Misplaced Pages

Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
(Redirected from Plymouth Command) Former senior position in the Royal Navy

Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
HMS Impregnable, flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, circa 1900
Active1743–1845, 1896-1969
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeFleet
Garrison/HQMount Wise, Plymouth
Military unit

The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this office was renamed Commander-in-Chief, Devonport. The Commanders-in-Chief were based in what is now Hamoaze House, Devonport, Plymouth, from 1809 to 1934 and then at Admiralty House, Mount Wise, Devonport, from 1934 until 1996.

History

Hamoaze House, formerly Admiralty House, on Mount Wise (centre)

The post dates back to around 1743. It extended along the South Coast from Exmouth in East Devon to Penzance in Cornwall. In 1845, this office was renamed as Commander-in-Chief, Devonport, until 1896, when it was altered back to its original name. In 1941, during World War II, elements of Plymouth Command were transferred to Western Approaches Command which was established at Derby House in Liverpool. Meanwhile, Plymouth Command occupied a new combined Headquarters, known as the Maritime Headquarters, at Mount Wise. The post of Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was merged with that of Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, in 1969, to form Naval Home Command. Between 1952 and 1969, the Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, double-hatted as Plymouth Sub-Area Channel Command (PLYMCHAN) commander in NATO's Allied Command Channel, and from 1969 to 1994, he double-hatted as Naval Base Commander Devonport, NATO Commander Central Sub-Area (CENTLANT) and Commander Plymouth Sub-Area Channel (PLYMCHAN).

After 1969, Admiralty House and the Maritime Headquarters became the home of the Flag Officer, Plymouth, until that post was also disbanded in 1996. At around the same time the nearby RN Dockyard and barracks were reconstituted as HM Naval Base Devonport and placed under the command of a Commodore.

Office holders

Commanders-in-Chief and Flag Officers have included:
NoN = died in post

Office is renamed Commander-in-Chief, Devonport

Post 1969 period

On 30 December 1970, Vice-Admiral J R McKaig CBE was appointed as Port Admiral, Her Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport, and Flag Officer, Plymouth. On 5 September 1971, all Flag Officers of the Royal Navy holding positions of Admiral Superintendents at Royal Dockyards were restyled as Port Admirals.

See also

References

  1. "Mount Wise, Plymouth Heritage Statement" (PDF). Plymouth City Council. November 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015.
  2. "Other Data". Naval Biographical Database. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  3. "Nore, Dover, Portsmouth and Plymouth Commands, January 1942". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  4. "Plymouth Maritime Headquarters - Mount Wise (1)". Subterranea Britannica. 13 December 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Plymouth Maritime Headquarters - Mount Wise (2)". Subterranea Britannica. 13 December 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  6. "Port Admirals (Commanders-in-Chief) Portsmouth (1714–1931)". History in Portsmouth. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  7. Sokolsky, Joel J. (2021). Seapower in the Nuclear Age: The United States Navy and NATO 1949-80. Taylor and Francis. p. 37. ISBN 978-1000263091.
  8. Whitaker's Almanacks 1869–1969
  9. "Principal Royal Navy Commanders-in-Chief 1830–1899". PDavis.nl. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  10. Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments" (PDF). Gulabin.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  11. "Dockyard Timeline: 1971 – Admiral Superintendents become Port Admirals". Portsmouth Royal Dockyard Historical Trust. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
Navy Department (Ministry of Defence)
political head
ministers
governance
military head
office of the
first sea lord
under
Vice & Deputy Chief of Naval Staff
Air, Operations, Plans, Policy
requirements, warfare
naval staff
directorates
offices & branches
naval personnel
naval personnel
department
controller
controllers department
navy controllerate
naval supplies and transport
fleet support hq
naval support command
under
naval supplies and transport
fleet support hq
naval support command
chief scientists
department
under
chief scientists department
naval home command
Shore units
under Naval Home Command
Fleets
under
c-in-c, fleet
under
c-in-c home fleet, far east fleet
mediterranean fleet, western fleet
civil administration
navy department
under
civil administration
  • Department of the Permanent Under-Secretary of State (Royal Navy)
  • Department of the Permanent Under-Secretary of State (Administration)
  • Greenwich Hospital Department
Naval Legal
Department of Admiralty
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
Direction/Command of the Fleet
Naval formations after 1707
Naval formations before 1707
Direction of Naval Finance
Departments under the
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary
Direction of Naval Administration
and the Admiralty Secretariat
Branches and offices under the
Permanent Secretary
Civil Administration
Departments under the
Civil Lords
Legal
United Kingdom Historic fleets and naval commands of the Royal Navy
North and Irish Seas and English Channel
Atlantic Ocean
Baltic, Black, Caspian, and Mediterranean Seas
Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean
Categories: