47-663: Admiral of the Fleet The Honourable Sir Somerset Arthur Gough-Calthorpe GCB , GCMG , CVO , DL (23 December 1864 – 27 July 1937), sometimes known as Sir Somerset Calthorpe , was a Royal Navy officer and a member of the Gough-Calthorpe family . After serving as a junior officer during the Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War , he became naval attaché observing
94-671: A former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Defence Staff, was also appointed an honorary admiral of the fleet. Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet , also known as the Mediterranean Station , was a formation of the Royal Navy . The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between the United Kingdom and
141-431: A large number of smaller warships. On 22 June 1893, the bulk of the fleet, eight battleships and three large cruisers , were conducting their annual summer exercises off Tripoli , Lebanon , when the fleet's flagship, the battleship HMS Victoria , collided with the battleship HMS Camperdown . Victoria sank within fifteen minutes, taking 358 crew with her. Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon , commander of
188-536: 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. The origins of
235-713: The British Mandate of Palestine , Ocean , four destroyers, and two frigates escorted the departing High Commissioner, aboard the cruiser Euryalus . The force stayed to cover the evacuation of British troops into the Haifa enclave and south via Gaza. From 1952 to 1967, the post of Commander in Chief Mediterranean Fleet was given a dual-hatted role as NATO Commander in Chief of Allied Forces Mediterranean in charge of all forces assigned to NATO in
282-512: The Corfu Channel Incident . The channel was cleared in "Operation Recoil" the next month, involving 11 minesweepers under the guidance of Ocean , two cruisers, three destroyers, and three frigates. In May 1948, Sir Arthur Power took over as Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean, and in his first act arranged a show of force to discourage the crossing of Jewish refugees into Palestine . When later that year Britain pulled out of
329-549: The French Navy , took part in the Suez War against Egypt . From 1957 to 1959, Rear Admiral Charles Madden held the post of Flag Officer, Malta , with responsibilities for three squadrons of minesweepers, an amphibious warfare squadron, and a flotilla of submarines stationed at the bases around Valletta Harbour. In this capacity, he had to employ considerable diplomatic skill to maintain good relations with Dom Mintoff ,
376-767: The Russo-Japanese War . He became commanding officer of the armoured cruiser HMS Roxburgh in November 1905 and then, having been appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order on 25 September 1906, he became commanding officer of the battleship HMS Hindustan in December 1907. He then became Captain of the Fleet for the Home Fleet in the battleship HMS Dreadnought in December 1909. He
423-612: The War of Spanish Succession , and formally allocated to Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht . Though the British had maintained a naval presence in the Mediterranean before, the capture of Gibraltar allowed the British to establish their first naval base there. The British also used Port Mahon , on the island of Menorca , as a naval base . However, British control there was only temporary; Menorca changed hands numerous times, and
470-679: 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
517-926: The sinking of the RMS Titanic . Gough-Calthorpe became commander of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet , with his flag in the armoured cruiser HMS Shannon , in July 1914 on the outbreak of the First World War . Advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1916, he became Second Sea Lord in July 1916 and Admiral commanding the Coastguard and Reserves in December 1916. Promoted to vice-admiral on 26 April 1917, he became Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet , with his flag in
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#1732800867761564-688: The torpedo gunboat HMS Halcyon in the Mediterranean Fleet in September 1900. He went on to be commanding officer of the cruiser HMS Pandora during propeller trials at Portsmouth in July 1901, and, having been promoted to captain on 1 January 1902 and having attended a course at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich , he became naval attaché observing the actions of the Imperial Russian Navy during
611-540: The 1860s and 1900s, the British undertook a number of projects to improve the harbours and dockyard facilities, and Malta's harbours were sufficient to allow the entire fleet to be safely moored there. In the last decade of the nineteenth century, the Mediterranean Fleet was the largest single squadron of the Royal Navy, with ten first-class battleships—double the number in the Channel Fleet —and
658-535: The C-in-C Mediterranean Fleet moved his HQ afloat on board HMS Warspite until April 1940. He was then back onshore at Malta until February 1941. He transferred it again to HMS Warspite until July 1942. In August 1942 headquarters were moved to Alexandria where they remained from June 1940 to February 1943. HQ was changed again but this time in rotation between Algiers and Taranto until June 1944. It then moved back to Malta until it
705-452: The Isle of Wight on 27 July 1937. Gough-Calthorpe married at St George's, Hanover Square , London on 27 February 1900 Effie Dunsmuir, daughter of Hon. Robert Dunsmuir , of Craigdarroch Castle , Victoria, British Columbia , and his wife, Joan White, daughter of Alexander White, of Kilmarnock , Scotland. They had no children. Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy) Admiral of the Fleet
