief of the Defence Staff, who would be chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.[49]
Citations
- ↑ Organisation: How the Royal Navy is Managed Ministry of Defence
- ↑ Thomas, David A, A companion to the Royal Navy, pub Harrap, 1988, ISBN 0-245-54572-7 page 31.
- 1 2 "Admiral Sir Philip Jones takes over as First Sea Lord". Royal Navy. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ↑ HMS Victory handed to First Sea Lord in Portsmouth, BBC News, 10 October 2012, accessed 8 October 2016
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "Sainty, JC, 'Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660-1870', Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660-1870 (1975), pp. 18-31.". Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 81
- ↑ "Friedman, N, 'The British Battleship 1906-1946', (2015), p. 21.".
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "The Commissioners ("Lords") of the Admiralty 1828 - 1895". W Loney RN. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 144
- ↑ Mackay, p. 315
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 268
- ↑ "Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ Kerr, p. 238
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 83
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 127
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 130
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 252
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 26
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 164
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 75
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 42
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 21
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 217
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 60
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 63
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 90
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 162
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 189
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 150
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 139
- ↑ "Sir David Luce". Unit Histories. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 29
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 155
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 115
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 214
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 16
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 158
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 152
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 78
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 235
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 204
- ↑ Heathcote, p. 23
- 1 2 3 4 5 Who's Who 2010, A & C Black, 2010, ISBN 978-1-408-11414-8
- ↑ "Sir Nigel Essenhigh". University of Exeter. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ "Admiral Zambellas new First Sea Lord". Inside Government. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan, chapter 8.
- ↑ Defence Administrative Responsibilities Hansard, 25 October 1955
Sources
- Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.
- Kerr, Mark (1934). Prince Louis of Battenberg: Admiral of the Fleet. London: Longmans, Green and Co.
- Mackay, Ruddock F. (1973). Fisher of Kilverstone. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0198224099.