Organisation of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832
The Navy Board (1546-1832)
The Flag of the Navy Board in 1832
|
|
Formed
| 24 April 1546
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Preceding Board
| |
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Dissolved
| 1 June 1832
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Jurisdiction
|
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Headquarters
| Navy Office
|
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Board executive
| |
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Parent department
| Admiralty
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The
Navy Board
[1]
(formerly known as the
Council of the Marine
or
Council of the Marine Causes
)
[2]
was the
commission
responsible for the day-to-day civil administration of the
Royal Navy
between 1546 and 1832. The board was headquartered within the
Navy Office
.
[3]
History
[
edit
]
The origins of the Navy Board can be traced back to the 13th century via the office
Keeper of the King's Ports and Galleys
; later known as the
Clerk of the King's Ships
. The management of the navy expanded with the
Keeper of the Storehouses
appointed in 1514
[4]
and the
Clerk Comptroller
in 1522. The
Lieutenant of the Admiralty
,
Treasurer of Marine Causes
and
Surveyor and Rigger of the Navy
were all added in 1544, and a seventh officer, the
Master of Naval Ordnance
a year later.
[5]
By January 1545 this group was already working as a body known as the
Council of the Marine
or
King's Majesty's Council of His Marine
.
[6]
In the first quarter of 1545 an official memorandum proposed the establishment of a new organisation that would formalize a structure for administering the navy with a clear chain of command.
[6]
The Navy Board was officially appointed to this role by letters patent of
Henry VIII
on the 24 April 1546. It was directed by the
Lieutenant of the Admiralty
until 1557.
[7]
The board was charged with overseeing the administrative affairs of the navy; directive, executive and operational duties of the Lord High Admiral remained with the
Admiralty and Marine Affairs Office
.
[8]
In 1557 the Lieutenant of the Admiralty ceased to direct the Navy Board and that role was given to the Treasurer of the Navy also known as the
Senior Commissioner
. The Navy Board remained independent until 1628, when it became a subsidiary body of the
Board of Admiralty
now reporting to the
First Lord of the Admiralty
. In 1660 the Treasurer of the Navy ceased to direct the board and was replaced by the Comptroller who now held the new joint title of
Chairman of the Board
.
In 1832, following proposals by
Sir James Graham
to restructure the Naval Service, the Navy Board was abolished (along with its subsidiary boards for
Sick and Hurt
,
Transport
, and
Victualling
). Operational functions were taken over by the
Board of Admiralty
and administrative functions were dispersed between the
Naval Lords
.
Duties and responsibilities
[
edit
]
The Navy Board's responsibilities included:
Individual officials held responsibility as follows:
- The Lieutenant of the Admiralty initially presided over the Council of the Marine (1545?1564) but was later superseded by the treasurer.
- The Treasurer of the Navy was senior commissioner of the board from 1564 to 1660 and controlled and directed all Naval finance ? though in practice his responsibilities were later increasingly devolved to the Comptroller.
- The Comptroller of the Navy was in charge of Naval spending and also acted as chairman of the board from 1660 until its abolition in 1832.
- The Surveyor of the Navy was in charge of Naval shipbuilding, ship design and running the Royal Dockyards.
- The Clerk of the Navy was in charge of the day-to-day running of the board and the administration of its work and acted as chief secretary to the Navy Office.
- The Surveyor of Marine Victuals was responsible for the administration of victualling yards and supply of food and beverages for the Royal Navy from 1550 to 1679. This office was abolished and replaced by the Victualling Board in 1683.
- The Master of Naval Ordnance was a specifically assigned officer from the Ordnance Office responsible for the supply of Naval Ordnance and was briefly a member from 1561 to 1569.
- The Comptroller of Storekeepers's Accounts, The Comptroller of Treasurer's Accounts and The Comptroller of Victualling Accounts were posts created to relieve the Comptroller of the Navy of these duties.
Note: The
Navy Pay Office
(domain of the Treasurer of the Navy) was independent of the Board; though the Board's Commissioners were required to authorize payments, all funds were held and issued by the Pay Office (which was also known as the Navy Treasury)
.
