Channel Fleet

Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
	British ironclad HMS Minotaur as Channel Fleet flagship, c. 1875–1887
Active	1854–1909, 1914–1915
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Fleet
Garrison/HQ	Torbay, Falmouth and Plymouth.

The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915.^[1]

History

Throughout the Royal Navy's history there had been different squadrons stationed in home waters. One of the earliest known naval formations to be based at Plymouth was called the Western Squadron^[2]^[3]^[4] which was the forerunner of the Channel Squadron that was later known as the Channel Fleet.^[5] In 1650 Captain William Penn, Commander-in-Chief, was charged with guarding the Channel from Beachy Head to Lands End with six ships. This system continued following the Restoration. It was the start of what was to become a Western Squadron.^[6] From 1690 the squadron operated out of Plymouth Dockyard during wartime periods, which was for most of the 18th century and early 19th century.^[7]^[8] In 1854 The Channel Squadron, sometimes known as the Particular Service Squadron, was established.^[9] The Channel Squadron only became a permanent formation in 1858.^[10]

During the 19th century, as the French developed Cherbourg as a base for steam-powered ships, the Royal Navy developed Portland Harbour as a base for the fleet.^[11] The harbour was built between 1849 and 1872 when the Royal Navy created a breakwater made of blocks from local quarries on the Isle of Portland.^[12]

With the amelioration of Anglo-French relations, and the German challenge towards 1900, the need for a Channel Formation diminished and the main European naval arena shifted to the North Sea. Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson was officially "Senior Officer in Command of the Channel Squadron" from 1901 to 1903. His subordinate flag officer in that squadron was the Second-in-Command, who commanded a division of battleships. For the period 1858 to 1903 the Channel squadron was often incorrectly referred to as the Channel Fleet.^[13]

On 17 April 1903 Lord Charles Beresford was appointed Vice-Admiral Commanding, Channel Squadron.^[14] On 6 May 1903 Admiral Beresford was informed by the Admiralty "that for the future the Channel Squadron shall be known as the Channel Fleet."^[15] On 14 December 1904 the Channel Fleet was re-styled the 'Atlantic Fleet' and the Home Fleet became the 'Channel Fleet'.^[16]

On 24 March 1909, under a fleet re-organisation, the Channel Fleet became the 2nd Division of the Home Fleet.^[17]

Rear and Vice-Admiral, Particular Service Squadron

Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier, (1854–1856)^[18]
Rear-Admiral, Henry Chads, (1854–1856)^[19]
Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Saunders Dundas, (1856–1857)^[20]
Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour. (1856–1857)^[21]

Senior Officers in Command of the Channel Squadron

Post holders have included:^[22]^[23]

Vice Admiral Sir Charles Fremantle (1859–1860)
Vice Admiral Sir Robert Stopford (1860–1861)
Vice Admiral Sir Robert Smart (1861–1863)
Vice Admiral Sir Sydney Dacres (1863–1866)
Vice Admiral Sir Hastings Yelverton (1866–1867)
Vice Admiral Frederick Warden (1867–1868)
Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Symonds (1868–1870)
Vice Admiral Sir Hastings Yelverton (July 1870-October 1870)
Vice Admiral Sir George Wellesley (1870–1871)
Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Hornby (1871–1874)
Vice Admiral Sir Beauchamp Seymour (1874–1877)
Vice Admiral Lord John Hay (1877–1879)
Vice Admiral Arthur Hood, 1st Baron Hood of Avalon (1880–1882)
Vice Admiral Sir William Dowell (1882–1883)
Vice Admiral Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (1883–1884)
Vice Admiral Sir Algernon de Horsey (1884–1885)
Vice Admiral Charles Fellowes (1885–1886)
Vice Admiral Sir William Hewett (1886–1888)
Vice Admiral Sir John Baird (1888–1890)
Vice Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 3rd Baronet (1890–1892)
Vice Admiral Sir Henry Fairfax (1892–1894)
Vice Admiral Sir Robert Fitzroy (1894–1895)
Vice Admiral Lord Walter Kerr (1895–1897)
Vice Admiral Sir Henry Stephenson (1897–1898)
Vice Admiral Sir Harry Rawson (1898–1901)
Vice Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson (1901–1903)
Vice-Admiral Lord Charles Beresford (1903-4)

