| His Majesty's Naval Service | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country |  United Kingdom[note 1] |
| Type | Naval warfare and maritime service |
| Role | Naval, expeditionary and amphibious warfare |
| Part of |  British Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Whitehall / Portsmouth |
| Branches |
 Royal Fleet Auxiliary Naval Careers Service |
| Commanders | |
| First Sea Lord | Admiral Sir Ben Key |
| Second Sea Lord | Vice Admiral Martin Connell |
| Fleet Commander | Vice Admiral Andrew Burns |
| Insignia | |
| White Ensign[note 2] | |
 |
| His Majesty's Naval Service of the British Armed Forces |
|---|
| Components |
|
| History and future |
| Ships |
| Personnel |
| Auxiliary services |
His Majesty's Naval Service (or, when the reigning monarch is female, Her Majesty's Naval Service) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare and maritime service.[1][2] It consists of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve and Naval Careers Service.[3] The Naval Service as a whole falls under the command of the Navy Board, which is headed by the First Sea Lord. This position is currently held by Admiral Sir Ben Key (appointed November 2021).[4] The Defence Council delegates administration of the Naval Service to the Admiralty Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence.
The Naval Service is dominated by the Royal Navy, and operates primarily from three bases in the United Kingdom where commissioned ships are based; Portsmouth, Clyde and Devonport, the last being the largest operational naval base in Western Europe. As of May 2024, there were nearly 100 vessels in service with the various branches of the Naval Service, plus about 100 additional vessels operated by the supporting Serco Marine Services. These vessels included: 66 commissioned ships of the Royal Navy, 17 principal landing craft of the Royal Marines, 13 auxiliary ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and about 100 supporting Marine Services vessels.[5] Additional vessels are under charter to the Ministry of Defence. As of 2022, HM Naval Service (Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Naval Careers Service) employed about 39,500 regular and reserve personnel.[6][7][8][9]
In 2020, the First Sea Lord announced that the 'Naval Service' will informally be known as the 'Royal Navy'. The Royal Navy was made a colloquial name for the Naval Service as part of a transformation programme with the approval of the Navy Executive Committee to reflect the strength of the Royal Navy brand and assist with unifying the force.[10][11]
The total displacement of the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is, as of May 2024, in excess of 752,400 tonnes, while the combined displacement of Royal Marine landing craft is approximately an additional 2,200 tonnes.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ NAVAL PERSONNEL HIERARCHY, mod.uk. 5 October 2014.
- ^ Her Majesty’s Naval Service Eligibility and Guidance Notes, mod.uk. 5 October 2014.
- ^ "Queen's Regulations for the Royal Navy" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
- ^ "Vice Admiral Sir Ben Key KCB CBE has been appointed to First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff". gov.uk. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "Serco wins £200m contract to provide marine services for Royal Navy". Advance. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "The Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2022". Navy Lookout. 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Royal Naval Reserve". Royal Navy. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "Number of personnel in the armed forces of the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2022, by military branch". Statista. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "Royal Marines Reserve". Royal Navy. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "Adieu 'Naval Service,' Hello 'Royal Navy'" (PDF). Navy News (791). Ministry of Defence: 20. June 2020. ISSN 0028-1670. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin. "The Whole Force: Naval Service to Royal Navy". Royal Navy Association. Retrieved 16 May 2022.