Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command is one of the senior admirals of the Royal Navy, and is the admiral responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments in the Royal Navy.
The current Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command is Vice-Admiral Adrian Johns CBE (appointed October 2005).
The Second Sea Lord and the Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command were two separate positions until they were amalgamated in 1994 following the rationalisation of the British Armed Forces following the end of the Cold War
The Second Sea Lord (2SL) was formerly the second most senior naval member of the Board of Admiralty, The Second Sea Lord is responsible for handling all personnel matters for the Royal Navy. Along with the First Sea Lord, it is one of the oldest continuous posts in the Royal Navy.
The Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command (CINCNAVHOME) was formed in 1969 as a result of the merger of the Portsmouth Command and Plymouth Command. The Commander-in-Chief was responsible for all naval bases and establishments in the UK.
Since 1994, the positions have been combined and is known by the abbreviation 2SL/CNH, more commonly, however, the position is just referred to as the Second Sea Lord. 2SL/CNH is based in Portsmouth in a combined headquarters with the Commander-in-Chief Fleet on Whale Island.
2SL/CNH has a flagship, which is HMS Victory, the world's oldest commissioned warship, which is preserved in dry dock in Portsmouth. The right to use HMS “Victory” as a Flagship is from his position as CINCNAVHOME (This right having previously been held by the Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth Command)
The combined 2SL/CNH was the second most senior position in the Royal Navy, held by an officer in the rank of Admiral, but is now considered to be junior to both the First Sea Lord and the Commander-in-Chief Fleet. The post holder is now a Vice Admiral
Contents |
List of Second Sea Lords (until 1994)
- incomplete
- Admiral Sir Charles Little 1938–1941
- Vice-Admiral Sir William Whitworth 1941–1944
- Vice-Admiral Sir Algernon Willis 1944–1946
- Arthur Power 1946–1948
- Cecil Harcourt 1948–50
- Alexander Madden 1950–53
- Guy Russell 1953–55
- Charles Lambe 1955–57
- Deric Holland-Martin 1957–
- St. John Tyrwhitt 1959–61
- Desmond Dreyer 1965–67
- Peter Hill-Norton 1967
- Frank Twiss 1967–70
- Andrew Lewis
- Leslie Empson 1971–74
- A. Gordon Tait 1977–79
- Desmond Cassidi 1981
List of Commanders-in-Chief Naval Home Command (until 1994)
- Admiral Sir John Frewan 1969–1970
- Admiral Sir Horace Law 1970–1972
- Admiral Sir Andrew Lewis 1972–1974
- Admiral Sir Derek Empson 1974–1975
- Admiral Sir Terence Lewin 1975–1976
- Admiral Sir David Williams 1976–1978
- Admiral Sir Richard Clayton 1978–1981
- Admiral Sir James Eberle 1981–1983
- Admiral Sir Peter Stanford 1984–1987
- Admiral Sir Sandy Woodward 1987–1989
- Admiral Sir Jeremy Black 1989–1991
- Admiral Sir John Kerr 1991–1993
- Admiral Sir Michael Layard 1993–1994
List of Second Sea Lords and Commanders-in-Chief Naval Home Command (since 1994)
- Admiral Sir Michael Boyce 1994–1997
- Admiral Sir John Brigstocke 1997–2000
- Vice Admiral Sir Peter Spencer 2000–2003
- Vice Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent 2003–2005
- Vice Admiral Adrian Johns 2005–
See also
Categories
Lords of the Admiralty