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Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and Chief of the Naval Staff
Vice Admiral insignia
Vice Admiral flag
Incumbent Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee since 30 May 2022
Royal Canadian Navy
Type	Commissioned officer
Status	Currently constituted
Abbreviation	Comd RCN
Reports to	Chief of the Defence Staff
Seat	Naval Staff HQ, NDHQ, Ottawa
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Precursor	Chief of the Maritime Staff
First holder	Admiral Sir Charles Kingsmill
Deputy	Deputy Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy/Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff
Website	Official website

The Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (French: Commandant de la Marine royale canadienne) is the institutional head of the Royal Canadian Navy. This appointment also includes the title Chief of the Naval Staff and is based at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario. This individual reports to the Chief of the Defence Staff, who then responds to the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces.

History of the position

The appointment was entitled Director of the Naval Service from 1910 to 1928 and then Chief of the Naval Staff from 1928 to 1964. In August 1964 the position of Chief of the Naval Staff was abolished. Responsibility for naval matters was split between the newly established Defence Staff in Ottawa and operational headquarters in Halifax (for Flag Officer Atlantic Coast) and Esquimalt (for Flag Officer Pacific Coast). The appointment was entitled Commander of Maritime Command from 1966 to 1997 and Chief of the Maritime Staff from 1997 to 2011. In 2011 Maritime Command was renamed the Royal Canadian Navy at which time the appointment was renamed to its present incarnation.

Appointees

The following table lists all those who have held the post of Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy or its preceding positions. Ranks and honours are as at the completion of their tenure:

