The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the

First Sea Lord The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) is the military head of the Royal Navy and Naval Service of the United Kingdom. The First Sea Lord is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in the British Armed Fo ...

and the second highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

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. The Second Naval Lord was the second most senior Naval Lord on the

Board of Admiralty The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628 when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requi ...

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 An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...

dated 23 October. The posts of Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief,

Naval Home Command Naval Home Command administered training and garrison functions for the Royal Navy from 1969-2012. Its commander was Commander-in-Chief, Naval Home Command (CINCNAVHOME). History As the Royal Navy's size decreased during the Cold War, commands wer ...

(CINCNAVHOME) were amalgamated in 1994 in the reductions of the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

following the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

. 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 The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Sir Thomas Williams's tenure, his succes ...

and Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. 2SL is based in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

in a combined headquarters with the Fleet Commander on Whale Island. Until October 2012, he flew his flag from , the world's oldest commissioned warship, which is preserved in dry dock in Portsmouth. The right to use HMS ''Victory'' as a

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...

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

, who now flies his flag from ''Victory''; this change formed part of the Levene reforms which were implemented at that time. 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".

Second Naval Lords, 1830–1904

Second Naval Lords include:Senior Royal Navy Appointments
* Rear Admiral George Dundas, 1830–1834 * Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, 1834 * Vice-Admiral Sir John Beresford, 1835–1841 * Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, 1835–1841 * Rear Admiral Sir Edward Troubridge, 1841 * Vice-Admiral Sir William Gage, 1841–1846 * Vice-Admiral Sir James Dundas, 1846–1847 * Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Prescott, 1847 * Vice-Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley, 1847–1852 * Vice-Admiral Sir Houston Stewart, 1852 * Vice-Admiral Sir Phipps Hornby, 1852–1853 * Vice-Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley, 1853–1854 * Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Dundas, 1854–1855 * Vice-Admiral Henry Eden, 1855–1857 * Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Dundas, 1857 * Vice-Admiral Henry Eden, 1857–1858 * Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Dundas, 1858–1859 * Rear Admiral Frederick Pelham, 1859–1861 * Vice Admiral Sir Charles Eden, 1861–1866 * Vice-Admiral Sir Sydney Dacres, 1866–1868 * ''Vacant'', 1868–1872 * Vice Admiral Sir John Tarleton, 1872–1874 * Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Hornby, 1874–1877 * Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Hood 1877–1879 * Admiral The Earl of Clanwilliam, 1879–1880 * Admiral Lord John Hay, 1880–1883 * Admiral Lord Alcester, 1883–1885 * Admiral Sir Anthony Hoskins, 1885–1888 * Vice-Admiral Sir Vesey Hamilton, 1888–1889 * Admiral Sir Henry Fairfax, 1889–1892 * Admiral Sir Frederick Richards, 1892–1893 * Admiral Lord Walter Kerr, 1893–1895 * Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Bedford, 1895–1899 * Admiral Lord Walter Kerr, 1899 * Vice-Admiral Archibald Douglas, 1899–1902 * Admiral Sir John Fisher, 1902–1903

Second Sea Lords, 1904–1917

Second Sea Lords include: * Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Drury, 1903–1907 * Admiral Sir William May, 1907–1909 * Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman, 1909–1911 * Vice-Admiral Sir George Egerton, 1911 * Vice-Admiral Prince Louis of Battenberg, 1911–1912 * Vice-Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, 1912–1914 * Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Hamilton, 1914–1916 * Vice-Admiral Sir Somerset Gough-Calthorpe, 1916 * Admiral Sir Cecil Burney, 1916–1917

Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel 1917 to 1995

* Admiral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss, 1917 * Vice-Admiral Sir Herbert Heath, 1917–1919 * Admiral Sir Montague Browning, 1919–1920 * Admiral Sir Henry Oliver, 1920–1924 * Vice-Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 1924–1925 * Vice-Admiral Sir Hubert Brand, 1925–1927 * Admiral Sir Michael Hodges, 1927–1930 * Admiral Sir Cyril Fuller, 1930–1932 * Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, 1932–1935 * Admiral Sir Martin Dunbar-Nasmith, 1935–1938 * Admiral Sir Charles Little, 1938–1941 * Admiral Sir William Whitworth, 1941–1944 * Admiral Sir Algernon Willis, 1944–1946 * Admiral Sir Arthur Power, 1946–1948 * Admiral Sir Cecil Harcourt, 1948–1950 * Admiral Sir Alexander Madden, 1950–1953 * Admiral Sir Guy Russell, 1953–1955 * Admiral Sir Charles Lambe, 1955–1957 * Vice-Admiral Sir Deric Holland-Martin, 1957–1959 * Admiral Sir St John Tyrwhitt, 1959–1961 * Admiral Sir Royston Wright, 1961–1965 * Admiral Sir Desmond Dreyer, 1965–1967 * Admiral Sir Peter Hill-Norton, 1967 * Admiral Sir Frank Twiss, 1967–1970 * Vice-Admiral Sir Andrew Lewis, 1970–1971 * Admiral Sir Derek Empson, 1971–1974 * Admiral Sir David Williams, 1974–1977 * Admiral Sir Gordon Tait, 1977–1979 * Admiral Sir Desmond Cassidi, 1979–1982 * Admiral Sir Simon Cassels, 1982–1986 * Admiral Sir Richard Fitch, 1986–1988 * Admiral Sir Brian Brown, 1988–1991 * Admiral Sir Michael Livesay, 1991–1992 * Admiral Sir Michael Layard, 1992–1995

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

Second Sea Lords and Commanders-in-Chief include:

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

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

See: Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff

Departments under the office

''As of September 2020:''

Current

* Director People and Training, previously the Naval Secretary * Director Development, previously the

Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Capability) The Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Capability) is a senior Royal Navy appointment responsible he is accountable for planning and delivering the larger part of future maritime effectiveness; he does this on behalf of the First Sea Lord. Hist ...

* Office of the Assistant Chief (Policy) * Office of the Director of Personnel and Training & Office of the Naval Secretary * Director Navy Acquisition

Former

Included: *

Admiralty Interview Board The Admiralty Interview Board (AIB) is an assessment centre, tracing its roots to 1903, that is used by the Naval Service as part of the officer selection process for the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve, an ...

* Naval Careers Service *

Naval Education Service __NOTOC__ The Naval Education Service was a branch of the British Royal Navy which both provided education for naval personnel and ran schools for children of Royal Navy personnel. History It was originally known as the Department of Naval Educat ...

* Office of the Medical Director-General (Naval) *

Royal Navy Medical Service The Royal Navy Medical Service is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for medical care. It works closely with Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service. History The history of the service can be traced back to 1692 when treatment for ...

* Royal Naval Hospital * Office the Director Naval Nursing Service *

Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (QARNNS) is the nursing branch of the British Royal Navy. The Service unit works alongside the Royal Navy Medical Branch. As of 1 January 2006, according to former Ministry of Defence junior mini ...

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original R ...

* Royal Marines Reserve * Department of the Director Combined Operations Personnel * Department of the Director Naval Education **

Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

** Royal Naval College, Dartmouth **

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equi ...

Royal Naval College (Portsmouth) The Royal Naval Academy was a facility established in 1733 in Portsmouth Dockyard to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, educa ...

Royal Naval War College The Royal Naval War College was a training establishment for senior officers of the Royal Navy that existed from 1900 to 1914. It was based originally at Greenwich, then Plymouth, then Portsmouth, and then Greenwich again. Branch colleges were ...

Department of the Director Service Conditions Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

* Department of the Director of Training * Directorate General Training, (1960–1969) * Directorate-General Naval Manpower and Training (1972–1994) * Department of the Engineer-in-chief, as regards personnel * Medical Director-General of the Navy ** Dental Examining Board ** Medical Consultative Board ** Medical Examining Board * Naval Intelligence Department, as regards mobilisation of the fleet *

Naval Mobilisation Department The Naval Mobilisation Department also known as the Mobilisation and Movements Department was a former department of the British Admiralty initially from 1909 to 1912 and then again from 1918 to 1932. It was mainly responsible for plans, mobilisa ...

, as regards personnel * Office of the Admiral Commanding, Coastguard and Reserves * Office of the Admiral Commanding Reserves, as regards personnel * Office of the Admiral Superintendent, Naval Reserves, as regards personnel * Office of the Adviser on Education * Office of the Chief of Staff, Reserves * Office of the Controller of the Coastguard * Office of the Deputy Adjutant General Royal Marines * Office of the Adjutant General Royal Marines * Office of the Chaplain of the Fleet, as regards naval schools * Office of the Engineer Rear Admiral for Personnel Duties *

Royal Naval Academy The Royal Naval Academy was a facility established in 1733 in Portsmouth Dockyard to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, educa ...

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

* Statistics Department

References

{{Board of Admiralty, state=collapsed Royal Navy * Royal Navy appointments Admiralty during World War II