The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the BritishRoyal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Naval Service. In its last years, as the Navy shrank, more administrative responsibilities were added.
In April 2012, the post was abolished, its rank downgraded from admiral to three-star vice admiral, and re-designated Fleet Commander and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff.
History
Prior to 1964 responsibility for control and direction of British naval affairs lay with the Admiralty, naval command lay with the Admiralty Naval Staff. Following the merger of the Admiralty in 1964 into the new Ministry of Defence it became known as the Navy Department.[1][2]
The Flag Officer Gibraltar, and Gibraltar Naval Base Commander, a Rear Admiral, double-hatted as NATO's Commander Gibraltar Mediterranean (COMGIBMED).[5] In the late 1980s two small patrol craft, HMS Cormorant, HMS Hart, were reported as being attached to FO Gibraltar.
In 1992 Fleet Headquarters moved to Portsmouth. In 2005, the Second Sea Lord, reduced in rank from full Admiral to Vice-Admiral, came under CINCFLEET's command, a situation that lasted until the Levene reforms of 2012.[8]
Responsibilities
Full command of the Fleet and responsibility for the Fleet element of military operational capability including the Royal Marines and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, was delegated to Commander-in-Chief Fleet, as is described in official descriptions circa 2010.[9] In 1971 after the amalgamation of the Western and Far East Fleets the headquarters was established at Northwood, in the London Borough of Hillingdon (HMS Warrior). Both the CINCFLEET and CINCEASTLANT staffs were co-located there.
Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces (previously known as Commander UK Task Group),[10] who oversaw the commander of the UK Task Group (COMUKTG), subsequently renamed as the commander Amphibious Task Group (COMATG)[11][12][13] and the commander UK Carrier Strike Group (COMUKCSG).
Collectively, COMUKMARFOR, COMUKAMPHIBFOR, Commander UK Task Group (COMUKTG), and the 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters comprised the "Fleet Battle Staff".[14]
Commanders-in-Chief Fleet
The Commanders-in-Chief were:[15]
Most are listed at their final service rank, not at their rank as CINCFLEET, an admiral's position.
The Commander-in-Chief, Fleet's principal staff officer was the Chief of Staff, Fleet, responsible for coordinating the supporting staff of Fleet Headquarters from November 1971 to 2012.[18]
10th Mine Countermeasures Squadron, manned by the Royal Naval Reserve and each of the squadron's ships assigned to a reserve divisions:
River-classminesweepers: HMS Waveney, HMS Carron, HMS Dovey, HMS Helford, HMS Humber, HMS Blackwater, HMS Itchen, HMS Helmsdale, HMS Orwell, HMS Ribble, HMS Spey, HMS Arun
The Commandant General Royal Marines, in 1989 Lieutenant General Sir Martin Garrod based at Whitehall, was the service head of the Royal Marines. In 1991 their structure was described as "very top heavy. They have nearly 8,000 men to put 2,400 in the field...they have three 'tied' generals, the Commandant General, a major general as his chief of staff, and a major general commando forces."[39]
^Jane's Defence Weekly. Vol. 8. 1987. p. 489. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
^NATO Handbook07. 25 March 1993. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2008.
^Young, Thomas-Durrell (1 June 1997). "Command in NATO After the Cold War: Alliance, National, and Multinational Considerations". U.S. Army Strategic Studies Institute. p. 11. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
^Levene of Portsoken, Lord (1 June 2011). "An independent report into the structure and management of the Ministry of Defence" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
^ a b c d"Navy Command Headquarters". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 29 May 2010.
^"Fleet Battle Staff Headquarters". Archived from the original on 13 February 2011.
^"Commander UK Maritime Force". Archived from the original on 11 February 2011.
^"Cougar". Archived from the original on 11 December 2010.
^"New Admiral Visits Fleet Flagship". Archived from the original on 12 June 2011.
^"Commander UK Amphibious Force". Archived from the original on 16 March 2011.
^ a b c"Royal Navy Senior Appointments" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2012.
^"Admiral Sir Trevor Soar takes up Navy fleet position". Portsmouth News. 11 June 2009. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
^"Admiral George Zambellas takes up role as CinC Fleet". British Forces News. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
^Mackie, Colin (January 2019). "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin. C. Mackie. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
^Mackie 2019 p.135-136.
^Mackie 2019 p.135.
^Mackie 2019 p.135-136.
^Mackie 2019 p.135-136.
^Mackie 2019 p.135-136.
^Mackie 2019 p.135-136.
^The Civil Service Yearbook 1998 p.164.
^The Civil Service Yearbook 2002 p.170.
^Paxton, J. (2016). The Statesman's Year-Book 1987-88. Springer. p. 1303. ISBN 9780230271166.
^Brown, David (1987). The Royal Navy and Falklands War. Pen and Sword. p. 53. ISBN 9781473817791.
^Eberle, Sir James (2007). Wider horizons: naval policy & international affairs. Roundtuit Publishing. p. 16. ISBN 9781904499176.
^Roberts, John (2009). Safeguarding the Nation: The Story of the Modern Royal Navy. Seaforth Publishing. p. 236. ISBN 9781848320437.
^Paxton, J. (2016). The Statesman's Year-Book 1990-91. Springer. p. 1315. ISBN 9780230271197.
^ a b cSmith, Gordon (12 July 2015). "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment 1947–2013: Summary of Fleet Organization 1972–1981". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
^Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployments 1947–2013". Retrieved 29 June 2017.
^Sharpe, Richard (1989). Jane's Fighting Ships 1989–1990. Jane's Information Group. p. 651.
^"Appointments". Navy News. 1 May 1983. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
^"Flag Officer Plymouth". Navy News. 1 August 1982. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
^"Notice Board". Navy News. 30 May 1992. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
^"World's Air Forces 1989". Flight International: 61–62. 29 November 1989. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
Rear Admiral Colin Cooke‐Priest CB (1993). "The naval air command in the 1990s". The RUSI Journal. 138 (2): 53–58. doi:10.1080/03071849308445698. Cooke-Priest was Flag Officer, Naval Aviation.
Commander R. W. Moland RN (1972) One Fleet: A Structural Outline, The RUSI Journal, 117:666, 17-20, DOI: 10.1080/03071847209429770