This is a list of the vice-admirals of Orkney and Shetland.
The Vice-Admiral of Orkney and Shetland was originally a heritable post, in the hands of the Earls of Morton, which conferred the power of judicature over the maritime affairs of the islands. In 1747 the Earl gave up his heritable rights to the crown in return for a cash payment.[1] The post then became a commission granted by the Crown to a nobleman of the country.