Subsidiary boards
[
edit
]
As the size of the fleet grew, the Admiralty sought to focus the activity of the Navy Board on two areas: ships and their maintenance, and naval expenditure. Therefore, from the mid- to late-17th century, a number of subsidiary Boards were established to oversee other aspects of the board's work.
[10]
These included:
- The
Victualling Board
(1683?1832). Responsible for providing naval personnel with food, drink and supplies.
- The
Sick and Hurt Board
(established temporarily in times of war from 1653, placed on a permanent footing from 1715, amalgamated into the Transport Board from 1806). Responsible for providing medical support services to the navy and managing prisoners of war.
- The
Transport Board
(1690?1724, re-established 1794, amalgamated into the Victualling Board in 1817). Responsible for the provision of transport services and for the transportation of supplies and military equipment.
Each of these subsidiary Boards went on to gain a degree of independence (though they remained, nominally at least, overseen by the Navy Board).
[11]
Principal Officers and Commissioners
[
edit
]
Tudor and Stuart period
[
edit
]
List of Principal Officers and Commissioners 1546-1660 included.
Instrumental in the early administration of the Navy Office were between four and seven "Principal Officers" though some were styled differently prior to 1660.
Charles I
added a fifth between 1625 and 1640 they included:
[
sentence fragment
]
.
[18]
As defined by a set of
Ordinances
drawn up under Henry VIII's successor,
Edward VI
, the Navy Board was given a high degree of autonomy, yet remained subordinate to the
Lord High Admiral
until 1628. This ? at times ambiguous ? relationship with
The Admiralty
was an enduring characteristic of the board, and was one of the reasons behind its eventual demise in 1832.
[19]
Commonwealth and Restoration period
[
edit
]
During the
Commonwealth
the business of both Navy Board and Admiralty was carried out by a committee of Parliament. Following the
Restoration
,
James, Duke of York
(as Lord High Admiral) oversaw the reconstitution of the Navy Board. Alongside the aforementioned "Principal Officers" further officials were appointed to serve as "Commissioners" of the Navy, and together these constituted the board. By tradition, commissioners were always Navy officers of the rank of
post-captain
or captain who had retired from active service at sea.
[20]
List of Principal Officers and Commissioners 1660-1796 included.
[21]
Additional Commissioners added after 1666, who were soon given specific duties (so as to lessen the administrative burden placed on the Controller.
Hanoverian period
[
edit
]
In 1796 the board was reconstituted: the post of Clerk of the Acts was abolished, as were the three controllers of accounts. Henceforward, the board would consist of the controller and a deputy controller (both of whom were normally commissioned officers), the surveyor (usually a master
shipwright
from one of the dockyards) and around seven other commissioners (a mixture of officers and civilians) to whom no specific duties were attached.
The treasurer, though still technically a member of the board, was (like the dockyard commissioners) seldom in attendance.
[23]
In fact the post of treasurer was by this stage little more than a sinecure; the main work of his department was carried out by its senior clerk, the Paymaster of the Navy.
Following the abolition of the office of Clerk of the Acts, the post of secretary to the board was created; as well as overseeing the administrative department, the secretary attended meetings of the board and took minutes; but he was not himself a commissioner and did not therefore have a vote.
List of Principal Officers and Commissioners 1796-1832 included:
[21]
- Comptroller of the Navy
- Surveyor of the Navy
- Treasurer of the Navy
- Deputy Surveyor of the Navy
- Pay Commissioner
, (1796?1814).
- Inspector-General of Naval Works
, (1807?1808),
from 1796 to 1807 post holder reported to the Board of Admiralty
- Civil Architect and Engineer of the Navy
, (1808?1812)
- Surveyor of Buildings
, (1812?1832)
- Surveyor of Dockyards
, (1813?1832).
