Admiral-superintendent

Naval officer ranks
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Senior officers
Junior officers

The admiral-superintendent[1] was the Royal Navy officer in command of a larger Naval Dockyard. Portsmouth, Devonport and Chatham all had admiral-superintendents, as did some other dockyards in the United Kingdom and abroad at certain times. The admiral-superintendent usually held the rank of rear-admiral. His deputy was the captain of the dockyard (or captain of the port from 1969).

Some smaller dockyards, such as Sheerness and Pembroke,[2] had a captain-superintendent[3] instead, whose deputy was styled commander of the dockyard. The appointment of a commodore-superintendent[4] was also made from time to time in certain yards.

The appointment of admiral-superintendents (or their junior equivalents) dates from 1832 when the Admiralty took charge of the Royal Dockyards. Prior to this larger dockyards were overseen by a commissioner who represented the Navy Board.

In the Royal Naval Dockyards, admiral-superintendents ceased to be appointed after 15 September 1971, and existing post-holders were renamed port admirals.[5] This followed the appointment of a (civilian) Chief Executive of the Royal Dockyards in September 1969[6] and the creation of a centralised Royal Dockyards Management Board.[7]

  1. ^ "Royal Naval dockyard staff". nationalarchives.gov.uk. The National Archives, UK, 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  2. ^ Carradice, Phil (2013). The Ships of Pembroke Dockyard. Stroud, Gloucs.: Amberley.
  3. ^ "Royal Naval dockyard staff". nationalarchives.gov.uk. The National Archives, UK, 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  4. ^ Stewart, William (2009). Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 47. ISBN 9780786438099.
  5. ^ "Portsmouth Royal Dockyard Historical Trust".
  6. ^ "House of Commons 15 October 1969". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 15 October 1969.
  7. ^ "House of Commons 27 July 1971". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 27 July 1971.