752-698: The Mediterranean Area. The British made strong representations within NATO in discussions regarding the development of the Mediterranean NATO command structure, wishing to retain their direction of NATO naval command in the Mediterranean to protect their sea lines of communication running through the Mediterranean to the Middle East and Far East. When a NATO naval commander, Admiral Robert B. Carney , C-in-C Allied Forces Southern Europe ,
799-665: The Mediterranean Fleet carried out a successful aircraft carrier attack on the Italian Fleet at Taranto by air . Other major actions included the Battle of Cape Matapan and the Battle of Crete . The Fleet had to block Italian and later German reinforcements and supplies for the North African Campaign . In October 1946, Saumarez hit a mine in the Corfu Channel, starting a series of events known as
846-501: The Mediterranean Fleet, was among the dead. Of the three original Invincible -class battlecruisers which entered service in the first half of 1908, two ( Inflexible and Indomitable ) joined the Mediterranean Fleet in 1914. They and Indefatigable formed the nucleus of the fleet at the start of the First World War when British forces pursued the German ships Goeben and Breslau . A recently modernised Warspite became
893-552: The Mediterranean for particular operations were styled differently see notes next to their listing The first Commander-in-Chief for the Mediterranean Fleet may have been named as early as 1665. Commanders-in-chief have included: In January 1944 the two separate commands were re-unified with the Flag Officer, Levant and East Mediterranean (FOLEM) reporting to the C-in-C Mediterranean. The Chief of Staff
940-778: The Ottoman Empire and the allied intervention in the Russian Civil War . Appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George on 1 January 1919 and promoted to full admiral on 31 July 1919, he became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in April 1920. He also became naval representative to the Permanent Armaments Commission of the League of Nations in July 1920. Gough-Calthorpe
987-664: The Training Squadron in September 1885 and, after further promotion to lieutenant on 19 March 1886, he transferred to the battleship HMS Colossus in June 1886. After attending the torpedo school HMS Vernon , he joined the directing staff there in 1890 and was then in August 1891 was deployed to Hong Kong on torpedo duties, before rejoining the directing staff at HMS Vernon in January 1894. He became torpedo officer in
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#17328008677611034-504: The actions of the Imperial Russian Navy during the Russo-Japanese War and then went on to command an armoured cruiser and then a battleship during the early years of the 20th century. During the First World War Gough-Calthorpe initially served as commander of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet , then became Second Sea Lord and after that became Admiral commanding the Coastguard and Reserves. In
1081-517: 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
1128-663: The battleship HMS Superb , in July 1917. In that capacity he established a complex convoy system to protect British and allied shipping at sea in the Mediterranean from attack by enemy submarines . He went on to sign the Armistice of Mudros on behalf of all the Allies on 30 October 1918, by which the Ottoman Empire accepted defeat and ceased hostilities. Georges Clemenceau , Prime Minister of France , complained that Admiral Dominique-Marie Gauchet had not been present at
1175-520: The closing years of the War he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet , in which capacity he signed the Armistice of Mudros on behalf of all the Allies, by which the Ottoman Empire accepted defeat and ceased hostilities. The Occupation of Constantinople began with the Allied fleet entering Constantinople in November 1918 and it was Gough-Calthorpe's flagship, HMS Superb , that led
1222-650: The cruiser HMS St George on the Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station in October 1894 and saw action with naval brigades during the Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War . Promoted to commander on 1 January 1896, Gough-Calthorpe became Executive Officer in the armoured cruiser HMS Imperieuse , flagship of the Pacific Station , in March 1896. After another tour at HMS Vernon , he became commanding officer of
1269-710: The flagship of the Commander-in-Chief and Second-in-Command , Mediterranean Fleet in 1926. Malta , as part of the British Empire from 1814, was a shipping station and was the headquarters for the Mediterranean Fleet until the mid-1930s. Due to the perceived threat of air-attack from the Italian mainland, the fleet was moved to Alexandria , Egypt , shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Sir Andrew Cunningham took command of
1316-573: 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. The Restoration era brought a general reorganisation of naval ranks and structure, including formalisation of
1363-439: The fleet from Warspite on 3 September 1939, and under him the major formations of the Fleet were the 1st Battle Squadron ( Warspite , Barham , and Malaya ) 1st Cruiser Squadron ( Devonshire , Shropshire , and Sussex ), 3rd Cruiser Squadron ( Arethusa , Penelope , Galatea ), Rear Admiral John Tovey , with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Destroyer Flotillas, and the aircraft carrier Glorious . In 1940,
1410-703: 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 [has] 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
