Operations Division (Royal Navy)

Last updated
Operations Division
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
Division overview
Formed1912
Dissolved1961
Superseding agency
  • Trade Division and Operations Division
Jurisdiction Government of the United Kingdom
HeadquartersAdmiralty Building
Whitehall
London
Parent department Admiralty Naval Staff

The Operations Division [1] was a former directorate of the Admiralty Naval Staff responsible for the creation and implementation of long-term policy in regards to the composition of all Royal Navy fleets, squadrons and commands and including operational planning and monitoring from 1912 to 1961.

Contents

History

The Operations division was established in January 1912 initially as a component part of the new Admiralty War Staff created by the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill and later the naval staff. It worked closely with the Naval Intelligence Division throughout most of existence and remained until 1961 when it was amalgamated with the Trade Division to create a new Trade and Operations Division. [2] In 1964 the Admiralty Department was abolished, however trade and operations functions continued under the new Naval Staff function within the Navy Department [3] of the Ministry of Defence as the Directorate of Naval Operations and Trade.

Responsibilities

The division was chiefly responsible for coordinating the distribution of the British fleet globally and for the general day-to-day, movements of each of the Royal Navy's units as ordered by the Board of Admiralty, and acted-upon initially by the Chief of the War Staff later Chief of the Naval Staff. However each of the individual Commander-in-Chief's regulated the movements of fleets, flotilla's or squadrons and ships that was under their respective commands.

The division had to ensure that accurate information was constantly available at all times, this included the positions and conditions of all the most important ships. This was done by devising an operational plotting system that enabled the Admiralty to track of all ship movements, all scheduling of re-fits, monitoring fuel levels, and monitoring ammunition storage levels worldwide .

The division would coordinate closely with the Operational Intelligence Center [4] within the Naval Intelligence Division. The Operations Division received intelligence communiques, reviewed the importance of them, then would recommend any necessary remedying actions to be taken. When orders were approved by the Naval Staff they were communicated to all commanding flag officers who would action them.

Directors duties

As of 1918: [5]

Directors of Division

Pre-World War One period

Director of Operations Division

included: [6]

World War One period

Director of Operations Division

Inter-war period

Director of Operations Division (Home)

Included: [7]
  • Captain Dudley Pound, 12 January 1918 – 15 July 1919
  • Captain John D. Kelly, 15 July 1919 – 1 April 1920

Director of Operations Division (Foreign)

Included: [7]

Director of Operations Division

Included: [7]
  • Rear-Admiral John D. Kelly, 1 April 1920 – 15 February 1922
  • Captain Henry W. Parker, 1 February 1922
  • Captain Wilfred Tomkinson, 21 November 1923–April 1926
  • Captain Frank F. Rose, April 1926,–March 1928
  • Captain Percy Noble, March, 1928–January 1930
  • Captain Dudley Burton Napier North, January, 1930–July 1932
  • Captain Charles G. Brodie, July–December 1932
  • Captain Francis H. W. Goolden, December, 1932–December 1933
  • Captain Henry Pridham-Wippell, December, 1933–December 1935
  • Captain Charles H. Knox-Little, December, 1935–July 1938
  • Captain Charles M. Blackman, July, 1938–December 1939

World War Two period

Director of Operations Division (Home)

Director of Operations Division (Foreign)

  • Captain Robert H.Bevan: September 1939-September 1940
  • Captain Gerald H. Warner: September 1940-March 1941
  • Captain John Terry: March 1941-August 1942
  • Captain Angus D. Nicholl: August 1942-August 1944
  • Captain Frederick R. Parham: August 1944-January 1947

Post War period

Director of Operations Division

  • Captain Charles H. Duffett: January 1947-January 1949
  • Captain George B.H. Fawkes: January 1949-July 1951
  • Captain Patrick W. Brock: July 1951-October 1953
  • Captain John S.S. Litchfield: October 1953-December 1954
  • Captain Peter D.H.R. Pelly: December 1954-June 1956
  • Captain Walter Evershed: June 1956-June 1957
  • Captain Bryan C. Durant: June 1957-January 1959
  • Captain Eric V. St.J. Morgan: January 1959-May 1960
  • Captain Michael G. Haworth: May 1960-July 1961

Deputy Directors

Deputy Director of Operations

Included: [6]

Deputy Director of Operations (Home)

Deputy Director of Operations (Foreign)

Included: [6]

Deputy Director of Operations (Foreign and Trade)

Assistant Directors of Operations

Assistant Director of Operation Division (A.D.O.D.):

Second Assistant Directors

Operations division sub staff sections

A more detailed breakdown of the distribution of work allocated within the division to the various staff sections can be seen below as of 1917: [8]

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References

  1. Archives, The National. "Admiralty: Naval Staff, Operations Division: Lists showing stations and movements of Allied and Royal Naval Ships (Pink Lists)". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  2. Government, H.M. (April 1962). "Admiralty, Divisions of the Naval Staff". The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 907.
  3. Archives, The National. "Records of the Navy Department of the Ministry of Defence, ADM Division 29". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, UK. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  4. Archives, The National. "Admiralty: Naval Intelligence Division and Operational Intelligence Centre: Intelligence Reports and Papers,ADM 223". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. The National Archives, UK. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  5. Black, Nicholas Duncan (2005). The Admiralty War Staff and its influence on the conduct of the naval between 1914 and 1918.'. University College, University of London. pp. 250 to 251.
  6. 1 2 3 Mackie, Colin. "British Armed Services between 1860 and the present day — Royal Navy - Senior Appointments". Colin Mackie's website. Colin Mackie, pp. 23-26, 2010-2014. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Archives, The National. "Naval Staff Divisions - Reorganisation". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, 1917-1921, ADM 116/1803. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  8. Archives, The National. "Records of Naval Staff Departments, ADM 10". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, 1912-1964. Retrieved 8 February 2017.

Attribution

Primary source for this article is by Harley Simon, Lovell Tony, (2017), Operations Division (Royal Navy), dreadnoughtproject.org, http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org.

Sources