- Accountant-General of the Navy
, (1829?32)
- Storekeeper General of the Navy
, (1829?32)
[24]
- Deputy Comptroller of the Navy
, (1829?1832)
- Superintendent of Transport
, (1829?1831)
Commissioners of the Navy
[
edit
]
To all of these lists must be added the
Commissioners of the Navy
with oversight of the
Royal Navy Dockyards
. Normally resident at their respective dockyards and thus known as
resident commissioners
, these commissioners did not normally attend the board's meetings in London; nevertheless, they were considered full members of the Navy Board and carried the full authority of the board when implementing or making decisions within their respective yards both at home and overseas.
[23]
Not every Dockyard had a resident commissioner in charge, but the larger Yards, both at home and overseas, generally did (with the exception of the nearby Thames-side yards of
Deptford
and
Woolwich
, which were for the most part overseen directly by the board in London, although Woolwich did have a Resident Commissioner for some years).
Chatham Dockyard
,
Devonport Dockyard
,
Portsmouth Dockyard
,
Sheerness Dockyard
,
Trincomalee Dockyard
and the
Bermuda Dockyard
all had Resident Commissioners.
After the abolition of the board in 1832 the duties of these commissioners were taken over by commissioned officers: usually an
admiral-superintendent
at the largest yards, or a captain-superintendent at smaller yards.
Headquarters
[
edit
]
From the 1650s the board, together with its staff of around 60 clerks, was accommodated in a large house at the corner of
Crutched Friars
and Seething Lane, just north of the Tower of London. Following a fire, the house was rebuilt by
Sir Christopher Wren
. This new
Navy Office
provided accommodation for the commissioners, as well as office space. Different departments were accommodated in different parts of the building; the rear wing (which had its own entrance on Tower Hill) housed the offices of the Sick and Hurt Board. The Victualling Office was also located nearby, on Little Tower Hill, close to its early manufacturing base at
Eastminster
. The Navy Treasury, where the treasurer was based, was located from 1664 in Broad Street (having moved there from Leadenhall Street). It was also known as the
Navy Pay Office
. In 1789, all these offices were relocated into the new purpose-built office complex of
Somerset House
.
[25]
Demise
[
edit
]
By the early nineteenth century, members of Parliament had begun raising concerns at the cost of Navy Board operations and the obscurity of its record-keeping. On 15 February 1828
Robert Peel
, the
Home Secretary
, established a Parliamentary Committee to review the board's operations. The committee, chaired by Irish MP
Henry Parnell
, was specifically charged with interpreting and reducing Navy Board costs. By the end of the year it had issued critical reports covering the board's administration of naval pensions,
half-pay
, revenue, expenditure and debt. In particular, the committee noted the Navy Board had long since abandoned financial controls; that it had instead "established a scale of expense greatly beyond what existed during former periods of peace," and that its operations tended to "exalt its own importance" over the needs of the public service as a whole.
[26]
The board's internal operations were also found wanting:
The ancient and wise control vested by our financial policy in the hands of the
Treasury
over all the departments connected with the Public Expenditure, has been in a great degree set aside. Although it is the [Navy Board] practice to lay the annual estimates before the Board of Treasury, the subsequent course of expenditure is not practically restrained ... Old modes of conducting public business, full of complexity and inconsistency, have too long been suffered to exist; official forms and returns have been multiplied; and the result has been an unnecessary increase of establishments.
?
Sir Henry Parnell MP, Select Committee on the State of Public Income and Expenditure, End of Session Report, Volume Four, 1828.
[26]
The Government's response was delivered on 14 February 1832, with a
Bill
to abolish both the Navy Board and the
Victualling Board
and merge their functions into the
Board of Admiralty
. This Bill was moved by Sir
James Graham
as
First Lord of the Admiralty
, who argued that the Boards had been "constituted at a period when the principles of banking were unknown," and were redundant in an era of greater Parliamentary oversight and regulation. An amendment proposed by
First Sea Lord
Sir
George Cockburn
suggested that Navy Board be preserved and only the Victualling Board abolished, but this was defeated by 118 votes to 50. The Bill itself was passed on 23 May 1832, with the Navy Board formally ceasing operations from 1 June.
