61-543: Admiral Sir Victor Alexander Charles Crutchley VC , KCB , DSC , DL (2 November 1893 – 24 January 1986) was a British naval officer. He was a First World War recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, and a senior Royal Navy officer during the Second World War . Crutchley
122-407: A personal flag . An admiral of the fleet flies a Union Flag at the masthead, while an admiral flies a St George's cross (red cross on white). Vice admirals and rear admirals fly a St George's cross with one or two red discs in the hoist, respectively. The rank of admiral itself is shown in its sleeve lace by a broad band with three narrower bands. In 2001 the number of stars on the shoulder board
183-611: A coastal minesweeper squadron." Deployments to the Beira Patrol and elsewhere reduced the escort total in 1966 from four to two ships, and then to no frigates at all. The Fleet's assets and area of responsibility were absorbed into the new Western Fleet . As a result of this change, the UK relinquished the NATO post of Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Mediterranean , which was abolished. Note: This list
244-521: A flotilla of submarines stationed at the bases around Valletta Harbour. In this capacity, he had to employ considerable diplomatic skill to maintain good relations with Dom Mintoff , the nationalistic prime minister of Malta . In the 1960s, as the importance of maintaining the link between the United Kingdom and British territories and commitments East of Suez decreased as the Empire was dismantled, and
305-619: A foothold in the Mediterranean Sea when Gibraltar was captured by the British in 1704 during the War of Spanish Succession , and formally allocated to Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht . Though the British had maintained a naval presence in the Mediterranean before, the capture of Gibraltar allowed the British to establish their first naval base there. The British also used Port Mahon , on
366-531: A mine in the Corfu Channel, starting a series of events known as the Corfu Channel Incident . The channel was cleared in "Operation Recoil" the next month, involving 11 minesweepers under the guidance of Ocean , two cruisers, three destroyers, and three frigates. In May 1948, Sir Arthur Power took over as Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean, and in his first act arranged a show of force to discourage
427-522: A naval base. Following Napoleon's defeat, the British continued their presence in Malta, and turned it into the main base for the Mediterranean Fleet. Between the 1860s and 1900s, the British undertook a number of projects to improve the harbours and dockyard facilities, and Malta's harbours were sufficient to allow the entire fleet to be safely moored there. In the last decade of the nineteenth century,
488-689: A permanent official staff, even if a permanent naval force was not yet considered necessary. Leybourne's immediate purview was subsequently divided into the roles of Admiral of the West and Admiral of the South while Botetourt's became the Admiral of the North ; the first and last merged as the Admiral of the North and West in 1364; and from 1408–1414 they were all reunited as the High Admiral of England, Ireland, and Aquitaine ,
549-577: Is air chief marshal . The title admiral was not used in Europe until the mid-13th century and did not reach England before the end of that century. Similarly, although some royal vessels are attested under King John , the English long depended upon levies of their subjects' vessels for any major naval expeditions. Nonetheless, historians have sometimes extended the concept of an English navy and its supposed admirals and lord high admirals back as far as Alfred
610-487: Is incomplete. The majority of officers listed were appointed as Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Sea sometimes Commander-in-Chief, at the Mediterranean Sea earlier officers appointed to command either fleets/squadrons stationed in the Mediterranean for particular operations were styled differently see notes next to their listing The first Commander-in-Chief for the Mediterranean Fleet may have been named as early as 1665. Commanders-in-chief have included: In January 1944
671-603: The Admiralty . The inquiry led to the removal of three of Crutchley's officers, including his executive officer. Crutchley disagreed with the findings of the Inquiry and made sure that the confidential report on his executive officer would lead to a promotion to captain. Warspite eventually proceeded to the Mediterranean Fleet to serve as the flagship of Admiral Dudley Pound , Commander-in-Chief. Crutchley served as Flag Captain to first Pound and then to Admiral Andrew Cunningham up to
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#1732852320056732-532: The Distinguished Service Cross . Crutchley volunteered for the Second Ostend Raid on 9 May, and was posted to the cruiser Vindictive , again commanded by Godsal. When Godsal was killed and the navigating officer incapacitated, Crutchley took command. When a propeller was damaged on the quay, preventing the vessel fully closing the canal, Crutchley ordered its scuttling and personally oversaw
793-553: The New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy where he served until 1933. Serving as executive officer, Crutchley was present at the relief operation after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake , and towards the end of his tour, when the captain was chronically ill, took command of Diomede until he was promoted to captain. He was posted home in 1933. Crutchley was senior officer, 1st Minesweeper Flotilla (1st MSF) from 1935 to 1936 aboard
