Deputy First Sea Lord
| Office of the Deputy First Sea Lord | |
|---|---|
Ensign of the Royal Navy
|
|
| Department of the Admiralty | |
| Member of | Board of Admiralty |
| Reports to | First Sea Lord |
| Nominator | First Lord of the Admiralty |
| Appointer |
Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council |
| Term length | 1-4 years |
| Inaugural holder | Rosslyn E. Wemyss |
| Formation | 1917-1919, 1942-1946 |
The Deputy First Sea Lord (D.F.S.L.) was a senior Royal Navy flag officer on the Board of Admiralty of the Royal Navy.
Vice-Admiral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty as Second Sea Lord on 6 September, 1917. before being relieved on 27 September by Vice-Admiral Herbert L. Heath. In his memoirs, he described the circumstances of his appointment:
In 1919 Jellicoe wrote that, "This appointment was frankly made more as a matter of expediency than because any real need had been shown for the creation of such an office." He later claimed in his autobiographical notes that,
In August, 1919, when Rear-Admiral Hope was appointed to command the Third Light Cruiser Squadron, the position of Deputy First Sea Lord was not filled.
As of 1917:
According to authours Harley and Lovell "There can be no doubt that the appointment of Wemyss as Deputy First Sea Lord was to insert an officer amenable to Geddes into a senior position on the Board of Admiralty. The position was completely superfluous to the structure which had evolved at the end of May, 1917. It is no wonder, therefore, that all Wemyss had to do, in his own words" It was give Jellicoe", "an extra opinion on dockets which could well be dispensed with." It is indicative that when Wemyss succeeded Jellicoe as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in December, 1917, the position of Deputy First Sea Lord was filled by a junior Rear-Admiral with responsibility for "Policy and Foreign" matters. Only the D.O.D. (F) and the Director of Training and Staff Duties reported to him. "As before, the duties of the professional head of the Royal Navy if absent fell upon the shoulders of the Second Sea Lord. It is also to be noted that after Rear-Admiral Hope was appointed to a sea-going command in August, 1919, the position was allowed to lapse".
In 1942 the post was revived again to alleviate the workload of the First Sea Lord during World War II and was held by Admiral Sir Charles Kennedy-Purvis until 1946.
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