[26]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
In the mid-eighteenth century, and particularly during the
War of Jenkins' Ear
from 1739 to 1748, the Navy Board was chaired by Surveyor Jacob Acworth, because the Controller, Richard Haddock, was considered by his peers to be too old and feeble to carry out the role. The chairmanship reverted to the Controller after Haddock was superannuated in February 1749.
[22]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Research guide B6: The Royal Navy: Administrative records"
.
Royal Museums Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site In London
. Royal Museums Greenwich. 13 January 2003.
- ^
Rasor, Eugene L. (2004).
English/British naval history to 1815 : a guide to the literature
. Westport (Conn.): Praeger. p. 265.
ISBN
0313305471
.
- ^
Clarke, James Stanier; McArthur, John (Sep 2, 2010).
The Naval Chronicle: Volume 25, January-July 1811: Containing a General and Biographical History of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom with a Variety of Original Papers on Nautical Subjects
. Cambridge University Press. p. 123.
ISBN
9781108018647
.
- ^
Oppenheim, Michael (1988).
A History of the Administration of the Royal Navy and of Merchant Shipping in Relation to the Navy from 1509 to 1660 with an Introduction Treating of the Preceding Period
. Temple Smith. p. 84.
ISBN
9780566055720
.
- ^
Ranft, Bryan (2002).
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Royal Navy
. Oxford University Press. p. 31.
ISBN
9780198605270
.
- ^
a
b
Ranft, Bryan (2002).
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Royal Navy
. Oxford University Press. p. 31.
- ^
Ehrman, John (2012).
The Navy in the war of William III, 1689-1697 : its state and direction
. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 179.
ISBN
9781107645110
.
- ^
"MOD historical summary"
(PDF)
.
- ^
a
b
c
Dewar, David; Funnell, Warwick (2017).
The Pursuit of Accountability: A History of the National Audit Office
. Oxford University Press. p. 45.
ISBN
9780198790310
.
- ^
"Royal Museums Greenwich archives summary"
.
- ^
"National Maritime Museum research guide"
.
- ^
Rodger, N.A.M. (1979).
The Admiralty, Offices of State
. Lavenham: Terence Dalton Ltd. p. 5.
ISBN
0900963948
.
- ^
Thrush, Andrew D.
"The Navy Under Charles I, 1625-1640"
(PDF)
.
discovery.ucl.ac.uk
. University College London, Ph.D. Dissertation, p.68, June 1990
. Retrieved
28 February
2017
.
- ^
Thrush, Andrew D.
"The Navy Under Charles I, 1625-1640"
(PDF)
.
discovery.ucl.ac.uk
. University College London, Ph.D. Dissertation, p.68, June 1990
. Retrieved
28 February
2017
.
- ^
Thrush, Andrew D.
"The Navy Under Charles I, 1625-1640"
(PDF)
.
discovery.ucl.ac.uk
. University College London, Ph.D. Dissertation, p.68, June 1990
. Retrieved
28 February
2017
.
- ^
Sainty, J.C.
"Surveyor of Marine Victuals 1550-c. 1679 Institute of Historical Research"
.
history.ac.uk
. Historical Research Institute, University of London, 2003
. Retrieved
26 March
2017
.
- ^
Archives, The National.
"accounts as master of naval Ordnance"
.
discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
. Gloucestershire Archives, 1561-69
. Retrieved
13 June
2017
.
- ^
FOURTH REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS FOR Revising and Digesting the Civil Affairs of His MAJESTY'S Navy
. Digitized, Oxford University, 2006. 1806. p. 7.
- ^
Hamilton, Sir Vesey.
"Naval Administration (1896)"
. Retrieved
11 September
2015
.
- ^
Rodger, N.A.M. (1986).
The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy
. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 34.
ISBN
0870219871
.
- ^
a
b
Collinge, J. M.
"Principal officers and commissioners British History Online"
.
www.british-history.ac.uk
. University of London, 1978
. Retrieved
28 February
2017
.
- ^
Baugh, Daniel A. (1965).
British Naval Administration in the Age of Walpole
. Princeton University Press. pp.
47?48
.
OCLC
610026758
.
