Third Sea Lord

History

The original office of Comptroller of the Navy was established in 1561 during the reign of Elizabeth I of England which was a very different function from what became known later as the Controller of the Navy. They presided over the Navy Board from 1660, and generally superintended the business of the Navy Office, they were responsible for all naval spending and for the offices dealing with bills, accounts and wages during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. By the eighteenth century the principal officer responsible for estimating annual stores requirements, inspecting ships' stores and maintaining the Fleet's store-books and repair-bills was the Surveyor of the Navy however their duties passed increasingly to the Comptroller of the Navy during the latter half of this period. The office of the Surveyor did not altogether disappear. 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 to the routine business of signing off all official documents. In 1832 the original office of the Comptroller was abolished following a merger with the Board of Admiralty and the Surveyor was made the officer responsible under the First Sea Lord for the material departments. In 1859 the office of Surveyor of the Navy who had overall responsibility for ship design was renamed and the post became known as the Controller of the Navy.

In the re-organisation of the Admiralty by Order in Council of 14 January 1869, the Controller of the Navy was given a seat on the Board of Admiralty as the Third Lord and Controller of the Navy. They also inherited the new duties of the Storekeeper-General of the Navy, whose post was abolished. The Controller lost the title of Third Lord and the seat on the board by an Order in Council of 19 March 1872, but regained them by a further Order in Council of 10 March 1882. In 1872 they again became subordinate to the First Sea Lord, but had the right to attend board meetings when the business of the department was under discussion. In 1882 the Controller again became independent of the First Sea Lord and became a board member again as Third Naval Lord and Controller. The Third Naval Lord's post was renamed to become known as the Third Sea Lord and Controller in 1904. The appointment of Controller of the Navy was abolished in September 1912, although that of Third Sea Lord remained. Thereafter, except for a period in 1917 to 1918 when there was a civilian Controller, the titles of Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy went together.

The Third Sea Lord and Controller was mainly responsible for superintending the work of the Royal Naval Scientific Service and for a number of Admiralty departments, including those of the Department of the Director of Naval Construction, (from 1958 the Department of the Director General Ships), of the Department of the Engineer in Chief (formerly the Steam Department), of the Department of the Director of Naval Ordnance, of the Department of the Director of Dockyards and, following a board decision in 1911, of the Admiralty Compass Observatory, formerly under the control of the Hydrographer's Department. In wartime they also had responsibility for the supply of equipment to Combined Operations Headquarters. From 1958 the Fourth Sea Lord was also known as Vice Controller of the Navy they assumed the superintendence of the naval dockyard organisation and the maintenance of the fleet. In 1965 the appointment of Third Sea Lord was abolished and the individual responsible for the materiel side of the navy became simply Controller of the Navy. From 2003 until April 2013 the post holder jointly held different titles such as Director, Land Maritime, 2003–2006, Director-General, Nuclear, 2006–2009, Capability Manager/Director (Precision Attack), 2009-2012 and Director, Maritime Capability and Transformation, 2012–2013. From April 2013 until November 2018 the post holder simultaneously held the titles of Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Capability) and Chief of Staff Navy Command (HQ) post holders include: From November 2018, the post holder has been just Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Capability). ACNS Capability is also known as Director Develop as of September 2020.

List of office holders

Third Naval Lords 1832–1868

Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Pechell 1832–1834

Rear Admiral Sir Charles Rowley 1834–1835

Rear Admiral Sir George Elliot 1835–1837

Rear Admiral Sir Sir Edward Troubridge, 2nd Baronet 1837–1841

Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Pechell 1841

Rear Admiral Sir George Seymour 1841–1844

Rear Admiral Sir William Bowles 1844–1846

Rear Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley 1846–1847

Rear Admiral Lord John Hay 1847–1850

Rear Admiral Sir Houston Stewart 1850–1852

Rear Admiral Sir James Stirling 1852

Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Herbert 1852–1853

Rear Admiral Sir Richard Dundas 1853–1854

Rear Admiral Sir Peter Richards 1854–1857

Rear Admiral Henry Eden 1857

Rear Admiral Sir Alexander Milne 1857–1859

Rear Admiral Sir Henry Leeke 1859

Rear Admiral Sir Charles Eden 1859–1861

Rear Admiral Charles Frederick 1861–1865

Rear Admiral Sir Edward Fanshawe 1865–1866

Third Lords and Controllers of the Navy 1869–1872

Admiral Sir Robert Robinson, 1869–1871

Captain Robert Hall, 1871–1872

Controllers of the Navy 1872–1882

Captain Robert Hall, 1872

Admiral Sir William Stewart, 1872–1881

Rear-Admiral Thomas Brandreth, 1881–1882

Third Naval Lords and Controllers of the Navy 1882–1904

Third Naval Lords and Controllers of the Navy include:

