Commander-in-Chief, North Sea

The Commander-in-Chief, North Sea,^[1] was senior appointment and an operational command of the British Royal Navy originally based at Great Yarmouth from 1745 to 1802 then at Ramsgate from 1803 until 1815.^[2]

Commander-in-Chief, North Sea
Department of Admiralty
Reports to	Admiral of the Fleet
Nominator	First Lord of the Admiralty
Appointer	First Lord of the Admiralty Subject to formal approval by the King-in-Council
Term length	Not fixed , (usually 1-3 years)
Inaugural holder	Rear-Admiral of the Blue John Byng
Formation	1745-1815

The office holder commanded the North Sea Fleet.^[3]

History

The North Sea has traditionally been an important command from the 13th to 15th centuries there was an Admiral of the North based at Yarmouth that office ceased when it was unified with the new office of Admiral of England. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Vice Admirals in the North Sea were appointed to the command of the North Sea Squadron though on an intermittent basis. From 1652 to 1654, Yarmouth used by the Royal Navy for stationing its fleets during the First Anglo-Dutch War.^[4] A more permanent appointment was then established in 1745 the Commander-in-Chief, North Sea he had overall responsibility for the North Sea Fleet usually anchored at Yarmouth Roads.^[5] The fleet is most well known for its key role in the Battle of Camperdown against the Batavian Navy on 11 October 1797, which resulted in a decisive British victory. The fleet was also involved in trade protection, with the advent of the looming Napoleonic Wars, and later, it turned to the blockading of enemy ports. The fleet also played an instrumental part in the British anti-invasion preparations of 1803–05 in response to Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom.

In May 1804, under the Commander-in-Chief, North Sea Admiral of the White George Elphinstone, the North Sea Fleet would reach its largest composition. It consisted of around 170 to 179 ships and divided primarily between squadrons each commanded by competent admirals.^{[6][7][additional citation(s) needed]}

The office was abolished in 1815, and its former duties were taken over by the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore whose role and geographic area of command was re-defined by the Admiralty.

Commander-in-Chief, North Sea

Included:

• Rear-Admiral John Byng, 1745–1746.^[8]
• Rear-Admiral Thomas Smith, 1746–1747.^[9]
• Commodore John Towry, 1747.
• Vice-Admiral Hyde Parker, 1781-1782^[10][11]
• Commodore Keith Stewart, 1782^[12]
• Rear-Admiral John Lockhart-Ross, 1782.^[13]
• Vice-Admiral Mark Milbanke, 1782–1783.^[14]

No fleet present 1784-1789

• Vice-Admiral Samuel Hood, 1790.^[15]

No fleet present 1791-1793

• Rear-Admiral Henry Harvey, 1794–1795.^[16]
• Vice-Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan, 1795-1800^[17][18]
• Admiral Archibald Dickson, 1800-1802^[19][20]
• Admiral George Elphinstone, 1st Baron Keith, 1803-07^[21][22]
• Rear-Admiral Thomas Macnamara Russell, 1807-1810^[23][24]
• Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet, 1809–1810.^[25]
• Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Baronet, 1810–1811.^[26][27]
• Admiral Sir William Young, 1811–1815.^[28][29]