Office of the Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff
Ensign of the Royal Navy
Incumbent
Vice Admiral Martin Connell
since 12 January 2022
Ministry of Defence
Member ofAdmiralty Board
Navy Board
Reports toFirst Sea Lord
NominatorSecretary of State for Defence
AppointerPrime Minister
Subject to formal approval by the King-in-Council
Term lengthNot fixed (typically 4–5 years)
Inaugural holderRear Admiral George Dundas
FormationSecond Naval Lord, 1830–1904
Second Sea Lord from 1904

The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments. Originally titled Second Naval Lord in 1830, the post was restyled Second Sea Lord in 1904. They are based at Navy Command, Headquarters.

History

In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were assigned to each of the 'Naval' Lords, who were described as 'Professional' Lords, leaving to the 'Civil' Lords the routine business of signing documents.[1] The Second Naval Lord was the second most senior Naval Lord on the Board of Admiralty and as Chief of Naval Personnel was responsible for handling all personnel matters for the Royal Navy. In 1917 the title was changed to the Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel by an order in council dated 23 October.[2]

The posts of Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief, Naval Home Command (CINCNAVHOME) were amalgamated in 1994 in the reductions of the British Armed Forces following the end of the Cold War.[3] The original post of Commander-in-Chief, Naval Home Command had been created on 1 July 1969, as a result of the merger of the posts of Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth and Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth.[4]

2SL is based in Portsmouth in a combined headquarters with the Fleet Commander on Whale Island.[5] Until October 2012, he flew his flag from HMS Victory, the world's oldest commissioned warship, which is preserved in dry dock in Portsmouth.[6] The right to use HMS Victory as a flagship came from his position as CINCNAVHOME, who in turn acquired it from the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth. Since October 2012, distinct Commander-in-Chief posts have been discontinued and full command responsibility is vested in the First Sea Lord, who now flies his flag from Victory; this change formed part of the Levene reforms which were implemented at that time.[7]

In 2016 the post was retitled Second Sea Lord & Deputy Chief of Naval Staff and defined as "responsible for the delivery of the Naval Service’s current and future personnel, equipment and infrastructure".[8]

Second Naval Lords, 1830–1904

Second Naval Lords include:[9]

Second Sea Lords, 1904–1917

Second Sea Lords include:[9]

Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel 1917 to 1995

Second Sea Lords and Commanders-in-Chief Naval Home Command, 1995–2012

From 1995 to 2012 the Second Sea Lord was (as Commander-in-Chief) based in Admiralty House within HMNB Portsmouth (note the Vice-Admiral's flag in this 2006 photo).

Second Sea Lords and Commanders-in-Chief include:[9]

Rank Name Image In office
Admiral Sir Michael Boyce 1995–1997
Admiral Sir John Brigstocke 1997–2000
Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Spencer 2000–2003
Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent 2003–2005
Vice-Admiral Sir Adrian Johns 2005–2008
Vice-Admiral Sir Alan Massey 2008–2010
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Montgomery 2010–2012[10]

Second Sea Lords and Chiefs of Naval Personnel and Training, 2012–2015

Rank Name Image In office
Vice Admiral Sir Charles Montgomery 2012 (and see above)
Vice Admiral Sir David Steel 2012–2015

Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, 2015–present

See: Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff

Rank Name Image In office
Vice Admiral Sir Jonathan Woodcock 2SL: 2015–2018, Deputy CNS: 2016–2018
Vice Admiral Tony Radakin 2018–2019
Vice Admiral Nick Hine 2019–2022
Vice Admiral Martin Connell 2022–present

Departments under the office

As of September 2020:[11][12]

Current

Former

Included:[15][16][17][18]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sainty, JC, Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660–1870', Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660–1870 (1975), pp. 18–31". Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  2. ^ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Second Sea Lord – The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell, 5 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  3. ^ Admiral Sir Michael Layard, KCB, CBE
  4. ^ History in Portsmouth Archived 27 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Royal Navy Command and Organisation
  6. ^ Oscar Makes 99th Commanding Officer for HMS Victory
  7. ^ Levene of Portsoken, Lord (1 June 2011). "An independent report into the structure and management of the Ministry of Defence" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Second Sea Lord". Royal Navy. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  9. ^ a b c Senior Royal Navy Appointments Archived 15 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Government, People, Sir Charles Montgomery, Biography, Career". gov.uk. H.M. Government, UK. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  11. ^ "The Navy Directory 2019" (PDF). royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d e "How Defence Works Version 6.0 Sep2020" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. UK MOD. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020. page 28
  13. ^ a b "Freedom of Information Response" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Director Develop or Director Development in Navy Command" (PDF). whatdotheyknow.com. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020. n response toyour request,I can advise that the position of Director Develop is held by Rear Admiral Andrew Burns.
  15. ^ Archives, The National. "Records of the Surveyor of the Navy and successors". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, 1620–1979. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  16. ^ Hamilton, Sir Vesey. "Naval Administration – Part II. – Chapter II". pdavis.nl. Sir Vesey Hamilton, 1896. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  17. ^ Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation in World War 2, 1939–1945". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 19 September 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  18. ^ Hamilton, C. I. (2011). The Making of the Modern Admiralty: British Naval Policy-Making, 1805–1927. Cambridge University Press. p. 292. ISBN 9781139496544.
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