The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this office was renamed

Commander-in-Chief, Devonport The Commander-in-Chief, Devonport, was a senior Royal Navy appointment first established in 1845. The office holder was the Port Admiral responsible for the command and administration of the Devonport Station. The appointment continued until 1900 ...

. The Commanders-in-Chief were based in what is now Hamoaze House, Devonport, Plymouth, from 1809 to 1934 and then at Admiralty House, Mount Wise, Devonport, from 1934 until 1996.

History

The post dates back to around 1743. It extended along the South Coast from Exmouth in

East Devon East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council has been based in Honiton since February 2019, and the largest town is Exmouth (with a population of 34,432 at the time of the 2011 census). The district was formed ...

to Penzance in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

. In 1845, this office was renamed as

, until 1896, when it was altered back to its original name. In 1941, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, elements of Plymouth Command were transferred to Western Approaches Command which was established at Derby House in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

. Meanwhile, Plymouth Command occupied a new combined Headquarters, known as the ''Maritime Headquarters'', at Mount Wise. The post of Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was merged with that of Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, in 1969, to form

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 ...

. Between 1952 and 1969, the Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, double-hatted as Plymouth Sub-Area Channel Command (PLYMCHAN) commander in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

's Allied Command Channel, and from 1969 to 1994, he double-hatted as Naval Base Commander Devonport,

Commander Central Sub-Area (CENTLANT) and Commander Plymouth Sub-Area Channel (PLYMCHAN). After 1969, Admiralty House and the Maritime Headquarters became the home of the Flag Officer, Plymouth, until that post was also disbanded in 1996. At around the same time the nearby RN Dockyard and

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are ...

were reconstituted as HM Naval Base Devonport and placed under the command of a Commodore.

Office holders

Commanders-in-Chief and Flag Officers have included:
= died in post *1761 – 1763 Vice-Admiral Philip Durell *Jan 1763 – Jun 1763 Vice-Admiral Lord Colville *1763 – 1766 Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Pye *1766 – 1771 Vice-Admiral Sir George Edgcumbe *1771 – 1775 Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Spry *1776 – 1778 Vice-Admiral

John Amherst Admiral John Amherst (1718 – 14 February 1778) was a Royal Navy officer served during the First Carnatic War and the Seven Years' War, and who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Family He was the fourth son of lawyer Jeffrey Amherst an ...

*1778 – 1783 Vice Admiral Sir Molyneux Shuldham *1783 – 1786 Vice Admiral

Mark Milbanke Admiral Mark Milbanke (12 April 1724 – 9 June 1805) was a British naval officer and colonial governor. Military career Milbanke was born into an aristocratic Yorkshire family with naval connections, his father was Sir Ralph Milbanke, 4th Bar ...

*1786 – 1790 Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Graves *1790 – 1792 Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton *1792 – 1793 Vice-Admiral

Phillips Cosby Admiral Phillips Cosby (1729 – 10 January 1808) was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Naval career Cosby joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman in 1747. He was given command of a schooner at the Siege ...

*1794 – 1796 Vice-Admiral Sir Richard King *1796 – 1799 Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Onslow *1799 – 1802 Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley *1802 – 1803 Vice-Admiral Sir James Dacres *1803 – 1804 Vice-Admiral Sir John Colpoys *1804 – 1810 Vice-Admiral Sir William Young *1810 – 1813 Admiral Sir Robert Calder *1813 – 1815 Admiral Sir William Domett *1815 – 1817 Admiral Sir John Duckworth *1817 – 1821 Admiral Viscount Exmouth *1821 – 1824 Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane *1824 – 1827 Admiral Sir James Saumarez *1827 – 1830 Admiral Lord Northesk *1830 – 1833 Admiral Sir Manley Dixon *1833 – 1836 Admiral Sir William Hargood *1836 – 1839 Admiral

Lord Amelius Beauclerk Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Lord Amelius Beauclerk (23 May 1771 – 10 December 1846) was a Royal Navy Officer (armed forces), officer. Early life Beauclerk was born on 23 May 1771, the third son of Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans ...