Second-in-Command Channel Squadron

Post holders included:^[24]

Rear-Admiral Henry Chads, 1 October 1869.
Rear-Admiral William Dowell, 1877
Rear-Admiral Henry Boys, 1878
Rear-Admiral Henry C. Glyn, 20 June 1881.
Rear-Admiral Sir Francis W. Sullivan, 14 August 1882
Rear-Admiral John C. Wilson, 1 April 1883
Rear-Admiral William Whyte, 13 May 1884
Rear-Admiral Algernon Heneage, 3 July 1885 – 7 August 1886
Rear-Admiral Edmund Fremantle, 9 August 1886
Rear-Admiral Charles Rowley, 18 August 1887
Rear-Admiral St. George Caulfield d′Arcy-Irvine, 1 September 1888
Rear-Admiral Richard Tracey, 12 September 1889
Rear-Admiral Loftus F. Jones, 12 September 1890
Rear-Admiral Edward Adeane, 15 September 1891
Rear-Admiral Edward Seymour, 16 September 1892 – 25 April 1894
Rear-Admiral Alfred Dale, 25 April 1894 – 20 April 1895
Rear-Admiral Arthur Alington, 1 May 1895
Rear-Admiral Armand Powlett, 1 May 1896 – 19 May 1897
Rear-Admiral John Fellowes, 19 May 1897
Rear-Admiral John Brackenbury, 1 June 1898
Rear-Admiral Arthur Fanshawe, 1 June 1899 – 31 May 1900
Rear-Admiral Albert B. Jenkings, 1 June 1900 - 5 June 1901
Rear-Admiral Sir William Acland, 2nd Baronet, 5 June 1901 – September 1901

Commanders-in-Chief Channel Fleet

Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson 14 December 1904
Admiral Lord Charles Beresford (1907–1909)

Note Channel Fleet was absorbed by Home Fleet in 1909

Vice Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly (August, 1914- 17 January 1915)
Vice Admiral Sir. Alexander Bethell (17 January 1915)

Second-in-Command Channel Fleet

Post holders included:^[25]

Rear-Admiral Assheton Curzon-Howe: September 1901, - 5 June 1903
Rear-Admiral Hedworth Lambton: 5 June 1903 - 25 June 1904
Rear-Admiral Francis Bridgeman: 25 June 1904 - May, 1905
Rear-Admiral Charles Barlow: May, 1905 - December, 1905
Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Moore: December, 1905 - 5 December 1906
Vice-Admiral Assheton Curzon-Howe: 5 December 1906 - 23 February 1907
Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald Custance: 23 February 1907 - 12 June 1908
Vice-Admiral Sir Archibald Berkeley Milne: 12 June 1908

Rear-Admirals in the Channel Fleet

Post holders included:^[26]

Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Poore, : February, 1905 - 16 November 1905
Rear-Admiral Robert Groome: 16 November 1905 - 16 November 1906
Rear-Admiral George Callaghan: 16 November 1906 - 5, April 1907
Rear-Admiral Robert Lowry: 5, April, 1907 - 1 October 1907
Rear-Admiral Francis Foley: 1 October 1907 - 1 October 1908
Rear-Admiral James Startin: 1 October 1908 - 9 October 1909

Components

1895

Distribution of the Fleet first included:^[27]

	Unit	Date	Notes
1	Battleships	4 September 1895	5 ships: Royal Sovereign, Empress of India, Resolution, and Repulse.
2	Cruisers	4 September 1895	5 ships: Blenheim, Endymion, Bellona, Halcyon, and Speedy.

1901 to 1904

Distribution of the Fleet first included:^[28]

Of note:As the Channel Squadron - renamed The Channel Fleet, September, 1901.

