Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)

Admiral of the Fleet is a five-star naval officer rank and the highest rank of the Royal Navy, formally established in 1688. The five-star NATO rank code is OF-10, equivalent to a field marshal in the British Army or a marshal of the Royal Air Force. Apart from honorary appointments, no new admirals of the fleet have been named since 1995, and no honorary appointments have been made since 2014.

History

The origins of the rank can be traced back to John Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Warwick, who was appointed 'Admiral of the King's Southern, Northern and Western Fleets' on 18 July 1360. The appointment gave the command of the English navy to one person for the first time; this evolved into the post of admiral of the fleet. In the days of sailing ships the admiral distinctions then used by the Royal Navy included distinctions related to the fleet being divided into three divisions – red, white, or blue. Each division was assigned at least one admiral, who in turn commanded a number of vice-admirals and rear admirals. While the full admirals were nominally equals, tradition gave precedence to the admiral of the white who held the fleet rank in addition to his substantive role.

Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

era brought a general reorganisation of naval ranks and structure, including formalisation of the admiral of the fleet role. In a break with tradition the rank was awarded to the most senior admiral of the red, who retained this substantive rank while also serving as admiral of the Fleet. Appointments were for life, remunerated via a £5 daily stipend and an annual allowance of £1,014 for the hiring and maintenance of servants. It was intended that only one officer would hold the rank at any time, with their presence aboard any naval vessel to be denoted by the flying of the Royal Standard from the main mast.
The ranks of admiral of the Fleet and admiral of the red were formally separated from 1805, with an announcement in the London Gazette that "His Majesty been pleased to order the Rank of Admirals of the Red to be restored" in His Majesty's Navy..." as a separate role. The same Gazette promoted 22 men to that rank. From the nineteenth century onward there were also occasional variations to the previous requirement that only one admiral of Fleet could serve at one time. In 1821 George IV appointed Sir John Jervis as a second admiral of the fleet, to balance the Duke of Wellingtons promotion as a second Field Marshal in the British Army. In 1830 King William IV increased the number of admirals of the fleet to three, though these additional lifetime postings subsequently lapsed. Between 1854 and 1857 there was no admiral of the fleet at all as the most senior naval officer of the time Admiral of the Red Thomas Le Marchant Gosselin was mentally ill and had not served at sea for forty-five years. In deference to Gosselin's seniority, the position was instead left vacant until his death in 1857, whereupon it was filled by Admiral Sir Charles Ogle.

Twentieth century

The organisation of the British fleet into coloured squadrons was abandoned in 1864, though the rank of admiral of the fleet was maintained. The title of First Naval Lord was renamed First Sea Lord in 1904.
During the two World Wars a number of serving officers held active commissions as admirals of the fleet, as well as the First Sea Lorde.g. Sir John Tovey.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was created an admiral of the fleet in the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1954, following the coronation of his wife Elizabeth II as Queen. This promotion was to a New Zealand rank, separate from the Royal Navy rank.
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. The rank was not abolished and in 2012 the Prince of Wales became an honorary admiral of the fleet, in recognition of his support to Queen Elizabeth II in her role of as Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces. In 2014, Lord Boyce, a former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Defence Staff, was also appointed an honorary admiral of the fleet.

