Admiral of the Fleet
The flag of an admiral of the Fleet is the Union Flag
Insignia shoulder board and sleeve lace for Admiral of the Fleet
Country	United Kingdom
Service branch	Royal Navy
Abbreviation	ADMF
Rank group	Flag officer
Rank	Five-star
NATO rank code	OF-10
Formation	1688
Next higher rank	none
Next lower rank	Admiral
Equivalent ranks	Field marshal (British Army) Marshal of the Royal Air Force (RAF)

Admiral of the Fleet is a five-star naval officer rank and the highest rank of the Royal Navy, formally established in 1688.^[1] 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 de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp de Warwick, who was appointed 'Admiral of the King's Southern, Northern and Western Fleets' on 18 July 1360.^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[1]

Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

The Restoration 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.^[4]

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"^[5] in His Majesty's Navy..." as a separate role. The same Gazette promoted 22 men to that rank.^[6] 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 Wellington's 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.^[7][8] In deference to Gosselin's seniority the position was instead left vacant until his death in 1857, whereupon it was filled by Admiral Charles Ogle.^[4]

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.^[9]

During the two World Wars a number of serving officers held active commissions as admirals of the fleet, as well as the First Sea Lord—e.g. Sir John Tovey.^[10]

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.^[11]

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 (now King Charles III) became an honorary admiral of the fleet (as well as field marshal and marshal of the Royal Air Force), 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.^[12]