	Unit	Date	Notes
1	Battleships	September 1901 - 1904	5 ships
2	Cruiser Squadron	September 1901 - 1904	10 ships

1905 to 1907

Distribution of the Fleet first included:^[29]

	Unit	Date	Notes
1	Battleships	January 1905-February 1907	12 ships - increased to 18 by 1907
2	1st Cruiser Squadron	January 1905-February 1907	5 ships to 1905 + 2 more ships from 1906
3	Channel Fleet Flotilla	January 1905-February 1907	consisting of destroyers and divided into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Divisions

1907 to 1909

Distribution of the Fleet first included:^[30]

	Unit	Date	Notes
1	Battleships	March 1907-March 1909	14 ships
2	1st Cruiser Squadron	March 1907-March 1909	6 ships
3	Channel Fleet Flotilla	March 1907-March 1909	divided into 1st Destroyer Flotilla & 3rd Destroyer Flotilla in March.1909

1914 to 1915

Of note: On 8 August 1914, ships from the pre-war Second and Third Fleets were organised into the Channel Fleet.

Distribution of the Fleet first included:^[31]

	Unit	Date	Notes
1	5th Battle Squadron	August 1914-March 1915	Transferred from 2nd Fleet
2	8th Battle Squadron	August 1914-March 1915	7th and 8th BattSq's (3rd Fleet) merged to form 8th BattSq - dispersed 20/08/14
3	5th Cruiser Squadron	August 1914-March 1915
4	6th Cruiser Squadron	August 1914-March 1915
5	7th Cruiser Squadron	August 1914-March 1915
6	8th Cruiser Squadron	August 1914-March 1915
7	9th Cruiser Squadron	August 1914-March 1915
8	10th Cruiser Squadron	August 1914-March 1915
9	11th Cruiser Squadron	August 1914-March 1915
10	12th Cruiser Squadron	August 1914-March 1915

In literature

The Channel Fleet features in several historical novels about the Royal Navy, notably Hornblower and the Hotspur by C. S. Forester, in which Forester's fictional hero becomes a favourite of the real Channel Fleet commander, Admiral William Cornwallis. The fleet also features in several of the Aubrey–Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian.

The novel Billy Budd by Herman Melville is set on board ships of the Channel Fleet, in the immediate aftermath of the Spithead and Nore mutinies of 1797.

In the novel The War of the Worlds, the Channel Fleet protects the huge mass of refugee ships escaping from the Essex coast in the face of the Martian onslaught. The initial heroic fight of HMS Thunder Child and the subsequent general engagement, is detailed in the chapter entitled "The Thunderchild".

References

Footnotes

^ Archives, The National. "Admiralty: Channel Squadron and Fleet: Correspondence". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives UK, ADM 144, 1859-1910. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
^ Weigley, Russell F. (2004). The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo. Indiana University Press. p. 331. ISBN 0253217075.
^ Ranft, Bryan (1995). The Oxford illustrated history of the Royal Navy. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 144. ISBN 9780198605270.
^ "THE ROYAL NAVY AND THE FRENCH WARS: THE LONG-TERM BACKGROUND: by Jeremy Black, University of Exeter" (PDF). napoleonicsociety.com. The Napoleonic Society, 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
^ Mackesy, Piers (1964). The War for America: 1775-1783. Lincoln, Nebraska, USA: U of Nebraska Press. p. 192. ISBN 0803281927. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
^ Saunders, Andrew (1997). Book of Channel defences. London: Batsford [u.a.] p. 32. ISBN 9780713475944.
^ Annal, David; Collins, Audrey (2012). Birth, Marriage and Death Records: A Guide for Family Historians. Casemate Publishers. p. 24. ISBN 9781848845725.
^ "Royal Navy Dockyards: Plymouth". rmg.co.uk. Royal Museums Greenwich, 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
^ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Channel Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley & Lovell, 26 November 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
^ "William Loney RN: Channel Fleet". Archived from the original on 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
^ Channel Fleet Archived 2004-01-26 at the Wayback Machine The Heritage Coast
^ Portland Harbour Authority: History Archived December 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ Davis, Peter. "The Times newspaper on the Channel Squadron, 1858-1862". www.pdavis.nl. Peter Davis. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
^ Harley & Lovell, 2017
^ Harley & Lovell, 2017
^ National Archives records
^ HMS Bulwark Archived August 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
^ Admiralty, Great Britain (January 1855). The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 135.
^ Admiralty, Great Britain (January 1855). The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 135.
^ Admiralty, Great Britain (January 1857). The Navy List. London, England: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 137.
^ Admiralty, Great Britain (January 1857). The Navy List. London, England: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 137.
^ Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie, December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
^ Whitaker's Almanacks 1900 - 1909
^ Harley & Lovell, 2017
^ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Channel Fleet (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell, 7 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
^ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Channel Fleet (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell, 7 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
^ "CHANNEL SQUADRON. (Hansard, 4 September 1895)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Hansard, HC Deb 04 September 1895 vol 36 cc1688-9. 4 September 1895. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
^ Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployments 1900-1914". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 8 August 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
^ Watson, 2015.
^ Watson, 2015.
^ Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914-1918". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 27 October 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2018.