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office
Director of the Naval Service
1		Kingsmill, CharlesAdmiral Sir C.E. Kingsmill (1855–1935)	5 May 1910	31 December 1920	10 years, 7 months
2		Hose, W.Commodore W. Hose (1875–1965)	1 January 1921	6 March 1928	7 years, 2 months
Chief of the Naval Staff
1		Hose, W.Rear Admiral W. Hose (1875–1965)	7 March 1928	31 December 1933	5 years, 9 months
-		Hose, W.Captain P.W. Nelles (1892–1951) Acting	1 January 1934	1 July 1934	6 months
2		Hose, W.Vice Admiral P.W. Nelles (1892–1951)	1 July 1934	15 January 1944	9 years, 6 months
3		Jones, GeorgeVice Admiral G.C. Jones (1895–1946)	15 January 1944	8 February 1946 †	2 years
4		Reid, H.Vice Admiral H.E. Reid (1897–1962)	28 February 1946	1 September 1947	1 year, 6 months
5		Grant, H.Vice Admiral H.T.W. Grant (1899–1965)	1 September 1947	1 December 1951	4 years, 3 months
6		Mainguy, E.Vice Admiral E.R. Mainguy (1901–1979)	1 December 1951	16 January 1956	4 years, 1 month
7		DeWolf, H.Vice Admiral H.G. DeWolf (1903–2000)	16 January 1956	1 August 1960	4 years, 6 months
8		DeWolf, H.Vice Admiral H.S. Rayner (1911–1976)	1 August 1960	1 August 1964	4 years
Principal Naval Adviser
1		Dyer, K.L.Vice Admiral K.L. Dyer (1915–2000)	1 August 1964	16 July 1966	1 year, 11 months
2		Hennessy, R.L.Vice Admiral R.L. Hennessy (1918–2014)	16 July 1966	15 September 1968	2 years, 1 month
Commander of Maritime Command
1		Landymore, W.M.Rear Admiral W.M. Landymore (1916–2008)	1 January 1966	19 July 1966	6 months
2		O'Brien, J.C.Vice Admiral J.C. O'Brien (1918–1996)	19 July 1966	6 July 1970	3 years, 11 months
3		Porter, H.A.Vice Admiral H.A. Porter (1922–2016)	6 July 1970	18 October 1971	1 year, 3 months
4		Timbrell, R.W.Rear Admiral R.W. Timbrell (1920–2006)	18 October 1971	21 August 1973	1 year, 10 months
5		Boyle, DouglasVice Admiral D.S. Boyle (1923–2001)	21 August 1973	14 June 1977	3 years, 9 months
6		Collier, AndrewVice Admiral A.L. Collier (1924–1987)	15 June 1977	30 June 1979	2 years
7		Allan, JohnVice Admiral J. Allan (1928–2014)	1 July 1979	5 August 1980	1 year, 1 month
8		Fulton, AndrewVice Admiral J.A. Fulton (1927–2021)	6 August 1980	29 July 1983	2 years, 11 months
9		Wood, JamesVice Admiral J.C. Wood (born 1934)	29 July 1983	3 July 1987	3 years, 11 months
10		Thomas, CharlesVice Admiral C.M.W. Thomas (born 1936)	3 July 1987	1 August 1989	2 years
11		George, RobertVice Admiral R.E. George (born 1940)	1 August 1989	12 July 1991	1 year, 11 months
12		Anderson, JohnVice Admiral J.R. Anderson (born 1941)	12 July 1991	14 July 1992	1 year
13		Cairns, PeterVice Admiral P.W. Cairns (1938–2023)	14 July 1992	28 July 1994	2 years
14		Murray, LarryVice Admiral L.E. Murray (born 1947)	28 July 1994	27 June 1995	10 months
15		Mason, LynnVice Admiral L.G. Mason (born 1942)	27 June 1995	9 January 1997	1 year, 6 months
Chief of the Maritime Staff
1		Garnett, G.Vice Admiral G.L. Garnett (born 1944)	9 January 1997	24 September 1997	8 months
2		Maddison, G.Vice Admiral G.R. Maddison (born 1949)	24 September 1997	21 June 2001	3 years, 8 months
3		Buck, R.Vice Admiral R.D. Buck	21 June 2001	25 August 2004	3 years, 2 months
4		MacLean, M.Vice Admiral M.B. MacLean	25 August 2004	17 January 2006	1 year, 4 months
5		Robertson, D.Vice Admiral D.W. Robertson	17 January 2006	22 June 2009	3 years, 5 months
6		McFadden, P.Vice Admiral P.D. McFadden (born 1957)	22 June 2009	22 July 2011	2 years, 1 month
Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy
1		Maddison, P.Vice Admiral P.A. Maddison	22 July 2011	20 June 2013	1 year, 10 months
2		Norman, M.Vice Admiral M.A.G. Norman (born 1964)	20 June 2013	23 June 2016	3 years
3		Lloyd, M.Vice Admiral M.F.R. Lloyd (born 1963)	23 June 2016	12 June 2019	2 years, 11 months
4		McDonald A.G.Vice Admiral A.G. McDonald (born 1967)	12 June 2019	12 January 2021	1 year, 7 months
5		Baines, C.A.Vice Admiral C.A. Baines (born c. 1960s)	12 January 2021	30 May 2022	1 year, 4 months
6		Angus TopsheeVice Admiral A. Topshee (born 1971)	30 May 2022	Incumbent	2 years, 7 months

See also

• Chief of the Defence Staff, the second most senior member of the Canadian Forces after the Commander-in-Chief
• Commander of the Canadian Army, the institutional head of the Canadian Army.
• Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, the institutional head of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Notes

1. The Royal Canadian Navy had no official head between August 1964, when the position of Chief of the Naval Staff was abolished, and January 1966, when the position of Commander of Maritime Command was established. In February 1968 the Royal Canadian Navy ceased to exist after it was unified with the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force to form the Canadian Forces.
2. In January 1966 he was appointed as the first Commander Maritime Command, in which position he served until he was encouraged to take an early retirement in July 1966, after a disagreement with the Minister of National Defence over the continuation of the traditional naval identity.
3. In the rank of Rear Admiral between 1966–1968 and Vice-Admiral between 1968–1970.

References

1. Whitby, et al., eds. "The Admirals", p. 357. Dundurn Press, 2006.
2. Canadian Navy, Air Force 'Royal' Again With Official Name Change Huffington Post, 15 August 2011
3. DSA Vice-Admiral Maddison Archived June 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
4. "List of Commanders of the Royal Canadian Navy". Canadian Government. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2020.

• Military appointments of Canada
• Commanders of the Royal Canadian Navy
• Navy chiefs of staff
• Naval appointments