- ^
a
b
Collinge, J.M.
"Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 7, Navy Board Officials 1660-1832"
.
British History Online
. University of London, 1978
. Retrieved
5 September
2015
.
- ^
Admiralty, Great Britain (1834).
The Navy List
. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 136.
- ^
"Somerset House: the Great Institutions"
. 24 September 2016.
- ^
a
b
c
Bonner-Smith, D. (1945). "The Abolition of the Navy Board".
The Mariner's Mirror
.
31
(3): 154?159.
doi
:
10.1080/00253359.1945.10658919
.
Sources
[
edit
]
- Rodger, N.A.M. (1979). The Admiralty. Offices of State. Terence Dalton Ltd, Lavenham. Suffolk. England.
- Collinge, J M, ed. (1978),
"Principal officers and commissioners"
,
Office-Holders in Modern Britain Volume 7, Navy Board Officials 1660?1832
, London, pp. 18?25
, retrieved
28 February
2017
– via British History Online
{{
citation
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Principal officers
|
- Lieutenant of the Admiralty
, (1546-1564)
- Treasurer of Marine Causes
, (1546-1564)
- Comptroller of the Navy
, (1546-1660)
- Surveyor of the Navy
, (1546-1832)
- Clerk of the Navy
, (1546-1660)
- Master of Naval Ordnance
, (1546-1589)
- Keeper of the Storehouses
, (1546-1560)
- Surveyor of Marine Victuals
, (1550-1679)
- Treasurer of the Navy and Senior Commissioner
, (1564-1660)
- Comptroller of the Navy and Chairman of the Board
, (1660-1832)
- Treasurer of the Navy
, (1660-1832)
- Clerk of the Acts
, (1660-1796)
- Controller of Treasurer Accounts
, (1667-1796)
- Controller of Victualling Accounts
, (1667-1796)
- Controller of Storekeepers Accounts
, (1671-1796)
- Comptroller of Victualling and Transport Services
, (1800-1832)
- Commissioners for Current Business
, (1686-1688)
- Commissioners for Old Accounts
, 1686-1688)
- Commissioners for Examining Accounts (Incurred)
, (1688-1689)
- Deputy Comptroller of the Navy
, (1793-1813), (1829-1832)
- Pay Commissioner
, (1796-1814)
- Civil Architect and Engineer of the Navy
, (1808-1812)
- Surveyor of Buildings
, (1813-1832)
- Surveyor of Dockyards
, (1813-1832)
- Accountant-General of the Navy
, (1829-32)
- Superintendent of Transport
, (1829-1831)
- Storekeeper-General of the Navy
, (1829-32)
| |
---|
Subsidiary boards
| |
---|
Resident Commissioners
of the navy
home yards
|
- Resident Commissioner, Chatham Dockyard
, (1631-1829)
- Resident Commissioner, Portsmouth Dockyard
, (1649-1829)
- Resident Commissioner, Woolwich Dockyard
,(1688-1828)
- Resident Commissioner, Plymouth Dockyard
, (1691-1822)
- Resident Commissioner, Deptford Dockyard
, (1714-1823)
- Resident Commissioner, Sheerness Dockyard
, (1793-1822)
- Resident Commissioner, Devonport Dockyard
, (1823-1832)
|
---|
Resident Commissioners
of the navy
overseas yards
|
- Resident Commissioner, Jamaica Yard
, (1675-1832)
- Resident Commissioner, Cadiz Yard, (1694)
- Resident Commissioner, Bombay Yard
- Resident Commissioner, Kinsale Yard
, (1694-1713)
- Resident Commissioner, Gibraltar Yard
, (1704-1832)
- Resident Commissioner, Antigua Yard
, (1707-1832)
- Resident Commissioner, Ascension Yard
, (1728-1832)
- Resident Commissioner, Port Mahon Yard
, (1742-1763)
- Resident Commissioner, Halifax Yard
, (1759-1832)
- Resident Commissioner, Barbados Yard
, (1779-1783, 1810)
- Resident Commissioner, Kingston Yard
, (1783-1832)
- Resident Commissioner, Ajaccio Yard
, (1794-1799)
- Resident Commissioner, Bermuda Dockyard
, (1795-1832)
- Resident Commissioner, Amherstburg Yard
, (1796-1813)
- Resident Commissioner, Quebec Yard
, (1804-1826)
- Resident Commissioner, Malta Dockyard
, (1805-1832)
- Resident Commissioner, Madras Yard
, (1808-1817)
- Resident Commissioner, Cape of Good Hope Yard
, (1808-1822)
- Resident Commissioner, Bombay Dockyard
, (1808-1816)
- Resident Commissioner, Trincomalee Dockyard
, (1810-1832)
|
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Offices
under the
principal officers
| |
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|
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Direction and control
of Admiralty and Naval affairs
| |
---|
Boards and offices under
the First Lord
| |
---|
Direction of
Admirals
Naval/Sea Lords
War and Naval Staff
| |
---|
Secretariat and staff under
the First Sea Lord
| |
---|
Operational planning, policy