Sources

Annal, David; Collins, Audrey (2012). Birth, Marriage and Death Records: A Guide for Family Historians. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 9781848845725.
Archives, The National. (1859-1910) "Admiralty: Channel Squadron and Fleet: Correspondence". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives UK. ADM 144.
Barry, Quintin (2022). From Ushant to Gibraltar: The Channel Fleet 1778-1783. From Reason to Revolution. Warwick: Helion & Company. ISBN 9781915070395.
Black, Jeremy, (2011) "THE ROYAL NAVY AND THE FRENCH WARS: THE LONG-TERM BACKGROUND: University of Exeter" (PDF). napoleonicsociety.com. The Napoleonic Society.
Davis, Peter. "The Times newspaper on the Channel Squadron, 1858-1862". www.pdavis.nl. Peter Davis.
Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. (2018) "Channel Fleet (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell.
Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. (2017) "Channel Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley & Lovell.
Loney, William. RN. "Channel Squadron, the Naval Intelligence column of the Times newspaper refer to the activities of the Squadron in the period 1858-1862". www.pdavis.nl/Channel.php. William Loney.
Mackesy, Piers (1964). The War for America: 1775-1783. Lincoln, Nebraska, USA: U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803281927.
Mackie, Colin. (2017) "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie.
Ranft, Bryan (1995). The Oxford illustrated history of the Royal Navy. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198605270.
Royal Museums Greenwich. "Royal Navy Dockyards: Plymouth". (2017). rmg.co.uk. Royal Museums Greenwich.
Saunders, Andrew (1997). Book of Channel defences. London: Batsford [u.a.] ISBN 9780713475944.
Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployments 1900-1914". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.
Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914-1918". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.
Whitaker's Almanacks (1900 - 1909).
Weigley, Russell F. (2004). The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253217075.

External links

Media related to Channel Squadron at Wikimedia Commons

[1] Archives, The National. "Admiralty: Channel Squadron and Fleet: Correspondence". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives UK, ADM 144, 1859-1910. Retrieved 8 February 2018.

[2] Weigley, Russell F. (2004). The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo. Indiana University Press. p. 331. ISBN 0253217075.

[3] Ranft, Bryan (1995). The Oxford illustrated history of the Royal Navy. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 144. ISBN 9780198605270.

[4] "THE ROYAL NAVY AND THE FRENCH WARS: THE LONG-TERM BACKGROUND: by Jeremy Black, University of Exeter" (PDF). napoleonicsociety.com. The Napoleonic Society, 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2017.

[5] Mackesy, Piers (1964). The War for America: 1775-1783. Lincoln, Nebraska, USA: U of Nebraska Press. p. 192. ISBN 0803281927. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

[6] Saunders, Andrew (1997). Book of Channel defences. London: Batsford [u.a.] p. 32. ISBN 9780713475944.