854-628: The Royal Naval College, Osborne and Royal Naval College, Dartmouth . In September 1915 Crutchley was promoted to lieutenant and posted to a battleship of the Grand Fleet , HMS Centurion . Centurion participated in the Battle of Jutland . After the battle Captain Roger Keyes assumed command of Centurion and acquired a highly favorable impression of Crutchley. Keyes selected Crutchley for
915-458: The Zeebrugge Raid of 23 April 1918; he was assigned by Keyes as first lieutenant to Commander Alfred Godsal , also of Centurion , on the obsolete cruiser Brilliant . Brilliant and Sirius were to be sunk as blockships at Ostend . The Germans had moved a navigation buoy , and so the ships were beached in the wrong place under heavy fire. But Crutchley performed well and was awarded
976-667: The minesweeper HMS Halcyon at Portland , Dorset . In November 1935 Crutchley took the 1st MSF to join the Mediterranean Fleet in Alexandria , and cruised to Famagusta , Cyprus for 10 days during the winter. On 16 April 1936, Crutchley was relieved by Captain W. P. C. Manwaring and appointed Captain, Fishery Protection and Minesweeping with overall command over the Royal Navy's Minesweeping and armed trawler fleet. On 1 May 1937, Crutchley took command of HMS Warspite , which had been completely refitted in three years at Portsmouth . Due to acceptance trials Warspite
1037-565: The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Destroyer Flotillas, and the aircraft carrier Glorious . In 1940, the Mediterranean Fleet carried out a successful aircraft carrier attack on the Italian Fleet at Taranto by air . Other major actions included the Battle of Cape Matapan and the Battle of Crete . The Fleet had to block Italian and later German reinforcements and supplies for the North African Campaign . In October 1946, Saumarez hit
1098-447: The Great , counting several kings as themselves admirals, along with various dukes and earls who commanded fleets at prominent engagements such as Hubert de Burgh off Sandwich in 1217 . Other lists begin their count at King Henry III 's appointment of Sir Richard de Lucy on 28 August 1223 or 29 August 1224. A similar commission was given to Sir Thomas Moulton in 1264, who held
1159-725: The Japanese to get close without being detected by radar . Crutchley nonetheless retained the confidence of his superiors. He remained with the RAN in the South West Pacific, commanding TF 44 (redesignated TF 74 in 1943) for another 23 months. His command of the Australian Squadron ended on 13 June 1944. In September 1944, Crutchley received the American Legion of Merit in the degree of Chief Commander. Crutchley's final command
1220-487: The Mediterranean Fleet was the largest single squadron of the Royal Navy, with ten first-class battleships—double the number in the Channel Fleet —and a large number of smaller warships. On 22 June 1893, the bulk of the fleet, eight battleships and three large cruisers , were conducting their annual summer exercises off Tripoli , Lebanon , when the fleet's flagship, the battleship HMS Victoria , collided with
1281-459: The Mediterranean to the Middle East and Far East. When a NATO naval commander, Admiral Robert B. Carney , C-in-C Allied Forces Southern Europe , was appointed, relations with the incumbent British C-in-C, Admiral Sir John Edelsten , were frosty. Edlesten, on making an apparently friendly offer of the use of communications facilities to Carney, who initially lacked secure communications facilities,
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#17328523200561342-562: The North Sea saw the Home Fleet off the coast of Norway. The inconclusive first battle of Narvik was on 10 April. On 13 April, Crutchley commanded Warspite in the second battle of Narvik . She accompanied nine destroyers into Ofotfjord , where eight German destroyers were sunk or scuttled. Warspite ' s catapult plane even sank a U-boat. After this action, Crutchley was appointed commodore of Royal Naval Barracks, Devonport , overseeing
1403-618: The action. When there were more worthy recipients than VCs to award, the men were allowed to elect those to receive a VC. Crutchley was one of the last elected VCs. During the final months of the war, Crutchley served on HMS Sikh in the Dover Patrol , the Channel force commanded by Keyes. In 1920, Crutchley spent a tour of duty on board the minesweeper HMS Petersfield on the South American and South Atlantic station. He then served on
1464-423: The battleship HMS Camperdown . Victoria sank within fifteen minutes, taking 358 crew with her. Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon , commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, was among the dead. Of the three original Invincible -class battlecruisers which entered service in the first half of 1908, two ( Inflexible and Indomitable ) joined the Mediterranean Fleet in 1914. They and Indefatigable formed
1525-456: The case of Provo Wallis who served (including time being carried on the books while still a child) for 96 years. When he died in 1892 four admirals under him could immediately be promoted. By request of Queen Victoria , John Edmund Commerell became Admiral of the Fleet rather than Algernon Frederick Rous de Horsey , who as senior active admiral nearing the age limit would customarily have received
