Commander-in-Chief Fleet

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 command's most pressing challenge for most of its existence was the threat of a third Battle of the Atlantic; perhaps its most prominent war was in the Falklands in 1982. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, the professional head of the Navy. In its last years, as the Navy shrank, more administrative responsibilities were added.

In April 2012, the post was abolished. Its responsibilities were taken over by a three-star vice admiral, the Fleet Commander and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff.

Prior to 1964 responsibility for British naval command lay with the Admiralty Naval Staff. Following the merger of the Admiralty in 1964 into the new Ministry of Defence the Admiralty became the Navy Department.

In November 1971, force reductions resulted in the Western Fleet being amalgamated with the Far East Fleet. It was to be commanded by a four star admiral who held the title Commander-in-Chief Fleet, with his headquarters at the Northwood Headquarters, Middlesex, England. Previous to November 1971, on 1 May 1971 CINCWF had already assumed responsibility for the administration of ships in the Far East Fleet. From 1971-72 CINCFLEET directed Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships; Flag Officer First Flotilla; Flag Officer, Second Flotilla; Flag Officer Submarines; the Hydrographer of the Navy, Rear Admiral Geoffrey Hall (all survey vessels); Flag Officer Sea Training (all ships in workup at Portland); and Captain, Mine Countermeasures. Operational control was delegated to FOSNI, Flag Officer Plymouth, Flag Officer Gibraltar, Flag Officer Malta, Senior Naval Officer West Indies, Commander, ANZUK Naval Forces, and Commodore-in-Charge, Hong Kong.

In 1976, a Task Group was dispatched to the Middle East consisting of two destroyers and six frigates. The following year, four frigates – Mohawk, Zulu, HMS Cleopatra and Amazon – visited Salalah and Muscat in Oman and Basra in Iraq.

The Flag Officer Gibraltar, and Gibraltar Naval Base Commander, a Rear Admiral, double-hatted as NATO's Commander Gibraltar Mediterranean (COMGIBMED). In the late 1980s two small patrol craft, HMS Cormorant and HMS Hart, were reported as being attached to FO Gibraltar.

The post of CINCFLEET also was assigned the NATO appointments of Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Atlantic Area (CINCEASTLANT) and Commander-in-Chief Channel (CINCHAN). On 1 July 1994, the Channel Command was disestablished: however most of its subordinate commands remained in existence although reshuffled: most of the headquarters were absorbed within Allied Command Europe particularly as part of the new Allied Forces Northwestern Europe.

In 1992 Fleet Headquarters moved to Portsmouth. In 2005, the Second Sea Lord, reduced in rank from full Admiral to Vice-Admiral, came under CINCFLEET's command, a situation that lasted until the Levene reforms of 2012.