[7] Annal, David; Collins, Audrey (2012). Birth, Marriage and Death Records: A Guide for Family Historians. Casemate Publishers. p. 24. ISBN 9781848845725.

[8] "Royal Navy Dockyards: Plymouth". rmg.co.uk. Royal Museums Greenwich, 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.

[9] Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Channel Squadron (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley & Lovell, 26 November 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.

[10] "William Loney RN: Channel Fleet". Archived from the original on 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2010-10-17.

[11] Channel Fleet Archived 2004-01-26 at the Wayback Machine The Heritage Coast

[12] Portland Harbour Authority: History Archived December 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

[13] Davis, Peter. "The Times newspaper on the Channel Squadron, 1858-1862". www.pdavis.nl. Peter Davis. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2017.

[14] Harley & Lovell, 2017

[15] Harley & Lovell, 2017

[NAR-16] National Archives records

[17] HMS Bulwark Archived August 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

[18] Admiralty, Great Britain (January 1855). The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 135.

[19] Admiralty, Great Britain (January 1855). The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 135.

[20] Admiralty, Great Britain (January 1857). The Navy List. London, England: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 137.

[21] Admiralty, Great Britain (January 1857). The Navy List. London, England: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 137.

[22] Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie, December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.

[23] Whitaker's Almanacks 1900 - 1909

[24] Harley & Lovell, 2017

[25] Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Channel Fleet (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell, 7 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.

[26] Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Channel Fleet (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell, 7 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.

[27] "CHANNEL SQUADRON. (Hansard, 4 September 1895)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Hansard, HC Deb 04 September 1895 vol 36 cc1688-9. 4 September 1895. Retrieved 24 February 2018.

[28] Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployments 1900-1914". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 8 August 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2018.

[29] Watson, 2015.

[30] Watson, 2015.

[31] Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914-1918". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 27 October 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2018.

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Reserve Royal Naval War College Royal Naval War College, Portsmouth Royal Navy Dockyard Royal Navy Medical Service Royal Navy Shore Signal Service Royal Observatory, Greenwich Royal School of Naval Architecture Salvage Department School of Mathematics and Naval Construction Scientific Research and Experiment Department Sea Transport Branch Sea Transport Department Sea Transport Division Ship Department Ship Design Department Signal Department Signal School Sixpenny Office Statistics Department Steam Department Superintendent of De-magnetisation Torpedo Experimental Establishment Transport Department Undersurface Warfare Department Victualling Department Volunteer Boys and Cadet Corps Weapons Department Weapons Department (Naval) Women's Royal Naval Service Wireless Telegraphy Board
Direction/Command of the Fleet	Office of the Permanent Secretary to the Admiralty Office of the First Naval Lord Office of the First Sea Lord Admiralty Naval Staff
Naval formations after 1707	1st Fleet 2nd Fleet 3rd Fleet Commander-in-Chief, Africa Atlantic Fleet Commodore, Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf Australia Station Cape of Good Hope Station Cape and West Africa Station Battle Cruiser Fleet Battle Cruiser Force Caspian Flotilla Channel Fleet Channel Squadron Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland Cork Station Coast of Scotland Commander-in-Chief, China Commander-in-Chief, Dover Flag Officer, East Africa East Indies Station East Indies and China Station Eastern Fleet Far East Fleet English Channel Grand Fleet Flag Officer Gibraltar Harwich Force Home Fleet Jamaica Station Leith Station Commander-in-Chief, Levant Levant and East Mediterranean Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Mediterranean Fleet Medway Newfoundland Station New Zealand Division New Zealand Naval Forces Nore North America and West Indies Station Commander-in-Chief, North Sea Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands Pacific Fleet Pacific Station Admiral of Patrols Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth Queenstown Station Royal East African Navy Royal Indian Navy Flag Officer Submarines Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth Reserve Fleet Scotland and Northern Ireland Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic South East Coast of America Station Commander-in-Chief, Thames and Medway West Africa Squadron Flag Officer, West Africa Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches
Naval formations before 1707	Lisbon Station West Indies Station Western Squadron Thames, Medway and Nore Commander-in-Chief, Thames Narrow Seas Downs Station
Direction of Naval Finance	Department of the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty
Departments under the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary	Department of the Civil Lord of the Admiralty Accountant-General's Department Comptroller of the Navy Department of the Surveyor of the Navy
Direction of Naval Administration and the Admiralty Secretariat	Department of the Permanent Secretary
Branches and offices under the Permanent Secretary	Admiralty Central Copying Branch Admiralty Central Registry Branch Admiralty Record Office Admiralty Library Admiralty Secretariat Air Branch Civil Branch Legal Branch Military Branch Naval Branch Ship Branch
Civil Administration	Department of the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, Department of the Additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty
Departments under the Civil Lords	Accountant-General's Department Contract and Purchase Department Department of the Director of Contract Labour Department of the Surveyor of Buildings Department of the Director of Works Greenwich Hospital Department Works Loan Department
Legal	Admiralty Judicial Department Admiralty court High Court of Admiralty Office of the Judge of the High Court of Admiralty High Court of Justice Office of the Judge Advocate of the Fleet Office of the Marshall High Court of the Admiralty Office of the Admiralty Advocate Office of the Admiralty Proctor Office of the Chief Naval Judge Advocate Office of the Counsel for the Affairs of the Admiralty and Navy Office of the Counsel to the Admiralty Office of the Deputy Judge Advocate of the Fleet Office of the Receiver of Droits High Court of Admiralty Office of the Registrar High Court of the Admiralty Office of the Solicitor for the Affairs of the Admiralty Office of the Solicitor to the Admiralty and Navy Office of the Solicitor to the Admiralty Office of the Counsel to the Admiralty Court of Admiralty for the Cinque Ports King's Bench Division (Admiralty) Queens's Bench Division (Admiralty) Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division Vice Admiralty courts Colonial Courts of Admiralty