1586-595: The crossing of Jewish refugees into Palestine . When later that year Britain pulled out of the British Mandate of Palestine , Ocean , four destroyers, and two frigates escorted the departing High Commissioner, aboard the cruiser Euryalus . The force stayed to cover the evacuation of British troops into the Haifa enclave and south via Gaza. From 1952 to 1967, the post of Commander in Chief Mediterranean Fleet
1647-619: The discretion of the Board of Admiralty . As there were invariably more admirals in service than there were postings, many admirals remained unemployed, especially in peacetime. The organisation of the fleet into coloured squadrons was finally abandoned in 1864. The Red Ensign was allocated to the Merchant Navy , the White Ensign became the flag of the Royal Navy, and the Blue Ensign was allocated to
1708-557: The eighteenth century. It rotated between Gibraltar and Malta from 1791 to 1812. From 1813 to July 1939 it was permanently at Malta Dockyard . In August 1939 the C-in-C Mediterranean Fleet moved his HQ afloat on board HMS Warspite until April 1940. He was then back onshore at Malta until February 1941. He transferred it again to HMS Warspite until July 1942. In August 1942 headquarters were moved to Alexandria where they remained from June 1940 to February 1943. HQ
1769-634: The evacuation under fire. Crutchley transferred to the damaged motor launch ML 254 . When its wounded captain Lieutenant Geoffrey Drummond collapsed, Crutchley took command. Crutchley oversaw bailing operations, standing in water up to his waist, until the destroyer HMS Warwick , carrying Admiral Keyes, came to its aid. Although the second raid also failed fully to close the Bruges Canal to submarine traffic, Crutchley, Drummond and Rowland Bourke were awarded Victoria Crosses for
1830-521: The fleet are sometimes considered generically to be admirals. The rank of admiral is currently the highest rank to which a serving officer in the Royal Navy can be promoted, admiral of the fleet being in abeyance except for honorary promotions of retired officers and members of the royal family. The equivalent rank in the British Army and Royal Marines is general ; and in the Royal Air Force , it
1891-530: The fleet grew large enough to be organised into squadrons . The squadron's admiral flew a red ensign , the vice admirals white , and the rear admirals blue on the aft mast of his ship. As the squadrons grew, each was eventually commanded by an admiral (with vice admirals and rear admirals commanding sections) and the official ranks became admiral of the white and so forth, however each admiral's command flags were different and changed over time. The Royal Navy has had vice and rear admirals regularly appointed to
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1952-599: The focus of Cold War naval responsibilities moved to the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean Fleet was gradually drawn down, finally disbanding in June 1967. Eric Grove, in Vanguard to Trident , details how by the mid-1960s the permanent strength of the Fleet was "reduced to a single small escort squadron [appears to have been 30th Escort Squadron with HMS Brighton , HMS Cassandra , HMS Aisne plus another ship] and
2013-474: The forerunner to the present Lord High Admiral . (During this process, the short-lived post of Admiral of the Narrow Seas was used in 1412 and 1413. It was subsequently revived from 1523 to 1688.) The first royal commission as Admiral to a naval officer was granted in 1303 to Gervase Alard . By 1344, it was only used as a rank at sea for a captain in charge of one or more fleets. In Elizabethan times
2074-681: The formal title of Keeper of the Sea and the Sea Ports. On 8 March 1287, Sir William de Leybourne was specifically commissioned as the Admiral of the Seas of England ( Latin : Admirallus Maris Angliae ) and, in 1294, captain of all sailors and mariners of the king's dominions. Sir John de Botetourt served under him as warden at sea from the Thames to Scotland. This was part of an effort by Edward I to establish
2135-604: The island of Menorca , as a naval base . However, British control there was only temporary; Menorca changed hands numerous times, and was permanently ceded to Spain in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens . In 1800, the British took Malta , which was to be handed over to the Knights of Malta under the Treaty of Amiens. When the Napoleonic Wars resumed in 1803, the British kept Malta for use as
2196-537: The landscape artist Bernardo Bellotto . They were given to the nation in lieu of tax and presented to the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery in 1988. Admiral (United Kingdom) Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy , which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9 , outranked only by the rank of admiral of the fleet . Royal Navy officers holding the ranks of rear admiral , vice admiral and admiral of
2257-676: The mid-1930s. Due to the perceived threat of air-attack from the Italian mainland, the fleet was moved to Alexandria , Egypt , shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Sir Andrew Cunningham took command of the fleet from Warspite on 3 September 1939, and under him the major formations of the Fleet were the 1st Battle Squadron ( Warspite , Barham , and Malaya ) 1st Cruiser Squadron ( Devonshire , Shropshire , and Sussex ), 3rd Cruiser Squadron ( Arethusa , Penelope , Galatea ), Rear Admiral John Tovey , with
