Commander-in-Chief, The Nore
Commander-in-Chief, The Nore | |
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File:Peter Monamy - The flagship Royal Sovereign saluting at the Nore.jpg
The flagship HMS Royal Sovereign saluting at the Nore
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Active | 1752 - 1961 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | Royal Navy |
Type | Fleet |
Garrison/HQ | Chatham, Kent |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
John Tovey |
The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Command.
History
The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the River Medway.[1] The command was established at Chatham in 1752[2] and became responsible for sub-commands at Chatham, London (less the Admiralty), Sheerness, Harwich and Humber.[1]
From 1827 the Commander-in-Chief was accommodated in Admiralty House, Sheerness, built as part of the renewal of Sheerness Dockyard. In 1907 he moved to a new Admiralty House alongside the naval barracks (HMS Pembroke) in Chatham, the Sheerness house being given over to the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet.[3]
In 1938 an underground Area Combined Headquarters was built close to Admiralty House to accommodate the Commander-in-Chief together with the local Air Officer Commanding and their respective staffs; similar headquarters were built close to the other Royal Dockyards. During the Second World War, the Nore station assumed great importance: it was used to guard the east coast convoys supplying the ports of North Eastern England.[1]
With the onset of the Cold War, the station and command diminished in importance as the navy decreased in size. The Nore Command was finally closed on 31 March 1961.[4] The underground Headquarters went on to serve as a Royal Naval Reserve training and communications centre (HMS Wildfire) from 1964-1994.[1]
Commanders-in-Chief
Commanders-in-Chief have included:[5][6][7]
- Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Geary (1757-1758)
- Commodore William Boys (1760-1761)
- Commodore William Gordon (1762-1765)
- Commodore Christopher Hill (1770-1771)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Denis (1771-1775)
- Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon (1775-1776)
- Vice-Admiral Robert Roddam (1778-1783)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Walter Stirling (1783-1785)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Andrew Hammond (1785-1788)
- Vice-Admiral Richard Edwards (1788-1792)
- Vice-Admiral William Locker (1792-1794)
- Vice-Admiral John Dalrymple (1794-1795)
- Vice-Admiral Sir George Collier (January 1795-April 1795)
- Vice-Admiral Charles Buckner (1795-1797)
- Vice-Admiral Skeffington Lutwidge (1797-1798)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley (1798-1799)
- Vice-Admiral Alexander Graeme (1799-1803)
- Vice-Admiral Lord Keith (1803-1807)
- Vice-Admiral Thomas Wells (1807-1810)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Stanhope (1810-1811)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Williams (1811-1814)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Rowley (1815-1818)
- Vice-Admiral Sir John Gore (1818-1821)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Benjamin Hallowell (1821-1824)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Moorsom (1824-1827)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Blackwood (1827-1830)
- Vice-Admiral Sir John Beresford (1830-1833)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Richard King (1833-1834)
- Vice-Admiral Charles Elphinstone Fleeming (1834-1837)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Otway (1837-1840)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Digby (1840-1841)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Brace (1841-1844)
- Vice-Admiral Sir John White (1844-1845)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Durnford King (1845-1848)
- Vice-Admiral Sir George Elliot (1848-1851)
- Vice-Admiral Josceline Percy (1851-1854)
- Vice-Admiral William Gordon (1854-1857)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Harvey (1857-1860)
- Vice-Admiral Sir William Hope-Johnstone (1860-1863)
- Vice-Admiral Sir George Lambert (1863-1864)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Talbot (1864-1866)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker (1866-1869)
- Vice-Admiral Richard Warren (1869-1870)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Elliot (1870-1873)
- Vice-Admiral George Hastings (1873-1876)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Chads (1876-1877)
- Vice-Admiral Sir William King-Hall (1877-1879)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald Macdonald (1879-1882)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Rice (1882-1884)
- Vice-Admiral Sir John Corbett (1884-1885)
- Vice-Admiral The Prince of Leiningen (1885-1887)
- Vice-Admiral Charles Waddilove (1887-1888)
- Vice-Admiral Thomas Lethbridge (1888-1890)
- Vice-Admiral Charles Curme (1890-1892)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Algernon Heneage (1892-1894)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Wells (1894-1896)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Nicholson (1896-1897)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Hotham (1897-1899)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Nathaniel Bowden-Smith (1899-1900)
- Vice-Admiral Sir William Kennedy (1900-1901)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Albert Markham (1901-1903)
- Admiral Sir Hugo Pearson (1903-1907)
- Admiral Sir Gerard Noel (1907-1908)
- Admiral Sir Charles Drury (1908-1911)
- Admiral Sir Richard Poore (1911-1915)
- Admiral Sir George Callaghan (1915-1918)
- Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee (1918-1921)
- Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas (1921-1924)
- Vice Admiral Sir William Goodenough (1924-1927)
- Admiral Sir Edwyn Alexander-Sinclair (1927-1930)
- Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt (1930-1933)
- Vice Admiral Sir Hugh Tweedie (1933-1935)
- Vice Admiral Sir Edward Evans (1935-1939)
- Admiral Sir Studholme Brownrigg (January 1939-December 1939)
- Admiral Sir Reginald Plunkett (1939-1941)
- Admiral Sir George Lyon (1941-1943)
- Admiral Sir John Tovey (1943-1946)
- Admiral Sir Harold Burrough (1946-1948)
- Admiral Sir Henry Moore (1948-1950)
- Admiral Sir Cecil Harcourt (1950-1952)
- Admiral Sir Cyril Douglas-Pennant (1952-1953)
- Admiral Sir Geoffrey Oliver (1953-1955)
- Admiral Sir Frederick Parham (1955-1958)
- Admiral Sir Robin Durnford-Slater (1958-1961)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Area Combined Headquarters Chatham & HMS Wildfire
- ↑ Royal Naval events
- ↑ Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 17 December, 1906. Issue 38205, col D, p. 10
- ↑ Sea Your History
- ↑ Whitaker's Almanacks 1869 - 1961
- ↑ William Loney RN
- ↑ Royal Navy Flag Officers 1904-1975