Admiral (Royal Navy)

The first admirals from 1224 to 1525

King Henry III of England appointed the first known English Admiral Sir Richard de Lucy on 29 August 1224,^[1] he was followed by a Sir Thomas Moulton in 1264,^[1] he also held the title of Keeper of the Sea and Sea Ports he was succeeded by Sir William de Leybourne, (the son of Sir Roger de Leybourne) as Admiral of the Sea of the King of England being appointed in 1286 effectively Admiral of the Navy ^[2] he held the rank of admiral until 1294^[1] serving under King Edward I of England. As the English Navy was expanding towards the end of the thirteenth century, new appointments of admirals with specific geographic responsibilities were created, Sir John de Botetourt was appointed Admiral of the North in 1294 this command lasted until 1412.^[1] Also in the same year the king appointed Sir William de Laybourne the dual commands of Admiral of the South, (1294-1412) and Admiral of the West, (1294-1412). In 1364 the post of Admiral of the North and West was created until 1414.^[1] Beginning in 1408 these admirals responsibilities were gradually absorbed by the office of the High Admiral of England, Ireland and Aquitaine (later Lord Admiral of England) leading to a centralized command the process ended in 1414.

Introduction of vice and rear admirals from 1525

The Royal Navy has had vice and rear admirals since at least the 16th century. When in command of the fleet, the admiral would be in either the lead or the middle portion of the fleet. When the admiral commanded from the middle portion of the fleet his deputy, the vice admiral, would be in the leading portion or van. Below him was another admiral at the rear of the fleet, called rear admiral.

Squadron admirals of the colour from 1570

In Elizabethan times the fleet grew large enough to be organised into squadrons. The squadron's admiral flew a red ensign, the vice admirals white, and the rear admirals blue on the aft mast of his ship. As the squadrons grew, each was eventually commanded by an admiral (with vice admirals and rear admirals commanding sections) and the official ranks became admiral of the white and so forth, however each admirals command flags were different and changed over time.

The squadrons ranked in order red, white, and blue, with admirals ranked according to their squadron:

1. Admiral of the Fleet (union flag)
2. Admiral of the Red (post not created till 1805)
3. Admiral of the white
4. Admiral of the blue
5. Vice admiral of the red
6. Vice admiral of the white
7. Vice admiral of the blue
8. Rear admiral of the red
9. Rear admiral of the white
10. Rear admiral of the blue
11. Commodore of the red
12. Commodore of the white
13. Commodore of the blue

Promotion path of admirals from 1702 to 1864

English then British flag officers promotion path from 1702 to 1805. Beginning with Commodore of the Blue through to Admiral of the Fleet the officers command flags are shown for the period

Promotion up the ladder was in accordance with seniority in the rank of post-captain, and rank was held for life, so the only way to be promoted was for the person above on the list to die or resign. In 1747 the Admiralty restored an element of merit selection to this process by introducing the concept of yellow admirals (formally known as granting an officer the position of 'Rear-Admiral without distinction of squadron'), being captains promoted to flag rank on the understanding that they would immediately retire on half-pay.^[3][4] This was the navy's first attempt at superannuating older officers.^[5] They were often assigned to shore-based administrative roles, such as commander of a port or commissioner of one of the Royal Dockyards.

Interregnum 1649 to present day

Promotion path of British flag officers from 1805 to 1864 the flags shown are the colored squadrons naval ensigns

During the Interregnum, the rank of admiral was replaced by that of general at sea.In the 18th century, the original nine ranks began to be filled by more than one man per rank, although the rank of admiral of the red was always filled by only one man and was known as Admiral of the Fleet. After the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 the rank of admiral of the red was introduced.^[6] The number of officers holding each rank steadily increased throughout the 18th and early-19th centuries; in 1769 there were 29 admirals of various grades, by the close of the Napoleonic Wars in 1816 there were 190 admirals in service. Thereafter the number of admirals was reduced and in 1853 there were 79 admirals.

Although admirals were promoted according to strict seniority, appointments to command were made at the discretion of the Board of Admiralty. As there were invariably more admirals in service than there were postings, many admirals remained unemployed, especially in peacetime.

The organisation of the fleet into coloured squadrons was finally abandoned in 1864. The Red Ensign was allocated to the Merchant Navy, the White Ensign became the flag of the Royal Navy, and the Blue Ensign was allocated to the naval reserve and naval auxiliary vessels.

The 18th- and 19th-century British Navy also maintained a positional rank known as port admiral. A port admiral was typically a veteran captain who served as the shore commander of a British naval port and was in charge of supplying, refitting, and maintaining the ships docked at harbour.

The problem of promoting strictly by seniority was well illustrated by the case of Provo Wallis who served (including time being carried on the books while still a child) for 96 years. When he died in 1892 four admirals under him could immediately be promoted.^[7]

In 1996, the rank of admiral of the fleet was put in abeyance in peacetime, except for members of the Royal family but was resurrected in 2014 for the appointment of Lord Boyce. Admirals of the fleet continue to hold their rank on the active list for life.