Commodore Submarine Service
| Rear-Admiral Submarines | |
|---|---|
 Ensign of the Royal Navy | |
| Ministry of Defence | |
| Member of | Board of Admiralty, Admiralty Board |
| Reports to | Fleet Commander |
| Nominator | Secretary of State for Defence |
| Appointer | Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council |
| Term length | Not fixed (typically 2–3 years) |
| Inaugural holder | Rear-Admiral Douglas Dent |
| Formation | 1901 |
Rear-Admiral, Submarines is a post in the Royal Navy which involves command of the Royal Navy Submarine Service. It evolved from the post of Inspecting Captain of Submarines in 1901 and would later evolve to become the post of Flag Officer Submarines in 1944.
History
In 1904 the Admiralty created the post of Inspecting Captain of Submarines that lasted until August 1912 when Captain Roger J. B. Keyes was appointed Commodore, Submarine Service he held that position until February 1919 [1] when the post holder was renamed Chief of the Submarine Service. It was for many years located at HMS Dolphin in Hampshire.[2] From 1953 the Flag Officer Submarines was dual-hatted as NATO Commander Submarine Force Eastern Atlantic (COMSUBEASTLANT) under Commander Submarine Allied Command Atlantic (COMSUBACLANT), a major command of Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic. Flag Officer Submarines moved from Dolphin to the Northwood Headquarters in 1978.[3] From 1993 the post of Flag Officer Submarines was dual-hatted with the post of Commander Operations.[4]
Current status
In 2015, Rear Admiral John Weale was appointed Rear Admiral Submarines/Assistant Chief of Naval Staff Submarines, while Rear Admiral Robert Tarrant is Commander Operations (Royal Navy), two distinct posts from 2015.[5][4]
Commanding
Post holders have included:[4]
Inspecting Captain of Submarines
- Captain Reginald H. S. Bacon, 20 August, 1901 – 21 October, 1904 [6]
- Captain Edgar Lees, 21 October, 1904, (later RAdm.) [7]
- Captain Sydney S. Hall, 12 November, 1906 – 14 November, 1910 (later Adm.) [8]
- Captain Roger J. B. Keyes, 14 November, 1910 - July 1912 [9]
Commodore Submarine Service
- Commodore Roger J. B. Keyes, August 1912-1919. [10]
Chief of the Submarine Service
- Rear-Admiral Douglas Dent (1919–1921)
- Rear-Admiral Hugh Sinclair (1921–1923)
- Vice-Admiral Wilmot Nicholson (1923–1925)
- Rear-Admiral Vernon Haggard (1925–1927)
- Rear-Admiral Henry Grace (1927–1929)
Rear-Admiral Submarines
- Rear-Admiral Martin Dunbar-Nasmith (1929–1931)
- Rear-Admiral Charles Little (1931–1932)
- Rear-Admiral Noel Laurence (1932–1934)
- Rear-Admiral Cecil Talbot (1934–1936)
- Rear-Admiral Robert Raikes (1936–1938)
- Rear-Admiral Bertram Watson (1938–1940)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Max Horton (1940–1942)
- Rear-Admiral Claud Barry (1942–1944)
Flag Officer Submarines
- Rear-Admiral George Creasy (1944–1946)
- Vice-Admiral Sir John Mansfield (1946–1948)
- Rear-Admiral Guy Grantham (1948–1950)
- Rear-Admiral Sydney Raw (1950–1952)
- Rear-Admiral George Simpson (1952–1954)
- Rear-Admiral George Fawkes (1954–1955)
- Rear-Admiral Wilfrid Woods (1955–1957)
- Rear-Admiral Bertram Taylor (1957–1959)
- Rear-Admiral Arthur Hezlet (1959–1961)
- Rear-Admiral Hugh Mackenzie (1961–1963)
- Rear-Admiral Horace Law (1963–1965)
- Rear-Admiral Ian McGeoch (1965–1967)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Michael Pollock (1967–1969)
- Vice-Admiral Sir John Roxburgh (1969–1972)
- Vice-Admiral Anthony Troup (1972–1974)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Iwan Raikes (1974–1976)
- Vice-Admiral John Fieldhouse (1976–1978)
- Vice-Admiral Robert Squires (1978–1981)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Herbert (1981–1983)
- Vice-Admiral Sir John Woodward (1983–1984)
- Rear-Admiral Richard Heaslip (1984–1987)
- Rear-Admiral Frank Grenier (1987–1989)
- Vice-Admiral Sir John Coward (1989–1991)
Rear-Admiral Submarines current
- Rear Admiral John Weale (2015-Present)
References
- ^ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Inspecting Captain of Submarines - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell, 3 November 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ^ "Submarine School". Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ Conley, p. 136
- ^ a b c "Senior Royal Navy Appointments" (PDF). Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ "Rear Admiral John Weale" (PDF). Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ Harley and Lovell. 2015
- ^ Harley and Lovell. 2015
- ^ Harley and Lovell. 2015
- ^ Harley and Lovell. 2015
- ^ Harley and Lovell. 2015
Sources
- Conley, Dan (2014). Cold War Command: The Dramatic Story of a Nuclear Submariner. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781848327696.
