The Admiralty was the British government department responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of its history, from the early 18th century until its abolition, the role of the Lord High Admiral was almost invariably put "in commission" and exercised by the Lords Commissioner of the Admiralty, who sat on the governing Board of Admiralty, rather than by a single person. The Admiralty was replaced by the Admiralty Board in 1964, as part of the reforms that created the Ministry of Defence and its Navy Department.
The Minister of Shipping was a British government post created in the First World War and again in the Second World War. In 1941 it was merged into the position of Minister of Transport which was then renamed Minister of War Transport.
The Board of Admiralty 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 requirements of the Royal Navy; at that point administrative control of the navy was still the responsibility of the Navy Board, established in 1546. This system remained in place until 1832, when the Board of Admiralty became the sole authority charged with both administrative and operational control of the navy when the Navy Board was abolished. The term Admiralty has become synonymous with the command and control of the Royal Navy, partly personified in the Board of Admiralty and in the Admiralty buildings in London from where operations were in large part directed. It existed until 1964 when the office of First Lord of the Admiralty was finally abolished and the functions of the Lords Commissioners were transferred to the new Admiralty Board and the tri-service Defence Council of the United Kingdom.
The Admiralty War Staff was the former senior naval staff operational planning organisation within the British Admiralty that existed from 1912 to 1917. It was instituted on 8 January 1912 by Winston Churchill in his capacity as First Lord of the Admiralty and was in effect a war council whose head reported directly to the First Sea Lord. After the First World War ended, the War Staff was replaced by the Admiralty Naval Staff department.
The Admiralty Naval Staff was the former senior command, operational planning, policy and strategy department within the British Admiralty. It was established in 1917 and existed until 1964 when the department of the Admiralty was abolished. It was replaced Ministry of Defence as part of the Ministry of Defence Navy Department.
The Air Division originally known as the Air Section and later known as the Naval Air Division was first established in 1924 and it was a Directorate of the Admiralty Naval Staff, that was initially responsible for operational control of aircraft supplied to the Royal Navy by the Air Ministry. In 1939 it was gained full control for the all matters relating to administration, control, policy and organisation of the Fleet Air Arm, it underwent various name changes until it was absorbed as part of the merger of the Admiralty into the new Ministry of Defence in April 1964 as part of the Navy Department where it continued until May 1966 when its remit was changed and when became the Directorate of Naval Warfare.
The Gunnery Division was a Directorate of the Admiralty Naval Staff of the Royal Navy responsible for the tactical use of naval weapons and the training of naval personnel in relation to operational requirements. It was established in 1920 when the Gunnery and Torpedo Division was separated into an independent Gunnery Division and Torpedo Division it existed until 1964 when the Department of Admiralty was abolished and replaced by a new Ministry of Defence.
The Trade and Operations Division (T.O.D.) was a division of the Admiralty Naval Staff created in 1961 following the merger of two former naval staff divisions one for Trade and the other for Operations. The staff division was administered by the Director, Trade and Operations Division. It existed until 1967.
The Directorate of Navigation and Tactical Control (Naval) was a directorate of the Navy Department, Naval Staff first established in 1912 as the Navigation Department of Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty. In 1945 it was renamed the Navigation Division and assigned to the Admiralty Naval Staff. In 1946 it was re designated Navigation and Direction Division until 1966 and now part of the Navy Department Naval Staff it was renamed the Directorate of Navigation and Tactical Control (Naval). The staff directorate was administered by the Director Navigation Tactical Control (Naval) who reported to the Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Warfare) it existed until 1968.
The Economic Warfare Division (E.W.D.) was a division of the Admiralty Naval Staff established during world war two it was in operation from September 1939 to July 1945. The staff division was administered by the Director of Economic Warfare Division.
The Naval Air Organisation and Training Division was a staff division of the Admiralty Naval Staff established in July 1944 It continued to operate until 1961 when it was deactivated. The staff division was administered by the Director Air Organisation and Training who reported both to the Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff and the Fifth Sea Lord as Chief of Naval Aviation.
The Press Division was a staff division of the Admiralty Naval Staff established during World War Two (1940-1942) before being abolished. The staff division was administered by the Director of Press Division
British Naval Forces Germany was a command of the Royal Navy that was active from 1944 to 1961 under three titles.
The Directorate Naval Tactical and Weapons Policy originally called the Tactical Division was a directorate of the British Admiralty, and later of the Naval Staff, Ministry of Defence,. Formed in 1925 it operated until 1939 before being abolished. It was revived in 1958 and existed until 1968. The naval staff directorate was administered by the Director, Directorate Naval Tactical and Weapons Policy.
The Torpedo Experimental Establishment (T.E.E.) also known as the Admiralty Torpedo Experimental Establishment was a former research department of the British Department of Admiralty from 1947 to 1959. It was responsible for the design, development and production of torpedoes for the Royal Navy. In 1959 its work and staff merged with the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment. The department was administered by the Superintendent, Torpedo Experiment and Design.
The Department of the Director of Underwater Weapons Materials originally known as the Torpedo Department was a former department of the British Department of Admiralty from 1917 to 1958 when it became the Underwater Weapons Division of the Weapons Department.
The Sea Transport Branch of the British Board of Trade, originally established as the Transport Department or Naval Transport Department, was a logistical branch of the Department of Admiralty responsible for the provision of naval transportation services. It underwent numerous name changes throughout its complicated history with responsibility for sea transportation, known as the Department of the Director of Transports from 1890.
The Directorate of Naval Operations and Trade was a staff directorate created in 1967 it replaced the Trade and Operations Division. The directorate under the Ministry of Defence as part of the Ministry of Defence. It was administered by the Director of Naval Operations and Trade. It existed until 2003.
The Naval Staff Directorate is a military staff directorate created in 1985 as the Directorate of Naval Staff Duties. The directorate was originally part of the British Ministry of Defence and is now under the Ministry of Defence as part of Navy Command. It is currently administered by the Commodore Naval Staff now based at MOD HQ.
The Navy Department was a former ministerial service department of the Ministry of Defence responsible for the control and direction of Her Majesty's Naval Service. It was established on 1 April 1964 when the Department of Admiralty was absorbed into a unified Ministry of Defence, where it became the Navy Department. Political oversight of the department originally lay with the Minister of Defence for the Royal Navy (1964-1967) it then passed to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy (1967-1981), then later to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (1981-1990) and finally the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (1991-1997).