strategy, tactical doctrine
requirements
| |
---|
Divisions and sections
under the War and
Naval Staff
| |
---|
Offices of the Sea Lords
| |
---|
Admiralty civil departments
and organisations
under the Sea Lords
|
- Admiralty Area Cash Offices
- Admiralty Central Dockyard Laboratory
- Admiralty Central Metallurgical Laboratory
- Admiralty Civilian Shore Wireless Service
- Admiralty Compass Observatory
- Admiralty Constabulary
- Admiralty Constabulary Headquarters
- Admiralty Engineering Laboratory
- Admiralty Experimental Station
- Admiralty Experiment Works
- Admiralty Gunnery Establishment
- Admiralty Interview Board
- Admiralty Labour Department
- Admiralty Marine Technology Establishment
- Admiralty Materials Laboratory
- Admiralty Mine Design Department
- Admiralty Mining Establishment
- Admiralty Naval Aircraft Materials Laboratory
- Admiralty Record Office
- Admiralty Regional Offices
- Admiralty Research Laboratory
- Admiralty Signal Establishment
- Admiralty Signals and Radar Establishment
- Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment
- Admiralty Surveying Service
- Admiralty Torpedo Experimental Establishment
- Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment
- Admiralty Underwater Weapons Launching Establishment
- Architectural and Engineering Works Department
- Air Equipment and Naval Photography Department
- Air Department
- Air Materiel Department
- Air Personnel Department
- Amphibious Warfare Headquarters
- Armament Supply Department
- Board of Invention and Research
- Board of Longitude
- Boom Defence Department
- Boom Defence and Marine Salvage Department
- Britannia Royal Naval College
- Chemical Board
- Chemical Department
- Civil Catering Department
- Civil Engineer in Chiefs Department
- Coastguard and Reserves Branch
- Combined Operations Headquarters
- Commissioner for Property and Income-tax for the Naval Department
- Compass Department
- Contract and Purchase Department
- Council of Naval Education
- Dental Examining Board
- Department of Radio Equipment
- Department of the Accountant-General of the Navy
- Department of Aeronautical and Engineering Research
- Department of Miscellaneous Weapons Development
- Department of Naval Assistant (Foreign) to Second Sea Lord
- Department of Naval Education
- Operational Research
- Department of Personal Services and Officer Appointments
- Department of Physical Research
- Department of Physical Training & Sports
- Department of Radio Equipment
- Department of Research Programmes and Planning
- Department of Superintendent of de-magnetisation
- Department of the Admiral of the Training Service
- Department of the Chief Inspector of Naval Ordnance
- Department of the Chief of Naval Information
- Department of the Chief Scientist
- Department of the Civil Engineer-in-Chief
- Department of the Comptroller of Steam Machinery
- Department of the Comptroller of Victualling and Transport Services
- Department of the Controller of the Navy
- Department of the Controller-General of Merchant Shipbuilding
- Department of the Controller for Navy Pay
- Department of the Deputy Controller for Auxiliary Shipbuilding
- Department of the Deputy Controller for Dockyards and Shipbuilding
- Department of the Director Contract-Built Ships
- Department of the Director-General Aircraft
- Department of the Director-General of Manpower
- Department of the Director-General, Supply and Secretariat Branch
- Department of the Director of Aircraft Maintenance and Repair
- Department of the Director of Contract Labour
- Department of the Director of Dockyards
- Department of the Director of Electrical Engineering
- Department of the Director of Manning
- Department of the Director of Merchant Shipbuilding
- Department of the Director of Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs
- Department of the Director of Merchant Ship Repairs
- Department of the Director of Naval Construction
- Department of the Director of Naval Equipment
- Department of the Director of Naval Recruiting
- Department of the Director of Naval Weather Service
- Department of the Director of Personal Services
- Department of the Director of Physical Training and Sports
- Department of the Director of Torpedoes and Mining
- Department of the Director of Transports
