Flag Officer, Portsmouth

Office of the Flag Officer Portsmouth
Ensign of the Royal Navy
Navy Department
Reports to	Commander-in-Chief, Naval Home Command
Appointer	Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council
Term length	Not fixed
Inaugural holder	Rear-Admiral E. James W. Flower
Formation	1971, 1975-1996

The Flag Officer Portsmouth^[1] was created following changes in the naval shore command organisation in the United Kingdom in July 1969. This role assumed some of the former duties of Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth and Admiral-superintendent, Portsmouth with one area commander the . First established in May 1971 until July that year when the title was altered to Flag Officer, Spithead. This office was revived again in August 1975 when the former post of Flag Officer Spithead was abolished. The office existed until October 1996 when it too was abolished.

History[]

On 14 October 1968 it was announced in the House Commons debate on the Ministry of Defence discussing part of the changes in the Naval Shore Command Organisation in the United Kingdom, the duties of Area Flag Officer for the Portsmouth Area and will be carried out by one Flag Officer. In July 1969 the HQ of the C-in-C Portsmouth until that post, together with that of C-in-C Plymouth, were subsumed into the post of C in C Naval Home Command based in Portsmouth.^[2] The two former C-in-C posts were re-graded as Area Flag Officers and a third area flag officer was created the in charge of .^[3]

Duties[]

Flag Officer Portsmouth was responsible for the control and direction of Portsmouth area command. It was initially a local area command that was enlarged into a wider regional command. This office holder reported to the Commander-in-Chief, Naval Home Command.

Office Holders[]

Included:^[4]

Rear-Admiral , May 1971 – July 1971

Post is renamed Flag Officer Spithead.

Rear-Admiral E. James W. Flower, August 1975 – October 1976
Rear-Admiral , October 1976 – January 1979
Rear-Admiral , January 1979–January 1981
Rear-Admiral Anthony S. Tippet, January 1981 – September 1983
Rear-Admiral , September 1983 – November 1985
Rear-Admiral Anthony Wheatley, November 1985 – November 1987
Rear-Admiral Kenneth J. Eaton, November 1987 – July 1989
Rear-Admiral Jonathan J. R. Tod, July 1989 – September 1990
Rear-Admiral David K. Bawtree, September 1990 – October 1993
Rear-Admiral Neil E. Rankin, 12 October 1993 – October 1996.^[5]

Footnotes[]

^ "FLAG OFFICER, PORTSMOUTH". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Kew, Surrey, England.: National Archives Uk. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
^ Backhouse, Tim (2007–2019). "PORT ADMIRALS (COMMANDERS-IN-CHIEF) PORTSMOUTH (1714-1931)". historyinportsmouth.co.uk. History in Portsmouth. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
^ Paxton, J. (2016). The Statesman's Year-Book 1990-91. Berlin: Springer. p. 1315. ISBN 9780230271197.
^ Mackie, Colin (April 2019). "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin. Scotland.: C.Mackie. pp. 101–102. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
^ "1993 - The Last Flag Officer Portsmouth Takes Over - Portsmouth Royal Dockyard Historical Trust". portsmouthdockyard.org.uk. Portsmouth Royal Dockyard Historical Trust. Retrieved 1 November 2019.

