First Sea Lord

First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS)
Ensign of the Royal Navy
Incumbent Admiral Sir George Zambellas since April 2013
Ministry of Defence
Member of	Defence Council Admiralty Board
Reports to	Chief of the Defence Staff
Nominator	Secretary of State for Defence
Appointer	Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council
Term length	Not fixed (typically 4-5 years)
Inaugural holder	John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher
Formation	1904
Website	Official Website

The First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff (1SL/CNS).^[1][2] is the professional head of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; originally the title was the First Naval Lord.^[3] The concept of a professional "First Naval Lord" was introduced in 1805 and the title of the First Naval Lord was changed to "First Sea Lord" on the appointment of Sir Jackie Fisher in 1904. From 1923 onward, the First Sea Lord was a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee; he now sits on the Defence Council and the Admiralty Board.^[4]

The current First Sea Lord is

First Sea Lords of the Royal Navy First Naval Lords (1828–1904) Sir George Cockburn Sir Thomas Hardy The Hon. George Dundas Charles Adam Sir George Cockburn Sir Charles Adam Sir George Cockburn Sir William Parker Sir Charles Adam Sir James Dundas The Hon. Maurice Berkeley Hyde Parker The Hon. Maurice Berkeley The Hon. Sir Richard Dundas William Martin The Hon. Sir Richard Dundas The Hon. Sir Frederick Grey Sir Alexander Milne Sir Sydney Dacres Sir Alexander Milne Sir Hastings Yelverton Sir George Wellesley Sir Astley Key Sir Arthur Hood Lord John Hay Sir Arthur Hood Sir Richard Hamilton Sir Anthony Hoskins Sir Frederick Richards Lord Walter Kerr First Sea Lords (1904–present) Sir John Fisher Sir Arthur Wilson Sir Francis Bridgeman Prince Louis of Battenberg The Lord Fisher Sir Henry Jackson Sir John Jellicoe Sir Rosslyn Wemyss The Earl Beatty Sir Charles Madden, Bt Sir Frederick Field The Lord Chatfield Sir Roger Backhouse Sir Dudley Pound The Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope Sir John Cunningham The Lord Fraser of North Cape Sir Rhoderick McGrigor The Earl Mountbatten of Burma Sir Charles Lambe Sir Caspar John Sir David Luce Sir Varyl Begg Sir Michael Le Fanu Sir Peter Hill-Norton Sir Michael Pollock Sir Edward Ashmore Sir Terence Lewin Sir Henry Leach Sir John Fieldhouse Sir William Staveley Sir Julian Oswald Sir Benjamin Bathurst Sir Jock Slater Sir Michael Boyce Sir Nigel Essenhigh Sir Alan West Sir Jonathon Band Sir Mark Stanhope Sir George Zambellas

• Mackay, Ruddock F. (1973). Fisher of Kilverstone. London: Oxford University Press.  

• Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd.  

Sources

Citations

Notes

• Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
• Second Sea Lord
• Third Sea Lord
• Fourth Sea Lord
• Fifth Sea Lord

See also

In John Buchan's novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), the First Sea Lord is named as Lord Alloa, an impostor of whom Richard Hannay recognizes at a meeting as a spy and recent pursuer of his. Hannay describes Lord Alloa as recognizable from news pictures for his "beard cut like a spade, the firm fighting mouth, the blunt square nose, and the keen blue eyes...the man, they say, that made the New British Navy".^[45] The real First Sea Lord at the time the story is set (early summer 1914) was Prince Louis of Battenberg, coincidentally also bearded.

Fictional First Sea Lords

Rank	Name	Image	In office	Notes	Reference
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir John Fisher		21 October 1904 – 25 January 1910		[9]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Arthur Wilson		25 January 1910 – 5 December 1911		[10]
Admiral	Sir Francis Bridgeman		5 December 1911 – 9 December 1912		[11]
Admiral	Prince Louis of Battenberg		9 December 1912 – 30 October 1914		[12]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir John Fisher		30 October 1914 – 15 May 1915		[13]
Admiral	Sir Henry Jackson		15 May 1915 – 30 November 1916		[14]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir John Jellicoe		30 November 1916 – 10 January 1918		[15]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Rosslyn Wemyss		10 January 1918 – 1 November 1919		[16]
Admiral of the Fleet	The Earl Beatty		1 November 1919 – 30 July 1927		[17]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Charles Madden		30 July 1927 – 30 July 1930		[18]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Frederick Field		30 July 1930 – 21 January 1933		[19]
Admiral of the Fleet	The Lord Chatfield		21 January 1933 – 7 September 1938		[20]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Roger Backhouse		7 September 1938 – 12 June 1939		[21]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Dudley Pound		12 June 1939 – 15 October 1943		[22]
Admiral of the Fleet	The Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope		15 October 1943 – 24 May 1946		[23]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir John Cunningham		24 May 1946 – 29 September 1948		[24]
Admiral of the Fleet	The Lord Fraser of North Cape		29 September 1948 – 20 December 1951		[25]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Rhoderick McGrigor		20 December 1951 – 18 April 1955		[26]
Admiral of the Fleet	The Earl Mountbatten of Burma		18 April 1955 – 19 October 1959		[27]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Charles Lambe		19 October 1959 – 23 May 1960		[28]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Caspar John		23 May 1960 – 7 August 1963		[29]
Admiral	Sir David Luce		7 August 1963 – March 1966		[30]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Varyl Begg		March 1966 – August 1968		[31]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Michael Le Fanu		August 1968 – July 1970		[32]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Peter Hill-Norton		July 1970 – March 1971		[33]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Michael Pollock		March 1971 – March 1974		[34]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Edward Ashmore		March 1974 – March 1977		[35]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Terence Lewin		March 1977 – July 1979		[36]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Henry Leach		July 1979 – December 1982		[37]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir John Fieldhouse		December 1982 – August 1985		[38]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir William Staveley		August 1985 – May 1989		[39]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Julian Oswald		May 1989 – March 1993		[40]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Benjamin Bathurst		March 1993 – July 1995		[41]
Admiral	Sir Jock Slater		July 1995 – October 1998		[42]
Admiral	Sir Michael Boyce		October 1998 – January 2001		[42]
Admiral	Sir Nigel Essenhigh		January 2001 – September 2002		[43]
Admiral	Sir Alan West		September 2002 – February 2006		[42]
Admiral	Sir Jonathon Band		February 2006 – July 2009		[42]
Admiral	Sir Mark Stanhope		July 2009 – April 2013		[42]
Admiral	Sir George Zambellas		April 2013 – Present		[44]