- Department of the Director of Underwater Weapons
- Department of the Director of Underwater Weapons Materials
- Department of the Director of Unexploded Bombs
- Department of the Director of Warship Production
- Department of the Director of Welfare and Service Conditions
- Department of the Director of Wreck Dispersal
- Department of the Flag Officer Sea Training
- Department of the Engineer in Chief
- Department of the Paymaster Director-General
- Department of the Inspector of Anti-Aircraft Weapons
- Department of the Inspector of Dockyard Expense Accounts
- Department of the Inspector-General of Naval Hospitals and Fleets
- Department of the Medical Director-General of the Navy
- Department of the Physician of the Navy
- Department of the Physician General of the Navy
- Department of the Storekeeper-General of the Navy
- Department of the Surveyor of Buildings
- Department of the Surveyor of Dockyards
- Directorate-General, (Naval Manpower and Training)
- Directorate General Training
- Dockyards and Fleet Maintenance Department
- Dockyards Branch
- Dockyard Expense Accounts Department
- Dockyard Schools
- Electrical Engineering Department
- Engineer Branch
- Engineering Department
- Experimental Department
- Fire Control Group
- Greenwich Hospital Department
- Inspector of Telegraphs
- Inspector of Repairs
- Joint Warfare Establishment
- Medical Consultative Board
- Medical Examining Board
- Historical Section
- Hydrographic Department
- Marine Department
- Marine Pay Department
- Materials and Priority Department
- Medical Consultative Board
- Medical Department
- Medical Examining Board
- Movements Department
- Nautical Almanac Office
- Naval Artillery and Torpedo Department
- Naval Engineering College
- Naval Equipment Department
- Naval Historical Branch
- Naval Construction Department
- Naval Intelligence Department
- Naval Medical Service
- Naval Law Division
- Naval Manpower Department
- Naval Mobilisation Department
- Naval Ordnance Department
- Naval Ordnance Inspection Department
- Naval Ordnance Stores Department
- Naval Personnel Services and Officer Appointments Department
- Naval Publicity Department
- Naval Regional Offices
- Naval Reserve Department
- Naval Security Department
- Naval Stores Department
- Naval Training Department
- Naval Works Department
- Navy, Army and Air Force Institute
- Navy and Army Canteen Board
- Navy Works Department
- Navigation Department
- Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope
- Office of the Admiral Commanding Coast Guard and Reserves
- Office of the Admiral Commanding, Reserves
- Office of the Admiralty Chemist
- Office of the Adviser on the Naval Construction to the Board of Admiralty
- Office of the Assistant Controller
- Office of the Assistant Controller Research and Development
- Office of the Clerk of the Journals
- Office of the Chief Polaris Executive
- Office of the Deputy Controller of Navy
- Office of the Deputy Controller Production
- Office of Extra Naval Assistant to Second Sea Lord
- Office of the Inspector Gun Mountings
- Office of the Keeper of Records
- Office of the Senior Psychologist (Naval)
- Office of the Senior Psychologist of the Navy
- Office of the Translator of French and Spanish Languages
- Office of the Vice Controller Air
- Office of the Vice Controller of the Navy
- Organisation and Methods Department
- Packet Service
- Regional Organisation for Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs
- Royal Corps of Naval Constructors
- Royal Flying Corps
- Royal Marine Police
- Royal Marines Office
- Office of the Chaplain of the Fleet
- Royal Naval Academy
- Royal Naval Aircraft Workshops
- Royal Naval Air Service
- Royal Naval Air Stations
- Royal Naval Armaments Depot
- Royal Naval Auxiliary Service
- Royal Naval Cordite Factories
- Royal Naval Propellant Factory
- Royal Naval College
- Royal Naval College and the School for Naval Architecture
- Royal Naval College, Dartmouth
- Royal Naval College, Greenwich
- Royal Naval College, Keyham
- Royal Naval College, Osborne
- Royal Naval Engineering College
- Royal Naval Film Corporation
- Royal Naval Hospital
- Royal Naval Medical Depot
- Royal Naval Minewatching Service
- Royal Naval Mine Depot
- Royal Naval Patrol Service
- Royal Naval Scientific Service
