First Sea Lord

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First Sea Lord
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
Ensign of the Royal navy
George Zambellas - Zamb FX110544005.jpg
Incumbent
Admiral Sir George Zambellas
since April 2013
Appointer

Recommendation of Secretary of State for Defence to the Prime Minister

Approved by HM The Queen
Term length Not fixed (typically 4-5 years)
Inaugural holder John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher
Formation 1904
Website Official Website

The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord.[1] He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff,[2] and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS.[3] The current First Sea Lord is Admiral Sir George Zambellas (appointed April 2013).[4]

Contents

History [edit]

The Lord High Admiral and the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty date back to the 17th century as the governing body of the 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.[5]

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.[5] The title of the First Naval Lord was changed to First Sea Lord on the appointment of Sir Jackie Fisher in 1904.[6] 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 [edit]

First Naval Lords include:[7]

George Cockburn 1828–1830, 1834–1835, 1841–1846
Sir Thomas Hardy 1830 – 1834

First Sea Lords, 1904–present [edit]

First Sea Lords include:[7]

Sir John Cunningham 1946–1948
Earl Mountbatten of Burma 1955 –1959
The Queen and Admiral Sir Alan West, then First Sea Lord embarked on board HMS Endurance during the review of the international fleet.

See also [edit]

Notes [edit]

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.[10]

Citations [edit]

  1. ^ Thomas, David A, A companion to the Royal Navy, pub Harrap, 1988, ISBN 0-245-54572-7 page 31.
  2. ^ a b c The Navy List, 1992, corrected to 31 March 1992, pub HMSO, ISSN 0141 6081 pages 4-5.
    The Navy List, 2008, compiled 3 September 2008, pub TSO, ISBN 978-0-11-773081-6 pages 4-5.
  3. ^ Organisation: How the Royal Navy is Managed Ministry of Defence
  4. ^ MoD Website: people - First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, accessed 4 September 1886.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "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. 
  6. ^ Heathcote, T.A., The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995, Pen & Sword, 2002, Page 81, ISBN 0-85052-835-6
  7. ^ a b Senior Royal Navy Appointments
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac www.pdavis.nl The Commissioners ("Lords") of the Admiralty 1828 – 1895
  9. ^ a b c Strachan, Hew, The First World War, Volume I: To Arms, pub Oxford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-19-820877-4 page 380.
  10. ^ Defence Administrative Responsibilities Hansard, 25 October 1955
Armed Forces
Defence Council
Service boards
Support organisations
Executive agencies
Non-departmental
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