Vice-Admiral Thomas Brandreth, 1882–1886

Vice-Admiral Sir William Graham, 1886–1888

Vice-Admiral John Hopkins, 1888–1892

Vice-Admiral Sir John Fisher, 1892–1897

Rear-Admiral Arthur Wilson, 1897–1901

Rear-Admiral William May, 1901–1905

Third Sea Lord and Controllers of the Navy 1904–1912

Rear-Admiral Sir Henry Jackson, 1905–1908

Rear-Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, 1908–1909

Rear-Admiral Reginald Bacon, 1909

Rear-Admiral Charles Briggs, 1910–1912

Rear-Admiral Gordon Moore, 1912

Third Sea Lords 1912–1918

Rear-Admiral Gordon Moore, 1912–1914

Rear-Admiral Frederick Tudor, 1914–1917

Rear-Admiral Lionel Halsey, 1917–1918

Third Sea Lords and Controllers of the Navy 1918–1965

Third Sea Lords and Controllers of the Navy include:

Rear-Admiral Sir Charles de Bartolomé, 1918–1919

Rear-Admiral Sir William Nicholson, 1919–1920

Rear-Admiral Sir Frederick Field, 1920–1923

Rear-Admiral Cyril Fuller, 1923–1925

Vice-Admiral Sir Ernle Chatfield, 1925–1928

Vice-Admiral Roger Backhouse, 1928–1932

Vice-Admiral Charles Forbes, 1932–1934

Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson, 1934–1939

Vice-Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, 1939–1942

Admiral Sir Frederic Wake-Walker, 1942–1945

Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Daniel, 1945–1949

Admiral Sir Michael Denny, 1949–1953

Admiral Sir Ralph Edwards, 1953–1956

Admiral Sir Peter Reid, 1956–1961

Admiral Sir Michael Le Fanu, 1961–1965

Controllers of the Navy 1965–current

Post holders include:

Admiral Sir Horace Law, 1965–1970

Admiral Sir Michael Pollock, 1970–1971

Admiral Sir Anthony Griffin, 1971–1975

Admiral Sir Richard Clayton, 1975–1979

Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, 1979–1981

Admiral Sir Lindsay Bryson, 1981–1984

Admiral Sir Derek Reffell, 1984–1989

Admiral Sir Kenneth Eaton, 1989–1994

Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Walmsley, 1994–1996

Rear-Admiral Frederick Scourse, 1996–1997

Rear-Admiral Peter Spencer, 1997–2000

Rear-Admiral Nigel Guild, 2000–2003

Rear-Admiral Richard Cheadle, 2003–2006 (also Director, Land Maritime)

Rear-Admiral Andrew Mathews, 2006–2007 (also Director-General, Nuclear)

Rear-Admiral Paul Lambert, 2007–2009 (ditto)

Rear-Admiral Amjad Hussain, 2009–2012 (also Capability Manager/Director (Precision Attack))

Rear-Admiral Henry Parker, 2012–2013 (also Director, Maritime Capability and Transformation)

Departments under the office

At various times included:

Current

Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff Warfare

Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff Information Superiority

Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff Maritime Capability

Office Assistant Chief of Staff Integrated Change Programme

Former

At various times included:

Admiralty Compass Observatory, formerly under the control of the Hydrographer of the Navy's department

Combined Operations Headquarters (supply of equipment only).

Department of the Director of Dockyards, (1885–1954)

Department of the Director of Naval Construction

Royal Corps of Naval Constructors

Department of the Director General Ships

Department of the Director Contract-built ships

Department of the Director of Electrical Engineering

Department of the Director of Naval Equipment

Department of the Director of Scientific Research

Department of the Engineer in Chief (formerly the Steam Department)

Department of the Inspector of Dockyard Expense Accounts

Department of the Director of Torpedoes and Mines

Department of the Surveyor of Dockyards, (1872–1885)

Directorate of Naval Construction, (1913–1958)

Naval Ordnance Department

Department of the Assistant Director of Torpedoes