*1839 – 1842 Admiral Sir Graham Moore *1842 – 1845 Admiral Sir David Milne :Office is renamed

*1900 – 1902 Vice-Admiral Lord Charles Montagu Douglas Scott *1902 – 1908 Vice-Admiral Sir Lewis Beaumont *1908 – 1911 Vice-Admiral Sir Wilmot Fawkes *1911 – 1913 Vice-Admiral Sir William May *1913 – 1916 Vice-Admiral Sir George Egerton *Mar 1916 – Dec 1916 Vice-Admiral Sir George Warrender *1916 – 1918 Admiral Sir

Alexander Bethell Admiral Sir Alexander Edward Bethell (28 August 1855 – 13 June 1932) was a British naval officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth of the Royal Navy. Naval career Born the second son of Richard Augustus Bethell, 2nd Baron Westbury, B ...

*1918 – 1920 Vice-Admiral Sir Cecil Thursby *1920 – 1923 Admiral Sir Montague Browning *1923 – 1926 Vice-Admiral Sir

Richard Phillimore Admiral Sir Richard Fortescue Phillimore, (23 December 1864 – 8 November 1940) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth from 1923 to 1926. Naval career Phillimore was born at Boconnoc in Cornwall on 23 December 18 ...

*1926 – 1929 Vice-Admiral Sir Rudolph Bentinck *1929 – 1932 Vice-Admiral Sir Hubert Brand *1932 – 1935 Vice-Admiral Sir

Eric Fullerton Admiral Sir Eric John Arthur Fullerton, KCB, DSO (1878 – 9 November 1962) was a Royal Navy officer. Naval career Fullerton was the second son of Admiral Sir John Fullerton and entered the Royal Navy himself in 1892 as a cadet in HMS ...

*1935 – 1938 Admiral Sir

Reginald Drax Admiral Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, KCB, DSO, JP, DL ( Plunkett; 28 August 1880 – 16 October 1967), commonly known as Reginald Plunkett or Reginald Drax, was an Anglo-Irish admiral. The younger son of the 17th Ba ...

*1938 – 1941 Admiral Sir Martin Dunbar-Nasmith *1941 – 1943 Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Forbes *1943 – 1945 Vice-Admiral Sir Ralph Leatham *1945 – 1947 Admiral Sir Henry Pridham-Wippell *1947 – 1950 Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Burnett *1950 – 1951 Vice-Admiral Sir Rhoderick McGrigor *1951 – 1953 Vice-Admiral Sir Maurice Mansergh *1953 – 1955 Vice-Admiral Sir

Alexander Madden Admiral Sir Alexander Cumming Gordon Madden KCB CBE (21 January 1895 – 21 September 1964) was a senior Royal Navy officer who went on to be Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel. Early life and education Madden was born in Stourbridge, ...

*1955 – 1958 Vice Admiral Sir Charles Pizey *1958 – 1961 Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Onslow *1961 – 1962 Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Madden *1962 – 1965 Vice-Admiral Sir

Nigel Henderson Admiral Sir Nigel Stuart Henderson, (1 August 1909 – 2 August 1993) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1968 to 1971. Naval career Henderson joined the Royal Navy in 1927.

*1965 – 1967 Vice-Admiral Sir Fitzroy Talbot *1967 – 1969 Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Mills

Post 1969 period

On 30 December 1970, Vice-Admiral J R McKaig CBE was appointed as Port Admiral, Her Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport, and Flag Officer, Plymouth. On 5 September 1971, all Flag Officers of the Royal Navy holding positions of Admiral Superintendents at Royal Dockyards were restyled as Port Admirals.

References

{{Royal Navy fleets P Military units and formations disestablished in 1969 Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War I Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War II Military history of the English Channel

History

Office holders

Post 1969 period

See also

References