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Flag Officer, Air and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet
Active	1861-1958
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	British Empire
Branch	Royal Navy
Part of	Mediterranean Fleet
Commanders
Notable commanders	Vice-Admiral Ralph A. B. Edwards

The Flag Officer, Air and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet was a senior command appointment of the British Royal Navy from January 1947 to 1958 who also administered the 2nd Aircraft Carrier Squadron from 1947 to 1951. The appointment was a continuation of the Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Station first established in 1861 that underwent a series of name changes due to an expansion of additional duties given to the post holder.

History

The office holder was originally established as Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Station in December 1861 then later Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet. On 18 July 1941 as part of an expansion of duties the post holder was renamed Vice-Admiral Commanding, Light Forces and Second-in-Command Mediterranean Fleet until April 1942. The appointment of the Flag Officer, Air, and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet was created in January 1947 who was additionally responsible for administering the 2nd Aircraft Carrier Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet until February 1951 when it was disbanded. The Flag Officer, Air and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet, then became responsible for commanding shore based aviation based at Malta until 1958. HMS Ocean, Theasus and Glory continued to serve in the Mediterranean Fleet until October 1954.

Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet

Included:

Note:The office holder was sometimes styled as "Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Station"

	Rank	Flag	Name	Term	Notes/Ref
Second-in-Command Mediterranean Fleet/Station
1	Rear-Admiral		Sydney C. Dacres	December 1861-April 1863
2	Rear-Admiral		Hastings R.H. Yelverton	April 1863-April 1865
3	Rear-Admiral		Astley Cooper-Key	May 1870-August 1872
4	Vice-Admiral		Edward A. Inglefield	2 August 1872-December 1876
5	Rear-Admiral		Edward B. Rice	May 1876-July 1877
6	Rear-Admiral		Sir John E. Commerell	July 1877-1878
7	Rear-Admiral		Lord Walter Kerr	April 1890-April 1892
8	Rear-Admiral		Albert Hastings Markham	April 1892-April 1894
9	Rear-Admiral		Compton E. Domvile	April 1894-May 1896
10	Rear-Admiral		Robert H. Harris	May 1896-February 1898
11	Rear-Admiral		Sir Gerard H. U. Noel	1 February 1898-February 1900
12	Rear-Admiral		Lord Charles W. De la P. Beresford	February 1900-January 1902
13	Rear-Admiral		Burges Watson	January-September 1902
14	Rear-Admiral		Sir Reginald N. Custance	November 1902-November 1904
15	Vice-Admiral		Sir Harry T. Grenfell	November 1904-February 1906
16	Rear-Admiral		Francis C. B. Bridgeman	March 1906-February 1907
17	Vice-Admiral		Prince Louis of Battenberg	February 1907-November 1908
18	Rear-Admiral		Sir George A. Callaghan	November 1908-October 1910
19	Rear-Admiral		T. Martyn Jerram	October 1910-May 1912
20	Vice-Admiral		Sir Cecil Burney	June-October 1913
21	Vice-Admiral		Sir Michael Culme-Seymour	January 1919-September 1920
22	Rear-Admiral		Richard Webb	September 1920-September 1922
23	Rear-Admiral		John D.Kelly	September 1922-August 1923
24	Rear-Admiral		Hugh D. R. Watson	August 1923-April 1925
25	Vice-Admiral		Sir Michael H. Hodges	April 1925-May 1927
26	Vice-Admiral		Sir John D.Kelly	May 1927-April 1929
27	Vice-Admiral		W. A. Howard Kelly	April 1929-October 1930
28	Vice-Admiral		Sir William W. Fisher	October 1930-April 1932
29	Vice-Admiral		Sir Roger R.C. Backhouse	April 1932-May 1934
30	Vice-Admiral		Sir Charles M. Forbes	May 1934-August 1936
31	Vice-Admiral		Sir Geoffrey Blake	August 1936-July 1937
32	Vice-Admiral		Sir Andrew B. Cunningham	July 1937-August 1938
33	Vice-Admiral		Geoffrey Layton	August 1938-November 1939

Vice-Admiral Commanding, Light Forces and Second-in-Command Mediterranean Fleet

Included:

	Rank	Flag	Name	Term	Notes/Ref
Vice-Admiral Commanding, Light Forces and Second-in-Command Mediterranean Fleet
1	Vice-Admiral		John C. Tovey	18 July, 1940 – 23 October, 1940
2	Vice-Admiral		Henry D. Pridham-Wippell	24 October, 1940 – 1 April, 1942	as acting V Adm.

Flag Officer, Air and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet

Included:

	Rank	Flag	Name	Term	Notes/Ref
Flag Officer, Air and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet and Vice-Admiral, Commanding 2nd Aircraft Carrier Squadron
1	Vice-Admiral		Sir Cecil H.J. Harcourt	January 1947 to January 1948	also VADMCOMM, 2ACSQ
2	Vice-Admiral		Sir Thomas H. Troubridge:	January to December 1948	ditto
3	Vice-Admiral		the Hon. Sir Cyril E. Douglas-Pennant	December 1948 to April 1950	ditto
4	Vice-Admiral		Guy Grantham	April 1950 to November 1951	ditto
5	Vice-Admiral		Ralph A. B. Edwards	November 1951 to December 1951	ditto
6	Vice-Admiral		Ralph A. B. Edwards	December 1951 to December 1952	2nd AC Squadron is disbanded
7	Vice-Admiral		William W. Davis	December 1952 to February 1954
8	Vice-Admiral		J. Peter L. Reid	February 1954 to August 1955
9	Vice-Admiral		Maxwell Richmond	August 1955 to October 1956
10	Vice-Admiral		Sir Robin L.F. Durnford-Slater	October 1956 to 1958

Composition 2nd Aircraft Carrier Squadron

Included:

: 2nd Aircraft Carrier Squadron; Mediterranean Fleet 1947 to 1951

References

1. Grove, Eric J. (1987). Vanguard to Trident : British naval policy since World War II: Second Aircraft Carrier Squadron visits Mediterranean ports February 1948. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press. p. 470. ISBN 9780870215520.
2. ^ Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment 1947-2013". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 12 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
3. ^ Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Gordon Mackie, July 2018. p. 147. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
4. Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Gordon Mackie, July 2018. p. 147. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
5. Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Gordon Mackie, July 2018. p. 205. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
6. Cook, Chris (2012). The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources since 1945. Cambridge, England: Routledge. p. 167. ISBN 9781136509629.

Sources

• Cook, Chris (2012). The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources since 1945. Cambridge, England: Routledge. ISBN 9781136509629.
• Grove, Eric J. (1987). Vanguard to Trident : British naval policy since World War II: Second Aircraft Carrier Squadron visits Mediterranean ports February 1948. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9780870215520.
• Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Gordon Mackie, July-September 2018.
• Watson, Dr Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment 1947-2013". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 12 July 2015.

v t e Aircraft Carrier squadrons of the Royal Navy
1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron 2nd Aircraft Carrier Squadron 3rd Aircraft Carrier Squadron 11th Aircraft Carrier Squadron 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron 30th Aircraft Carrier Squadron East Indies and Egypt Seaplane Squadron

• Flag officers of the Royal Navy