Operations Division
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| Division overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1912 |
| Dissolved | 1963 |
| Superseding agency |
|
| Jurisdiction | Government of the United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Admiralty Building Whitehall London |
| Parent department | Admiralty Naval Staff |
The Operations Division was the former operational planning and monitoring arm of the Admiralty Department from 1912-1963.
The Operations division was established in January 1912 initially as a component part of the new Admiralty War Staff created by the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill and later the naval staff. It worked closely with the Naval Intelligence Division throughout most of existence and remained until 1963 when the Admiralty Department was abolished in 1964, however an operations function continued under the new Naval Staff function within the Navy Department of the Ministry of Defence.
The division was chiefly responsible for coordinating the distribution of the British fleet globally and for the general day-to-day, movements of each of the Royal Navy's units as ordered by the Board of Admiralty, and acted-upon initially by the Chief of the War Staff later Chief of the Naval Staff. However each of the individual Commander-in-Chief's regulated the movements of fleets, flotilla's or squadrons and ships that was under their respective commands.
The division had to ensure that accurate information was constantly available at all times, this included the positions and conditions of all the most important ships. This was done by devising an operational plotting system that enabled the Admiralty to track of all ship movements, all scheduling of re-fits, monitoring fuel levels, and monitoring ammunition storage levels world wide .
The division would coordinate closely with the Operational Intelligence Center within the Naval Intelligence Division. The Operations Division received intelligence communiques, reviewed the importance of them, then would recommend any necessary remedying actions to be taken. When orders were approved by the Naval Staff they were communicated to all commanding flag officers who would action them.
As of 1918:
Director of Operation Division (D.O.D.) included
Director of Operation Division (Home)
Director of Operation Division (Foreign)
Director of Operation Division
Director of Operation Division (Home)
Director of Operation Division (Foreign)
Director of Operation Division
Deputy Director of Operations:
...
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