- Royal Naval Sick Quarters
- Royal Naval Torpedo Depot
- Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
- Royal Naval War College
- Royal Naval War College, Portsmouth
- Royal Navy Dockyard
- Royal Navy Medical Service
- Royal Navy Shore Signal Service
- Royal Observatory, Greenwich
- Royal School of Naval Architecture
- Salvage Department
- School of Mathematics and Naval Construction
- Scientific Research and Experiment Department
- Sea Transport Branch
- Sea Transport Department
- Sea Transport Division
- Ship Department
- Ship Design Department
- Signal Department
- Signal School
- Sixpenny Office
- Statistics Department
- Steam Department
- Superintendent of De-magnetisation
- Torpedo Experimental Establishment
- Transport Department
- Undersurface Warfare Department
- Victualling Department
- Volunteer Boys and Cadet Corps
- Weapons Department
- Weapons Department (Naval)
- Women's Royal Naval Service
- Wireless Telegraphy Board
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Direction/Command of the Fleet
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Naval formations after 1707
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- 1st Fleet
- 2nd Fleet
- 3rd Fleet
- Commander-in-Chief, Africa
- Atlantic Fleet
- Commodore, Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf
- Australia Station
- Cape of Good Hope Station
- Cape and West Africa Station
- Battle Cruiser Fleet
- Battle Cruiser Force
- Caspian Flotilla
- Channel Fleet
- Channel Squadron
- Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland
- Cork Station
- Coast of Scotland
- Commander-in-Chief, China
- Commander-in-Chief, Dover
- Flag Officer, East Africa
- East Indies Station
- East Indies and China Station
- Eastern Fleet
- Far East Fleet
- English Channel
- Grand Fleet
- Flag Officer Gibraltar
- Harwich Force
- Home Fleet
- Jamaica Station
- Leith Station
- Commander-in-Chief, Levant
- Levant and East Mediterranean
- Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands
- Mediterranean Fleet
- Medway
- Newfoundland Station
- New Zealand Division
- New Zealand Naval Forces
- Nore
- North America and West Indies Station
- Commander-in-Chief, North Sea
- Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands
- Pacific Fleet
- Pacific Station
- Admiral of Patrols
- Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
- Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
- Queenstown Station
- Royal East African Navy
- Royal Indian Navy
- Flag Officer Submarines
- Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth
- Reserve Fleet
- Scotland and Northern Ireland
- Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic
- South East Coast of America Station
- Commander-in-Chief, Thames and Medway
- West Africa Squadron
- Flag Officer, West Africa
- Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches
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Naval formations before 1707
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Direction of Naval Finance
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Departments under the
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary
| |
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Direction of Naval Administration
and the Admiralty Secretariat
| |
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Branches and offices under the
Permanent Secretary
| |
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Civil Administration
| |
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Departments under the
Civil Lords
| |
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Legal
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Leadership
| |
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Components
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History
and
future
| |
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Operating
forces
| |
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Fleet
| |
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Ships
| |
---|
Administration
| |
---|
Senior
officers
| |
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Personnel
and
training
| |
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Equipment
| |
---|
Former
leadership
| |
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