v t e Historic fleets and naval commands of the Royal Navy
North and Irish Seas and English Channel	First Fleet Second Fleet Third Fleet Atlantic Fleet Battle Cruiser Fleet Channel Fleet Channel Squadron Coast of Ireland Coast of Scotland Devonport Dover Commander-in-Chief Fleet Grand Fleet British Naval Forces Germany Humber Home Fleet Irish Squadron Leith Nore North Sea Squadron Orkneys and Shetlands Plymouth Portsmouth Rosyth Reserve Fleet Western Approaches Western Naval Home Command Eastern English Channel Downs Channel Squadron (Navy Royal) Narrow Seas North North and West Western Squadron North Sea Fleet South West and Irish Sea West Yarmouth
Atlantic Ocean	Atlantic Fleet Barbadoes and Leeward Islands Good Hope Jamaica Division (1838-1905) Jamaica Station (to 1830) Leeward Islands Lisbon Newfoundland North America North America and West Indies North Atlantic Portugal South America Station South Atlantic and South America South Atlantic South East Coast of America West Africa Squadron Flag Officer, West Africa Senior Naval Officer, West Indies
Baltic, Black, Caspian, and Mediterranean Seas	Adriatic Aegean Baltic Fleet Black Sea and Caspian Caspian Coast of Spain Eastern Mediterranean Egypt and Red Sea British Naval Forces Germany Gibraltar Levant Levant and East Mediterranean Malta Mediterranean Fleet Portugal
Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean	Commodore, Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf Commander-in-Chief, Australia Commander-in-Chief, China East Indies East Indies and China East Indies Fleet Eastern Fleet Far East Fleet Egypt and Red Sea Senior British Naval Officer, Suez Canal Area Middle East New Zealand New Zealand Naval Forces Pacific Fleet Pacific Station Red Sea and Canal Area/Red Sea South America Station Persian Gulf

Channel Fleet
British ironclad HMS Minotaur as Channel Fleet flagship, c. 1875–1887
Active	1854–1909, 1914–1915
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Fleet
Garrison/HQ	Torbay, Falmouth and Plymouth.