1457-614: The majority of the British Empire in the Eastern Hemisphere. The first Commander-in-Chief for the Mediterranean Fleet was the appointment of General at Sea Robert Blake in September 1654 (styled as Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet). The Fleet was in existence until 1967. The Royal Navy gained a foothold in the Mediterranean Sea when Gibraltar was captured by the British in 1704 during
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1504-530: The mid-1960s the permanent strength of the Fleet was "reduced to a single small escort squadron [appears to have been 30th Escort Squadron with HMS Brighton , HMS Cassandra , HMS Aisne plus another ship] and a coastal minesweeper squadron." Deployments to the Beira Patrol and elsewhere reduced the escort total in 1966 from four to two ships, and then to no frigates at all. The Fleet's assets and area of responsibility were absorbed into
1551-614: The nationalistic prime minister of Malta . In the 1960s, as the importance of maintaining the link between the United Kingdom and British territories and commitments East of Suez decreased as the Empire was dismantled, and the focus of Cold War naval responsibilities moved to the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean Fleet was gradually drawn down, finally disbanding in June 1967. Eric Grove, in Vanguard to Trident , details how by
1598-461: The new Western Fleet . As a result of this change, the UK relinquished the NATO post of Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Mediterranean , which was abolished. Note: This list is incomplete. The majority of officers listed were appointed as Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Sea sometimes Commander-in-Chief, at the Mediterranean Sea earlier officers appointed to command either fleets/squadrons stationed in
1645-547: 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
1692-546: 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. 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
1739-471: The treaty signing but the British Government gave Gough-Calthorpe its full backing. When the Allied fleet steamed into Constantinople in November 1918, it was Gough-Calthorpe's flagship, HMS Superb , that led the way. Gough-Calthorpe became British Commissioner in the Ottoman Empire at the end of the War during a time of considerable political instability associated with the partitioning of
1786-492: The way. After the War Gough-Calthorpe served as British Commissioner in the Ottoman Empire during a time of considerable political instability associated with the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire and the allied intervention in the Russian Civil War . Born the son of Lieutenant-General Somerset Gough-Calthorpe, 7th Baron Calthorpe , by his marriage to Eliza Maria Chamier, His grandfather on his mother's side
1833-432: 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 Lord—e.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
1880-422: Was advanced to Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on 2 August 1910. Promoted to rear admiral on 27 August 1911 and, having been appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 27 September 1912, he became second-in-command of the 1st Battle Squadron , with his flag in the battleship HMS St Vincent , in December 1912. In 1912, he was appointed as one of the assessors assisting the British inquiry into
1927-425: Was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 3 June 1922, appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the Isle of Wight on 14 February 1924 and appointed First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King on 31 July 1924. Promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 8 May 1925, he retired in May 1930 and, having been appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Southampton on 26 March 1932, died at his home in Ryde on
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1974-403: 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 ,
2021-411: Was appointed, relations with the incumbent British C-in-C, Admiral Sir John Edelsten , were frosty. Edlesten, on making an apparently friendly offer of the use of communications facilities to Carney, who initially lacked secure communications facilities, was met with "I'm not about to play Faust to your Mephistopheles through the medium of communications!" In 1956, ships of the fleet, together with
2068-414: 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 Charles Ogle . The organisation of the British fleet into coloured squadrons
2115-424: Was permanently ceded to Spain in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens . In 1800, the British took Malta , which was to be handed over to the Knights of Malta under the Treaty of Amiens. When the Napoleonic Wars resumed in 1803, the British kept Malta for use as a naval base. Following Napoleon's defeat, the British continued their presence in Malta, and turned it into the main base for the Mediterranean Fleet. Between
2162-427: Was the novelist Captain Frederick Chamier RN. Gough-Calthorpe joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in the training ship HMS Britannia on 15 January 1878. Promoted to midshipman on 19 March 1880, he was appointed to the armoured cruiser HMS Northampton , flagship of the North America and West Indies Station later that year. Promoted to sub-lieutenant on 19 March 1884, he joined the corvette HMS Rover in
2209-418: Was the principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide-de-camp to the Commander-in-Chief. The Mediterranean Fleets shore headquarters was initially based at Port Mahon Dockyard , Minorca for most of the eighteenth century. It rotated between Gibraltar and Malta from 1791 to 1812. From 1813 to July 1939 it was permanently at Malta Dockyard . In August 1939
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