Vice-Admiral of the
United Kingdom
Incumbent
Vacant
since 6 November 2022
AppointerMonarch
Formation25 April 1513
First holderWilliam FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton
DeputyRear-Admiral of the United Kingdom

Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom is an honorary office generally held by a senior Royal Navy admiral. The title holder is the official deputy to the Lord High Admiral, an honorary (although once operational) office which was vested in the Sovereign from 1964 to 2011 and which was subsequently held by the Duke of Edinburgh. Vice-Admirals are appointed by the Sovereign on the nomination of the First Sea Lord.

History

The office was originally created on 25 April 1513,[1] by Tudor King Henry VIII. The office holder served as the deputy of the Lord High Admiral from April 1546 when the incumbent jointly held the title of Lieutenant of the Admiralty, though not always simultaneously.[1] From 1557 to 1558 Vice-Admiral Sir John Clere of Ormesby, Kt. was appointed Vice-Admiral of England by patent but not appointed Lieutenant of the Admiralty.[1] The post was in abeyance until 1661; from then on, appointments became more regular and in 1672 the two separate distinct offices were amalgamated into one unified office, though both titles remained. The responsibilities of the pre-1964 Board of Admiralty would, in theory, have devolved upon the Vice-Admiral had the entire Board been incapacitated before a new Commission of Admiralty could pass the Great Seal. However, such a contingency never occurred in practice.

In former days, the Vice-Admiral of England (or Vice-Admiral of Great Britain following the 1707 union with Scotland) was the second most powerful position in the Royal Navy, and until 1801 was officially called the Lieutenant of the Admiralty.

Below the office of Vice-Admiral ranks the Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom, another now honorary office.

Vice-Admirals of England

Post in abeyance
Post in abeyance
Post in abeyance
Post in abeyance

Vice-Admirals of Great Britain

Vice-Admirals of the United Kingdom

1876: Abolished under Queen Victoria

1901: Revived by King Edward VII

References

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  2. Hannay, David; Tanner, J. R. (January 1912). "NOTES:Vice-Admiral of England". The Mariner's Mirror. 2 (6): 185–187. doi:10.1080/00253359.1912.10654608.
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