Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)

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Sleeve lace

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.^[1]

Admiral of the Fleet is a rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, equating to the NATO rank code OF-10.

The rank evolved from the ancient sailing days of the Royal Navy. The 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. The Admiral of the Fleet, therefore, commanded the Admirals of the various divisions and thus, the entirety of the Fleet.

Between 1795 and 1827 the head of the Royal Navy was known as the Admiral of the Fleet, a position later given the name First Sea Lord.

Routine appointments to the rank (and its equivalents in the other British services) ceased in 1996; however, it does still exist and those who have already been appointed are unaffected by this cessation.

Admiral of the Fleet is equivalent to a 5 star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-10, 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.

[edit] Admirals of the Fleet

Appointed		Name
	1690	Russell EdwardEdward Russell (later Earl of Orford)	(1652–1727)
	1696	Rooke GeorgeSir George Rooke	(c. 1650–1709)
13 January	1705	Shovell CloudesleySir Cloudesley Shovell	(1650–1707)
21 December	1708	Fairborne StaffordSir Stafford Fairborne	(c. 1666–1742)
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 GeorgeGeorge Clinton	(1686–1761)
30 July	1761	AnsonThe Lord Anson	(1697–1762)
17 December	1762	Rowley WilliamSir William Rowley	(c. 1690–1768)
15 January	1768	Hawke EdwardSir Edward Hawke (later Lord Hawke)	(1705–1781)
24 October	1781	Forbes JohnJohn 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)
19 July	1821	Saint VincentThe Earl of St Vincent	(1735–1823)
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 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)
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)
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)
2 December	1908	Noel GerardSir Gerard Noel	(1845–1918)
27 January	1910	Heinrich of PrussiaHRH Prince Heinrich of Prussia	(1862–1929) (honorary)
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)
20 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	(born 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)
	1960	Lambe CharlesSir Charles Lambe	(1900–1960)
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)
1 March	1974	Pollock MichaelSir Michael Pollock	(1916–2006)
9 February	1977	Ashmore EdwardSir Edward Ashmore	(born 1919)
6 July	1979	Lewin TerenceSir Terence Lewin (later Lord Lewin)	(1920–1999)
1 December	1982	Leach HenrySir Henry Leach	(born 1923)
2 August	1985	Fieldhouse JohnSir John Fieldhouse (later Lord Fieldhouse)	(1928–1992)
25 May	1989	Staveley WilliamSir William Staveley	(1928–1997)
2 March	1992	Oswald JulianSir Julian Oswald	(born 1933)
10 July	1995	Bathhurst BenjaminSir Benjamin Bathurst	(born 1936)

The practice of ordinarily promoting retiring First Sea Lords or Admirals becoming Chief of the Defence Staff to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet was then halted.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] References

^ Prothero, David (2002-12-03). United Kingdom: Royal Navy rank flags (EN). Flags of the World. Retrieved on 2006-07-28.

Admiral of the Fleet

v • d • e Commissioned Officer ranks of the British Armed Forces
	Student Officer	OF(D)	OF-1		OF-2	OF-3	OF-4	OF-5	OF-6	OF-7	OF-8	OF-9	OF-10
Royal Navy	O Cdt	Mid	SLt		Lt	Lt Cdr	Cdr	Capt	Cdre	RAdm	VAdm	Adm	Adm of the Fleet
Royal Marines			2Lt	Lt	Capt	Maj	Lt Col	Col	Brig	Maj-Gen	Lt Gen	Gen
Army	O Cdt		2Lt	Lt	Capt	Maj	Lt Col	Col	Brig	Maj-Gen	Lt Gen	Gen	FM
Royal Air Force	OC		APO / Plt Off	Fg Off	Flt Lt	Sqn Ldr	Wg Cdr	Gp Capt	Air Cdre	AVM	Air Mshl	Air Chf Mshl	MRAF