Admirals of the Fleet

Appointed	Image	Name	Born	Died	Notes	Reference
			1647	1691
			1652	1727
			1650	1709	circa
			1650	1707
		Leake JohnSir John Leake	1656	1720
		Fairborne StaffordSir Stafford Fairborne	1666	1742	circa
		Aylmer MatthewSir Matthew Aylmer	1650	1720
		Byng GeorgeSir George Byng	1663	1733
		Norris JohnSir John Norris	1670	1749
		Ogle ChallonerSir Chaloner Ogle	1681	1750
		Steuart JamesJames Steuart	1690	1757
		Clinton GeorgeGeorge Clinton	1686	1761
		AnsonThe Lord Anson	1697	1762
		Rowley WilliamSir William Rowley	1690	1768	circa
		Hawke EdwardSir Edward Hawke	1705	1781
		Luke O'KeefeJohn Forbes	1714	1796
		HoweThe Earl Howe	1726	1799
		Parker PeterSir Peter Parker, Bt.	1721	1811
		Clarence and Saint AndrewsKing William IV	1765	1837	Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom 1827–1828 appointed at that time as The Duke of Clarence and St Andrews
		Saint VincentThe Earl of St Vincent	1735	1823	acting from May 1814
		Williams-Freeman WilliamWilliam Williams-Freeman	1742	1832
		GambierThe Lord Gambier	1756	1833
		Pole CharlesSir Charles Pole, Bt.	1757	1830
		Nugent CharlesSir Charles Nugent	1759	1844
		Hawkins-Whitshed JamesSir James Hawkins-Whitshed	1762	1849
		Martin GeorgeSir George Martin	1764	1847
		Martin ThomasSir Thomas Byam Martin	1773	1854
		Cockburn GeorgeSir George Cockburn	1772	1853
		Ogle CharlesSir Charles Ogle, Bt.	1775	1858
		West JohnSir John West	1774	1862
		Gage WilliamSir William Gage	1777	1864
		Hamond GrahamSir Graham Hamond, Bt.	1779	1862
		Austen FrancisSir Francis Austen	1774	1865
		Parker WilliamSir William Parker, Bt.	1781	1866
		Curtis LuciusSir Lucius Curtis	1786	1869
		Cochrane ThomasSir Thomas Cochrane	1789	1872
		Seymour GeorgeSir George Seymour	1787	1870
		Gordon JamesSir James Gordon	1782	1869	On the Reserved List
		Bowles WilliamSir William Bowles	1780	1869
		Sartorious GeorgeSir George Sartorius	1790	1885
		Moresby FairfaxSir Fairfax Moresby	1786	1877
		Stewart HoustonSir Houston Stewart	1791	1875
		Wallis ProvoSir Provo Wallis	1791	1892
		Codrington HenrySir Henry Codrington	1808	1877
		Keppel HenrySir Henry Keppel	1809	1904
		LauderdaleThe Earl of Lauderdale	1803	1878
		Mundy RodneySir Rodney Mundy	1805	1884
		Hope JamesSir James Hope	1808	1881
		Symonds ThomasSir Thomas Symonds	1813	1894
		Milne AlexanderSir Alexander Milne, Bt.	1806	1896	On the Retired List
		Elliot CharlesSir Charles Elliot	1818	1895
		Ryder AlfredSir Alfred Ryder	1820	1888
		WalesKing Edward VII	1841	1910	Honorary appointment to non-Navy royalty and at that time The Prince of Wales
		Hornby GeoffreySir Geoffrey Hornby	1825	1895
		Hay JohnLord John Hay	1827	1916	First Naval Lord 1886
		William IIEmperor William II	1859	1941	Honorary, to foreign royalty
		Commerell JohnSir John Commerell	1829	1901
		EdinburghThe Duke of Edinburgh	1844	1900
		ClanwilliamThe Earl of Clanwilliam	1832	1907
		Lyons AlgernonSir Algernon Lyons	1833	1908
		Richards FrederickSir Frederick Richards	1833	1912	First Naval Lord 1893–1899
		Salmon NowellSir Nowell Salmon	1835	1912
		Erskine JamesSir James Erskine	1838	1911
		Hotham CharlesSir Charles Hotham	1843	1925
		Kerr WalterLord Walter Kerr	1839	1927	First Sea Lord 1899–1904
		Seymour EdwardSir Edward Seymour	1840	1929
		Fisher JohnSir John Fisher	1841	1920	First Sea Lord 1905–1910 and 1914–1915
		Wilson ArthurSir Arthur Wilson	1842	1921	First Sea Lord 1910–1911
		Nicholas IITsar Nicholas II of Russia	1868	1918	Honorary, to foreign royalty
		Noel GerardSir Gerard Noel	1845	1918
		Heinrich of PrussiaPrince Henry of Prussia	1862	1929	Honorary, to foreign royalty
		Fanshawe ArthurSir Arthur Fanshawe	1847	1936
	George V	King George V	1865	1936
		May WilliamSir William May	1849	1930