v t Navy Department (Ministry of Defence)
political head ministers	Office of the Minister of Defence for the Royal Navy (1964-1967) Office of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy (1967-1981) Deputy Under-Secretary of State (Navy) (1967-1981) Office of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (1981-1990) Office of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (1991-1997)
governance	Defence Council Defence Board Admiralty Board Navy Board
military head	First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff
office of the first sea lord	Office of the Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff Office of the Deputy-Chief of the Naval Staff Office of the Naval Secretary-flag officer appointments - Naval Assistant to Naval Secretary-captains appointments Director of Naval Officer Appointments Director of Naval Officer Appointments (Engineer Officers) Director of Naval Officer Appointments (Seaman Officers) Director of Naval Officer Appointments (Supply and Secretariat and WRNS Officers) (1988-) Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord Secretary to the First Sea Lord
under Vice & Deputy Chief of Naval Staff	Offices of the Assistant Chiefs of the Naval Staff Commandant General Royal Marines Chief of Staff Colonel General Staff (Assistant Chief of Staff) Military Secretary (Royal Marines) Assistant Adjutant-General (Royal Marines) Assistant Quartermaster- General (Royal Marines) Director Royal Marines Reserves Director of Naval Security Hydrographer of the Navy Assistant Hydrographer Officers appointments Director of Naval Oceanography and Meteorology Director of Hydrographic Plans and Surveys Director of Hydrographic Charting and Sciences Director of Hydrographic Administration and Supply
Air, Operations, Plans, Policy requirements, warfare	Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy) Assistant of Chief Defence Staff (Pol) Naval Staff Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Operations) Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Operations and Air) Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Ops) Naval Staff Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Operational Requirements) Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Warfare)
naval staff directorates offices & branches	Directorate of Naval Operations and Trade Directorate of Naval Tactical and Weapons Policy Directorate of Naval Signals Directorate of Naval Staff Duties Directorate of Navigation and Tactical Control (Naval) Hydrographic Department Naval Historical Branch Naval Staff Directorate Plans and Resources Division
naval personnel	Office of the Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel
naval personnel department	Office of the Chief Naval Supply and Secretariat Officer Office of the Chaplain of the Fleet-became Royal Navy Chaplaincy Service Principal Chaplain Church of Scotland & Free Churches (Naval) Principal Roman Catholic Chaplain (Naval) Directorate General Training Directorate-General Naval Manpower and Training Director of Naval Manpower Planning Director of Naval Manpower Requirements Director of Naval Manning and Training (Seaman) Director of Naval Manning and Training (Engineering) Director of Naval Manning and Training (Supply and Secretariat) Director of Naval Training Support Naval Manpower Statistics Branch Director of Naval Foreign and Commonwealth Training Director of Naval Education Service Joint Warfare Establishment Directorate of Naval Officer Appointments Directorate of Naval Physical Training and Sports Head of Naval Social Service Directorate of Naval Service Conditions Director of Naval Service Conditions Directorate of Fleet Supply Duties (1964-1973) General Manager Royal Navy Film Corporation Job Evaluation Judge Naval Recruitment Training Agency Office of the Admiral Commanding, Reserves Office of the Medical Director-General of the Navy Office of the Medical Director-General (Naval) Deputy Director-General (Naval) Director Naval Dental Services Director of Medical Personnel and Logistics Director of Naval Recruiting Women's Royal Naval Service Headquarters became- Office of the Matron-in-Chief Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service
controller	Controller of the Navy
controllers department navy controllerate	Deputy Controller Polaris Department of the Director of Naval Construction Director Weapons Coordination and Acceptance (Naval) Co-Ordination Directorate Compass Directorate Director Naval Ordnance Services Director Naval Weapons Contracts B Director Underwater Weapons Projects (Naval) Director Weapons Surface Projects (Naval) Director Surface Electronic Projects (Naval) Naval Ordnance Inspection Directorate Production Directorate Director Weapons Production (Naval) Surface Weapons Research and Development Directorate Under Water Weapons Research and Development Directorate Weapons Equipment Surface Directorate - Director of Contracts (Ships) Director Engineering (Ships) Director of Electrical Engineering Director of Naval Construction Director of Naval Equipment Director of Project Team Submarines/Polaris Director of Resources and Programmes (Ships) Director Warship Design Directorate of Naval Construction Marine Engineering Directorate Naval Equipment Division Naval Equipment Directorate Naval Electrical Engineering Directorate Naval Ship Production Directorate
naval supplies and transport fleet support hq naval support command	Office of the Chief of Naval Supplies and Transport Office of the Chief of Fleet Support
under naval supplies and transport fleet support hq naval support command	Director of Naval Administrative Planning Director of Fleet Supply Duties Director of Fleet Maintenance Director of Marine Services Head of Aircraft Department (Naval) HQ Director of Quartering (Navy) Department of Dockyards and Fleet Maintenance Dockyard Division Fleet Maintenance Division Marine Services Division - Director of Dockyard Manpower and Productivity Director of Dockyard Production and Support Director of Finance and Administration Director of Supplies and Transport (Management and Administration) Director of Supplies and Transport (General and Victualling) Victualling Division Director of Supplies and Transport (Fuel and Movements) Director of Supplies and Transport (Armament and Specialist) Director of Supplies and Transport (Finance) Naval Stores Department Royal Naval Supply and Transport Service Victualling Department (1832-1971)
chief scientists department	also Deputy Controller Research and Development Establishments, and Research A Director Research Ships Director Research Underwater
under chief scientists department	Director of Naval Operational Studies Admiralty Compass Observatory Department of Naval Physical Research Department of Research and Development Services (Naval) Department of Material Research (Naval) Director-General Establishments, Resources and Programmes A Admiralty Engineering Laboratory Admiralty Experiment Works Admiralty Research Laboratory Admiralty Research Establishment Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment Royal Radar Establishment Signals Research and Development Establishment Director-General Research Electronics Services Electronics Research Laboratory
naval home command	Naval Home Command
Shore units under Naval Home Command	Admiral-Superintendent, Devonport Admiral-superintendent, Portsmouth Admiral Commanding, Reserves Commodore, Clyde Submarine Base Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Yachts Flag Officer, Medway Flag Officer, Plymouth Port Admiral, Devonport Flag Officer, Portsmouth and Admiral-superintendent, Portsmouth Flag Officer Spithead and Port Admiral Portsmouth Flag Officer, Training and Recruitment
Fleets	Home Fleet Far East Fleet Mediterranean Fleet Western Fleet Commander-in-Chief Fleet
under c-in-c, fleet	Chief of Staff Fleet Chief of Staff, (Warfare) Fleet Chief of Staff (Capability) Fleet Chief of Staff (Personnel) Fleet Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations Assistant Chief of Staff, Plans Assistant Chief of Staff, Warfare Command Secretary, Fleet Commandant General Royal Marines Commander British Forces Gibraltar Commander Operations Commander UK Amphibious Forces Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships Flag Officer First Flotilla Flag Officer, Second Flotilla Flag Officer, Third Flotilla Flag Officer, Surface Flotilla Flag Officer Gibraltar and Gibraltar Naval Base Commander Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland Flag Officer Plymouth Flag Officer Sea Training Flag Officer Submarines Flag Officer Naval Air Command Flag Officer, Flying Training Flag Officer, Naval Flying Training
under c-in-c home fleet, far east fleet mediterranean fleet, western fleet	Flag Officer Second-in-Command Far East Fleet Chief of Staff, Far East Fleet Commodore, Amphibious Forces, Far East Fleet Commodore-in-Charge, Hong Kong Mediterranean Fleet Chief of Staff Mediterranean Fleet Flag Officer, Gibraltar Commodore (D) Commanding, Mediterranean Fleet Destroyers Rear-Admiral (D) Commanding, Mediterranean Fleet Destroyers Vice-Admiral (D) Commanding, Mediterranean Fleet Destroyers Western Fleet Chief of Staff, Western Fleet
civil administration navy department	Office of the Second Permanent Under-Secretary of State (Royal Navy) Office of the Second Permanent Under-Secretary of State (Administration)
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	Office of the Counsel to the Navy Department, Ministry of Defence Office of the Judge Advocate of the Fleet Office of the Chief Naval Judge Advocate