Commander-in-Chief Fleet
| Office of the Commander-in-Chief Fleet | |
|---|---|
Ensign of the Royal Navy
|
|
| Ministry of Defence | |
| Member of | Admiralty Board |
| Reports to | First Sea Lord |
| Nominator | Secretary of State for Defence |
| Appointer |
Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council |
| Term length | Not fixed (typically 2–4 years) |
| Inaugural holder | Admiral Edward Ashmore |
| Formation | 1971-2012 |
The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the British Royal Navy until April 2012. CINC was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Naval Service. In April 2012, the role was re-designated Fleet Commander and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff.
Historically, the Royal Navy was usually split into a large number of commands, each with a Commander-in-Chief (e.g. Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet, etc.).
In 1971, with the withdrawal of British forces from East of Suez, the Far East and Western fleets of the Royal Navy were unified under a single Commander-in-Chief Fleet, initially based at HMS Warrior, a land base at Northwood in Middlesex and, from 2004, based at HMS Excellent at Portsmouth. Thereafter there were just two Commanders-in-Chief, the various fleet commands being unified under Commander-in-Chief Fleet and the various home commands being unified under Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command ("CINCNAVHOME").
In April 2012, the role was re-designated Fleet Commander and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff in the wake of the Levene report.
Full command of the Fleet and responsibility for the Fleet element of military operational capability including the Royal Marines and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, was delegated to Commander-in-Chief Fleet, with his Command Headquarters in the Navy Command Headquarters Building at HMS Excellent in Portsmouth and his Operational Headquarters at Northwood, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, co-located with the Permanent Joint Headquarters.
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