		Meux HedworthSir Hedworth Meux	1856	1929
		Callaghan GeorgeSir George Callaghan	1852	1920
		JellicoeThe Viscount Jellicoe	1859	1935	First Sea Lord 1916–1918
		Beatty DavidSir David Beatty	1871	1936	First Sea Lord 1919–1927
		Jackson HenrySir Henry Jackson	1855	1929	First Sea Lord 1915–1916
		Wemyss RosslynSir Rosslyn Wemyss	1864	1933	First Sea Lord 1918–1919
		Burney CecilSir Cecil Burney	1858	1929
		Sturdee DovetonSir Doveton Sturdee, Bt.	1859	1925
		Milford HavenThe Marquess of Milford Haven	1854	1921	First Sea Lord 1912–1914. On the Retired List
		Madden CharlesSir Charles Madden, Bt.	1862	1935	First Sea Lord 1927–1930
		Calthorpe SomersetSir Somerset Gough-Calthorpe	1864	1937
		de Robeck JohnSir John de Robeck, Bt.	1862	1928
		Oliver HenrySir Henry Oliver	1865	1965
		Brock OsmondSir Osmond Brock	1869	1947
		Keyes RogerSir Roger Keyes, Bt.	1872	1945
		Field FrederickSir Frederick Field	1871	1945	First Sea Lord 1930–1933
		Tyrwhitt ReginaldSir Reginald Tyrwhitt, Bt.	1870	1951
		Chatfield ErnleSir Ernle Chatfield	1873	1967	First Sea Lord 1933–1938
		Edward VIIIKing Edward VIII	1894	1972
		Kelly JohnSir John Kelly	1871	1936
		George VIKing George VI	1895	1952
		CorkThe Earl of Cork and Orrery	1873	1967
		Backhouse RogerSir Roger Backhouse	1878	1939	First Sea Lord 1938–1939. On the Retired List	Order in Council of 3 July 1939
		Pound DudleySir Dudley Pound	1877	1943	First Sea Lord 1939–1943
		Forbes CharlesSir Charles Forbes	1880	1960
		Cunningham AndrewSir Andrew Cunningham	1883	1963	First Sea Lord 1943–1946
		Tovey JohnSir John Tovey	1885	1971
		Somerville JohnSir James Somerville	1882	1949
		Cunningham JohnSir John Cunningham	1885	1965	First Sea Lord 1946–1948
		Fraser of North CapeThe Lord Fraser of North Cape	1888	1981	First Sea Lord 1948–1951
		Willis AlgernonSir Algernon Willis	1889	1976
		Power ArthurSir Arthur Power	1889	1960
		Vian PhilipSir Philip Vian	1894	1968
		EdinburghThe Duke of Edinburgh	1921	2021	Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom 2011–2021
		McGrigor RhoderickSir Rhoderick McGrigor	1893	1959	First Sea Lord 1951–1955
		Creasy GeorgeSir George Creasy	1895	1972
		Mountbatten of BurmaThe Earl Mountbatten of Burma	1900	1979	First Sea Lord 1955–1959 Chief of the Defence Staff 1959–1965
		Lambe CharlesSir Charles Lambe	1900	1960	First Sea Lord 1959–1960
		John CasparSir Caspar John	1903	1984	First Sea Lord 1960–1963
		Begg VarylSir Varyl Begg	1908	1995	First Sea Lord 1966–1968
		Le Fanu MichaelSir Michael Le Fanu	1913	1970	First Sea Lord 1968–1970
		Hill-Norton PeterSir Peter Hill-Norton	1915	2004	First Sea Lord 1970–1971 Chief of the Defence Staff 1971–1973
		Pollock MichaelSir Michael Pollock	1916	2006	First Sea Lord 1971–1974
		Ashmore EdwardSir Edward Ashmore	1919	2016	First Sea Lord 1974–1977 Chief of the Defence Staff 1977
		Lewin TerenceSir Terence Lewin	1920	1999	First Sea Lord 1977–1979 Chief of the Defence Staff 1979–1982
		Leach HenrySir Henry Leach	1923	2011	First Sea Lord 1979–1982
		Fieldhouse JohnSir John Fieldhouse	1928	1992	First Sea Lord 1982–1985 Chief of the Defence Staff 1985–1988
		King Olav V of Norway	1903	1991	Honorary, to foreign royalty
		Staveley WilliamSir William Staveley	1928	1997	First Sea Lord 1985–1989
		Oswald JulianSir Julian Oswald	1933	2011	First Sea Lord 1989–1993
		Bathhurst BenjaminSir Benjamin Bathurst	1936	2025	First Sea Lord 1993–1995
		WalesKing Charles III	1948	Living	Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom since 2022 Honorary appointment and at that time The Prince of Wales Assumed the rank in full capacity on the day following accession to the throne.
		Boyce MichaelThe Lord Boyce	1943	2022	First Sea Lord 1998–2001 Chief of the Defence Staff 2001–2003. Honorary rank