| Western Fleet | |
|---|---|
 The aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, Flagship of the Western Fleet | |
| Active | 5 June 1967 – November 1971 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet |
| Part of | Admiralty |
| Garrison/HQ | Northwood Headquarters, Middlesex |
The Western Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy from June 1967 to 1971.
In 1967 the Home and Mediterranean Fleets were merged to form the Western Fleet. [1] The amalgamated fleet was now responsible for United Kingdom home waters, the North and South Atlantic, and the Mediterranean - all Royal Navy operations “West of Suez”. One of the fleet commander's subordinates was Flag Officer Flotillas, Western Fleet, which Vice Admiral Andrew Lewis filled in 1968–69. [2]
Some details of squadrons in the Western Fleet from 1967 to 1971 can be seen in Graham Watson's work. [3]
In July 1969 fourteen ships of the Western Fleet took part in a Fleet Review and Queen's Colour presentation aboard HMS Eagle in Torbay.
The headquarters of the Western Fleet was at the Northwood Headquarters in Middlesex. The post of Commander in Chief Western Fleet (abbreviated CINC WF) came with the additional NATO responsibility as Commander in Chief Allied Command Channel. The first Allied Commander-in-Chief Channel was Admiral Sir Arthur Power who was also Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, appointed in February 1952. In 1966 it was agreed that the same commander, the Royal Navy's Commander-in-Chief, Western Fleet, should direct the NATO Channel and Eastern Atlantic Commands. [4] As a consequence these functions were combined at his Headquarters in Northwood.
The fleet's existence was quite short in comparison to other fleets of the Royal Navy. The Western Fleet was amalgamated with the Far East Fleet in 1971, and the admiral commanding all the Royal Navy's worldwide forces at Northwood was given the title Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET).
Post holders included: [5]
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commander-in-Chief, Western Fleet | ||||
| 1 | Admiral |  | Sir John Bush | October 1967 – February 1970 |
| 2 | Admiral | | Sir William O’Brien | February 1970 – September 1971 |
| 3 | Admiral | | Sir Edward B. Ashmore | September 1971 – November 1971 |
The fleet's last commander, Admiral Sir Edward Ashmore, became the first Commander-in-Chief Fleet.
Post holders included: [6]
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief of Staff, Western Fleet | ||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral |  | Edmund N. Poland | October 1967 – December 1967 |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | | Peter W.B. Ashmore | December 1967 – December 1969 |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | | Ian W. Jamieson | December 1969 – October 1971 |
| 4 | Vice-Admiral |  | John Ernle Pope | October 1971 -November 1971 |
The Far East Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed between 1952 and 1971.
The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet.
The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between the United Kingdom and the majority of the British Empire in the Eastern Hemisphere. The first Commander-in-Chief for the Mediterranean Fleet was the appointment of General at Sea Robert Blake in September 1654. The Fleet was in existence until 1967.
The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the British Royal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Naval Service. In its last years, as the Navy shrank, more administrative responsibilities were added.
Admiral Sir David John Hallifax, was a senior Royal Navy officer who served as Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle from 1988 until 1992.
Northwood Headquarters is a military headquarters facility of the British Armed Forces in Eastbury, Hertfordshire, England, adjacent to the London suburb of Northwood. It is home to the following military command and control functions:
The Atlantic Fleet was a naval fleet of the Royal Navy. It existed for two separate periods; 1909 until 1914, and then 1919 until 1932.
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Beckwith Ashmore, was a senior Royal Navy officer. He saw active service in the Second World War and later commanded two frigates before achieving high command in the Navy. He served as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in the mid-1970s and in that role he advised the incoming Labour government on a major defence review and on the implications of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. He went on to be Chief of the Defence Staff, serving briefly in a caretaker capacity following the death of his predecessor.
The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary and River Medway. In due course the Commander-in-Chief became responsible for sub-commands at Chatham, London, Sheerness, Harwich and the Humber.
The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) was one of two supreme commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the other being the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The SACLANT led Allied Command Atlantic was based at Norfolk, Virginia. The entire command was routinely referred to as 'SACLANT'.
The Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic was an operational commander of the Royal Navy from 1939. The South American area was added to his responsibilities in 1960, and the post disestablished in 1967.
Admiral Sir Wilfrid John Wentworth Woods, was a Royal Navy officer who served in the Submarine Service in the Mediterranean.
The Navy Command is the current headquarters body of the Royal Navy, and as of 2012 its major organisational grouping. It is a hybrid, neither a command, nor simply an installation. Royal Navy official writings describe Navy Command Headquarters both as a physical site, on Whale Island, Hampshire, a collective formed of the most senior RN officers, and as a budgetary grouping.
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 successor, Sir Philip Durham, being the first to move into Admiralty House at the Royal Navy Dockyard, where subsequent holders of the office were based until 1969. Prior to World War I the officer holder was sometimes referred to in official dispatches as the Commander-in-Chief, Spithead.
The Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) is the central command of all NATO maritime forces and the Commander MARCOM is the prime maritime advisor to the Alliance. When directed by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), it provides the core of the headquarters responsible for the conduct of maritime operations. The command is based at the Northwood Headquarters in Eastbury, Hertfordshire.
Commodore Submarine Service is a post in the Royal Navy which involves command of the Royal Navy Submarine Service. It evolved from the post of Inspecting Captain of Submarines in 1901 and would later evolve to become the post of Flag Officer Submarines in 1944.
Allied Command Channel (ACCHAN) was one of three major North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commands from 1952 to 1994. Commander-in-Chief Channel was a Major NATO Commander (MNC).
The 3rd Destroyer Squadron was a naval unit of the Royal Navy from 1952 to 2001.
The 4th Destroyer Squadron was a naval unit of the Royal Navy from 1951 to 1959.
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