First Sea Lords, 1904–present

Rank	Name	Image	In office	Notes	Reference
Vice Admiral	Sir George Cockburn		19 September 1828 – 25 November 1830		[5]
Rear Admiral	Sir Thomas Hardy		25 November 1830 – 1 August 1834		[5]
Rear Admiral	The Hon. Sir George Dundas		1 August 1834 – 1 November 1834		[5]
Rear Admiral	Sir Charles Adam		1 November 1834 – 23 December 1834		[5]
Vice Admiral	Sir George Cockburn		23 December 1834 – 25 April 1835		[5]
Vice Admiral	Sir Charles Adam		25 April 1835 – 8 September 1841		[5]
Admiral	Sir George Cockburn		8 September 1841 – 13 July 1846		[5]
Vice Admiral	Sir William Parker		13 July 1846 – 24 July 1846		[5]
Vice Admiral	Sir Charles Adam		24 July 1846 – 20 July 1847		[5]
Rear Admiral	Admiral Sir James Dundas		20 July 1847 – 13 February 1852		[5]
Rear Admiral	The Hon. Maurice Fitzhardinge Berkeley		13 February 1852 – 2 March 1852		[5]
Vice Admiral	Hyde Parker		2 March 1852 – 26 May 1854		[5]
Vice Admiral	The Hon. Maurice Fitzhardinge Berkeley		26 May 1854 – 24 November 1857		[5]
Vice Admiral	The Hon. Sir Richard Saunders Dundas		24 November 1857 – 8 March 1858		[5]
Vice Admiral	Sir William Martin		8 March 1858 – 28 June 1859		[5]
Vice Admiral	The Hon. Sir Richard Saunders Dundas		28 June 1859 – 15 June 1861		[5]
Admiral	The Hon. Sir Frederick Grey		15 June 1861 – 13 July 1866		[5]
Vice Admiral	Sir Alexander Milne		13 July 1866 – 18 December 1868		[5]
Admiral	Sir Sydney Dacres		18 December 1868 – 27 November 1872		[5]
Admiral	Sir Alexander Milne		27 November 1872 – 7 September 1876		[7]
Admiral	Sir Hastings Yelverton		7 September 1876 – 5 November 1877		[7]
Admiral	Sir George Wellesley		5 November 1877 – 12 August 1879		[7]
Admiral	Sir Astley Cooper Key		12 August 1879 – 1 July 1885		[7]
Admiral	Sir Arthur Hood		1 July 1885 – 15 February 1886		[7]
Admiral	Lord John Hay		15 February 1886 – 9 August 1886		[7]
Admiral	Sir Arthur Hood		9 August 1886 – 24 October 1889		[7]
Admiral	Sir Richard Hamilton		24 October 1889 – 28 September 1891		[7]
Admiral	Sir Anthony Hoskins		28 September 1891 – 1 November 1893		[7]
Admiral of the Fleet	Sir Frederick Richards		1 November 1893 – 19 August 1899		[7]
Admiral of the Fleet	Lord Walter Kerr		19 August 1899 – 21 October 1904		[8]

First Naval Lords, 1828–1904

Under the current organisation, the First Sea Lord sits on both the Defence Council^[2] and the Admiralty Board.^[2]

In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were assigned to each of the 'Naval' Lords, who were described as 'Professional' Lords, leaving to the 'Civil' Lords the routine business of signing documents.^[5] The title of the First Naval Lord was changed to First Sea Lord on the appointment of Sir Jackie Fisher in 1904.^[6] From 1923 onward, the First Sea Lord was a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee; and from 1923 to 1959 in rotation with the representatives of the other services (the Chief of the Imperial General Staff and Chief of the Air Staff) would serve as the chairman of that committee and head of all British armed forces.^[a] The title was retained when the Board of Admiralty was abolished in 1964 and its functions integrated into the Ministry of Defence.

Lords High Admiral were appointed from the 15th century until the 18th, and Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty from the 17th century, as the governors of the English and later British Royal Navy. From 1683 to 1684, there were seven paid Commissioners and one supernumerary Commissioner who served without salary. The number varied between five and seven Commissioners through the 18th century. The standing of all the Commissioners was in theory the same, although the First Commissioner or First Lord exercised an ascendancy over his colleagues from an early date.^[5]

History

[4]