Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)

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.

Admiral of the Fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy (NATO rank code OF-10) although routine appointments ceased in 1995. It is a five-star rank, equivalent to a Field Marshal in the British Army or a Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

History in Royal Navy

The rank evolved from sailing days and the admiral distinctions then used by the Royal Navy when the fleet was divided into three divisions – Red, White, or Blue. Each division was assigned an Admiral, who in turn commanded a Vice-Admiral and a Rear Admiral. In the 18th century, the original nine ranks began to be filled by more than one person at any one time. The Admiral of the Red was pre-eminent and became known as the Admiral of the Fleet.

The organisation of the British fleet into coloured squadrons was abandoned in 1864, although the Royal Navy kept the White Ensign. When professional head of the Royal Navy was given the name of First Naval Lord in 1828 (renamed First Sea Lord in 1904), the rank of Admiral of the Fleet became an honorary promotion for retiring First Naval Lords allowing more than one Admiral of the Fleet to exist at one time.

Since 1811 five members of the British Royal family, other than the monarch, and four members of foreign royal families have been appointed Admirals of the Fleet. Of the British royalty granted the rank, only one, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) had not seen active service in the Royal Navy.

During the two World Wars a number of serving officers held active commissions as Admirals of the Fleet, as well as the First Naval Lord. Following the creation of the Chief of the Defence Staff in 1959, the five Naval officers appointed to that position became Admirals of the Fleet. Recognizing the reduced post–Cold War size of the British Armed Forces, no further appointments were made to the rank after 1995 when Sir Benjamin Bathurst was appointed Admiral of the Fleet on his retirement as First Sea Lord. However, the rank was not abolished and in 2012 the Prince of Wales became an Admiral of the Fleet (as well as Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force), in recognition of his support to Queen Elizabeth II in her role of as Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces.

Admirals of the Fleet

Appointed		Image	Name	Born	Died
	1690		Russell, EdwardEdward Russell (later Earl of Orford)	1652	1727
	1696		Rooke, Sir GeorgeSir George Rooke	1650	1709	circa
13 January	1705		Shovell, Sir CloudesleySir 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 AndrewsThe 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		Hawkins-Whitshed JamesSir James Hawkins-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	on the Retired List
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, Bt.	1806	1896	on the Retired List
1 December	1881		Elliot CharlesSir Charles Elliot	1818	1895
29 April	1885		Ryder AlfredSir Alfred Ryder	1820	1888
18 July	1887		WalesThe 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		EdinburghThe 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 PrussiaPrince 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 HedworthThe Honourable Sir 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, Bt.	1858	1929
5 July	1921		Sturdee DovetonSir Doveton Sturdee, Bt.	1859	1925
22 August	1921		Milford HavenThe Marquess of Milford Haven	1854	1921	on the Retired List
31 July	1924		Madden CharlesSir Charles Madden, Bt.	1862	1935
8 May	1925		Calthorpe SomersetThe Honourable Sir Somerset Calthorpe	1864	1937
24 November	1925		de Robeck JohnSir John de Robeck, Bt.	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, Bt. (later Lord Keyes)	1872	1945
21 January	1933		Field FrederickSir Frederick Field	1871	1945
31 July	1934		Tyrwhitt ReginaldSir Reginald Tyrwhitt, Bt.	1870	1951
8 May	1935		Chatfield ErnleSir Ernle Chatfield (later Lord Chatfield)	1873	1967
21 January	1936		Edward VIIIKing Edward VIII	1894	1972
12 July	1936		Kelly JohnSir John Kelly	1871	1936
11 December	1936		George VIKing 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		EdinburghThe Duke of Edinburgh	1921		Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom 2011–
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
10 May	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	First Sea Lord 1970–1971 Chief of the Defence Staff 1971–73
1 March	1974		Pollock MichaelSir Michael Pollock	1916	2006	First Sea Lord 1971–1974
9 February	1977		Ashmore EdwardSir Edward Ashmore	1919		First Sea Lord 1977-1977 Chief of the Defence Staff 1977
6 July	1979		Lewin TerenceSir Terence Lewin (later Lord Lewin)	1920	1999	First Sea Lord 1977–1979 Chief of the Defence Staff 1979–82
1 December	1982		Leach HenrySir Henry Leach	1923	2011	First Sea Lord 1979–1982
2 August	1985		Fieldhouse JohnSir John Fieldhouse (later Lord Fieldhouse)	1928	1992	First Sea Lord 1982–1985 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	First Sea Lord 1985–1989
2 March	1992		Oswald JulianSir Julian Oswald	1933	2011	First Sea Lord 1989–1993
10 July	1995		Bathhurst BenjaminSir Benjamin Bathurst	1936		First Sea Lord 1993–1995
16 June	2012		The Prince of WalesThe Prince of Wales	1948		Honorary rank. Promoted 16 June 2012

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

See also

• Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom
• First Sea Lord

References

• Admiral of the Fleet