Admirals of the Fleet

Appointed	Image	Name	Born	Died	Notes	Reference
24 September 1688		George Legge (later The Lord Dartmouth)	1647	1691		[13]
30 May 1690		Edward Russell (later The Earl of Orford)	1652	1727		[14]
28 April 1696		Sir George Rooke	1650	1709	circa	[15]
13 January 1705		Sir Cloudesley Shovell	1650	1707		[16]
8 January 1708		Leake JohnSir John Leake	1656	1720		[17]
21 December 1708		Fairborne StaffordSir Stafford Fairborne	1666	1742	circa	[18]
12 November 1709		Aylmer MatthewSir Matthew Aylmer (later The Lord Aylmer)	1650	1720		[19]
14 March 1718		Byng GeorgeSir George Byng (later The Viscount Torrington)	1663	1733		[20]
20 February 1734		Norris JohnSir John Norris	1670	1749		[21]
1 July 1749		Ogle ChallonerSir Chaloner Ogle	1681	1750		[22]
22 November 1751		Steuart JamesJames Steuart	1690	1757		[23]
March 1757		Clinton GeorgeGeorge Clinton	1686	1761		[24]
30 July 1761		AnsonThe Lord Anson	1697	1762		[25]
17 December 1762		Rowley WilliamSir William Rowley	1690	1768	circa	[26]
15 January 1768		Hawke EdwardSir Edward Hawke (later The Lord Hawke)	1705	1781		[27]
24 October 1781		Luke O'KeefeJohn Forbes	1714	1796		[28]
12 March 1796		HoweThe Earl Howe	1726	1799		[29]
16 September 1799		Parker PeterSir Peter Parker, Bt.	1721	1811		[30]
24 December 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	[31]
19 July 1821		Saint VincentThe Earl of St Vincent	1735	1823	acting from May 1814	[32]
28 June 1830		Williams-Freeman WilliamWilliam Williams-Freeman	1742	1832		[33]
22 July 1830		GambierThe Lord Gambier	1756	1833		[34]
22 July 1830		Pole CharlesSir Charles Pole, Bt.	1757	1830		[34]
24 April 1833		Nugent CharlesSir Charles Nugent	1759	1844		[35]
8 January 1844		Hawkins-Whitshed JamesSir James Hawkins-Whitshed	1762	1849		[36]
9 November 1846		Martin GeorgeSir George Martin	1764	1847		[37]
13 October 1849		Martin ThomasSir Thomas Byam Martin	1773	1854		[38]
1 July 1851		Cockburn GeorgeSir George Cockburn (later the Cockburn Baronet)	1772	1853		[39]
8 December 1857		Ogle CharlesSir Charles Ogle, Bt.	1775	1858		[40]
25 June 1858		West JohnSir John West	1774	1862		[41]
20 May 1862		Gage WilliamSir William Gage	1777	1864		[42]
10 November 1862		Hamond GrahamSir Graham Hamond, Bt.	1779	1862		[43]
27 April 1863		Austen FrancisSir Francis Austen	1774	1865		[44]
27 April 1863		Parker WilliamSir William Parker, Bt.	1781	1866		[45]
11 January 1864		Curtis LuciusSir Lucius Curtis	1786	1869		[46]
12 September 1865		Cochrane ThomasSir Thomas Cochrane	1789	1872		[47]
30 November 1866		Seymour GeorgeSir George Seymour	1787	1870		[48]
30 January 1868		Gordon JamesSir James Gordon	1782	1869	on the Retired List	[49]
15 January 1869		Bowles WilliamSir William Bowles	1780	1869		[50]
2 July 1869		Sartorious GeorgeSir George Sartorius	1790	1885		[51]
21 January 1870		Moresby FairfaxSir Fairfax Moresby	1786	1877		[52]
20 October 1872		Stewart HoustonSir Houston Stewart	1791	1875		[53]
11 December 1875		Wallis ProvoSir Provo Wallis	1791	1892		[54]
22 January 1877		Codrington HenrySir Henry Codrington	1808	1877		[55]
5 August 1877		Keppel HenrySir Henry Keppel	1809	1904		[56]
27 December 1877		LauderdaleThe Earl of Lauderdale	1803	1878		[57]
27 December 1877		Mundy RodneySir Rodney Mundy	1805	1884		[57]
15 June 1879		Hope JamesSir James Hope	1808	1881		[58]
15 June 1879		Symonds ThomasSir Thomas Symonds	1813	1894		[58]
10 June 1881		Milne AlexanderSir Alexander Milne, Bt.	1806	1896	on the Retired List	[59]
1 December 1881		Elliot CharlesSir Charles Elliot	1818	1895		[60]
29 April 1885		Ryder AlfredSir Alfred Ryder	1820	1888		[61]
18 July 1887		WalesKing Edward VII	1841	1910	Honorary appointment to non-Navy royalty and at that time The Prince of Wales	[62]
1 May 1888		Hornby GeoffreySir Geoffrey Hornby	1825	1895		[63]
8 December 1888		Hay JohnLord John Hay	1827	1916	First Sea Lord 1886	[64]
2 August 1889		William IIEmperor William II	1859	1941	honorary, to foreign royalty	[65]
13 February 1892		Commerell JohnSir John Commerell	1829	1901		[66]
3 June 1893		EdinburghThe Duke of Edinburgh (later The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)	1844	1900		[67]
20 February 1895		ClanwilliamThe Earl of Clanwilliam	1832	1907		[68]
23 August 1897		Lyons AlgernonSir Algernon Lyons	1833	1908		[69]
29 November 1898		Richards FrederickSir Frederick Richards	1833	1912	First Sea Lord 1893–1899	[70]
13 January 1899		Salmon NowellSir Nowell Salmon	1835	1912		[71]
3 October 1902		Erskine JamesSir James Erskine	1838	1911		[72]
30 August 1903		Hotham CharlesSir Charles Hotham	1843	1925		[73]
16 June 1904		Kerr WalterLord Walter Kerr	1839	1927	First Sea Lord 1899–1904	[74]
20 February 1905		Seymour EdwardSir Edward Seymour	1840	1929		[75]
5 December 1905		Fisher JohnSir John Fisher (later The Lord Fisher)	1841	1920	First Sea Lord 1905–1910 and 1914–1915	[76]
1 March 1907		Wilson ArthurSir Arthur Wilson	1842	1921	First Sea Lord 1910–1911	[77]
11 June 1908		Nicholas IIHIM Tsar Nicholas II of Russia	1868	1918	honorary, to foreign royalty	[78]
2 December 1908		Noel GerardSir Gerard Noel	1845	1918		[79]
27 January 1910		Heinrich of PrussiaPrince Henry of Prussia	1862	1929	honorary, to foreign royalty	[80]
30 April 1910		Fanshawe ArthurSir Arthur Fanshawe	1847	1936		[81]
6 May 1910	George V	King George V	1865	1936		[82]
20 March 1913		May WilliamSir William May	1849	1930		[83]
5 March 1915		Meux HedworthSir Hedworth Meux	1856	1929		[84]
2 April 1917		Callaghan GeorgeSir George Callaghan	1852	1920		[85]
3 April 1919		JellicoeThe Viscount Jellicoe (later The Earl Jellicoe)	1859	1935	First Sea Lord 1916–1918	[86]
3 April 1919		Beatty DavidSir David Beatty (later The Earl Beatty)	1871	1936	First Sea Lord 1919–1927	[87]
31 July 1919		Jackson HenrySir Henry Jackson	1855	1929	First Sea Lord 1915–1916	[88] Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Admiral_of_the_Fleet_(Royal_Navy) Text je dostupný za podmienok Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0 Unported; prípadne za ďalších podmienok. Podrobnejšie informácie nájdete na stránke Podmienky použitia.  Navigácia: Veda > Analytika Antropológia Aplikované vedy Bibliometria Dejiny vedy Encyklopédie Filozofia vedy Forenzné vedy Humanitné vedy Knižničná veda Kryogenika Kryptológia Kulturológia Literárna veda Medzidisciplinárne oblasti Metódy kvantitatívnej analýzy Metavedy Metodika Metodológia vedy Náboženstvo a veda Náučná literatúra Podvody vo vede Popularizácia vedy Potravinárstvo Prírodné vedy Pseudoveda Scientometria Spoločenské vedy Teórie Teatrológia Technické vedy Technika Terminológia Umenie Výskum Veda Veda a technika podľa štátu Veda a technika podľa kontinentu Veda a technika podľa roka Veda v kozme Vedci Vedecká literatúra Vedecké databázy Vedecké experimenty Vedecké konferencie Vedecké metódy Vedecké ocenenia Vedecké organizácie Vedecké parky Vedeckí spisovatelia Vzdelávanie Záhady Príbuzné výrazy: Text je dostupný za podmienok Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0 Unported; prípadne za ďalších podmienok. Podrobnejšie informácie nájdete na stránke Podmienky použitia. www.astronomia.sk | www.biologia.sk | www.botanika.sk | www.dejiny.sk | www.economy.sk | www.elektrotechnika.sk | www.estetika.sk | www.farmakologia.sk | www.filozofia.sk | Fyzika | www.futurologia.sk | www.genetika.sk | www.chemia.sk | www.lingvistika.sk | www.politologia.sk | www.psychologia.sk | www.sexuologia.sk | www.sociologia.sk | www.veda.sk I www.zoologia.sk