2318-411: The naval reserve and naval auxiliary vessels. The 18th- and 19th-century Royal Navy also maintained a positional rank known as port admiral . A port admiral was typically a veteran captain who served as the shore commander of a British naval port and was in charge of supplying, refitting, and maintaining the ships docked at harbour. The problem of promoting strictly by seniority was well illustrated by
2379-640: 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 (styled as Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet). The Fleet was in existence until 1967. The Royal Navy gained
2440-576: The nucleus of the fleet at the start of the First World War when British forces pursued the German ships Goeben and Breslau . A recently modernised Warspite became the flagship of the Commander-in-Chief and Second-in-Command , Mediterranean Fleet in 1926. Malta , as part of the British Empire from 1814, was a shipping station and was the headquarters for the Mediterranean Fleet until
2501-630: The outbreak of war . After the outbreak of war in September 1939, Warspite was assigned to the Home Fleet . Due to the lack of anti-submarine precautions at the North Sea naval bases, it was some time before she reached Scapa Flow , the main fleet anchorage. Until the start of the Norwegian campaign on 9 April 1940, action had been severely limited by the U-boat threat. A significant German naval presence in
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2562-430: The post since at least the 16th century. When in command of the fleet, the admiral would be in either the lead or the middle portion of the fleet. When the admiral commanded from the middle portion of the fleet his deputy, the vice admiral , would be in the leading portion or van . Below him was another admiral at the rear of the fleet, called rear admiral . Promotion up the ladder was in accordance with seniority in
2623-430: The preparation of crews for assignment to ships. While there he was greeted by a detachment of sailors who had served on Warspite at Narvik: A very surprised and delighted Commodore came over to his old 'Shipmates' and shook every one by the hand. In the conversation he disclosed that he had been given a shore job as Commodore, Plymouth and he was not a happy man. After the opening of hostilities with Japan , Crutchley
2684-405: The promotion; John Baird became an Admiral; James Erskine a vice-admiral; and Harry Rawson a rear-admiral. Ironically, all these younger men would die at least a decade before de Horsey. In the time before squadron distinctions were removed or age limits instituted, the death of James Hawkins-Whitshed resulted in ten men moving up to higher ranks. In 1996, the rank of admiral of the fleet
2745-462: The rank of post-captain , and rank was held for life, so the only way to be promoted was for the person above on the list to die or resign. In 1747 the Admiralty restored an element of merit selection to this process by introducing the concept of yellow admirals (formally known as granting an officer the position of "Rear-Admiral without distinction of squadron"), being captains promoted to flag rank on
2806-473: The royal yacht Alexandra in 1921, the cadet-training dreadnought Thunderer in 1922–1924, and the royal yacht Victoria and Albert in 1924. In 1924 he went to the Mediterranean Fleet for four years, serving under Roger Keyes, now Commander-in-Chief at Malta . Crutchley was on HMS Queen Elizabeth in 1924–1926, and then on the light cruiser HMS Ceres in 1926–1928. Crutchley
2867-491: The troops on Guadalcanal) to an evening conference on his flagship. Crutchley took Australia to the amphibious anchorage, leaving five cruisers and six destroyers on guard to the west. That night a powerful Japanese cruiser force attacked. They caught Task Group 62.2 by surprise, and sank four Allied cruisers, including HMAS Canberra . In the wake of the disaster, Crutchley was heavily criticised, both for leaving his command, and for an ineffective deployment which allowed
2928-598: The two separate commands were re-unified with the Flag Officer, Levant and East Mediterranean (FOLEM) reporting to the C-in-C Mediterranean. The Chief of Staff was the principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide-de-camp to the Commander-in-Chief. The Mediterranean Fleets shore headquarters was initially based at Port Mahon Dockyard , Minorca for most of
2989-456: The understanding that they would immediately retire on half-pay . This was the navy's first attempt at superannuating older officers. During the Interregnum , the rank of admiral was replaced by that of general at sea . In the 18th century, the original nine ranks began to be filled by more than one man per rank, although the rank of admiral of the red was always filled by only one man and
3050-584: Was Admiral of the White who then flew the Cross of St George . The next promotion step up from that was to Admiral of the Fleet. [REDACTED] Media related to Admirals of the United Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons Mediterranean 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
3111-527: Was Flag Officer Gibraltar after the war (14 January 1945 - January 1947). He retired in 1947 and was promoted to admiral in 1949. Crutchley enjoyed a long retirement at Mappercombe Manor, near Bridport in Dorset . In 1955, he was appointed High Sheriff of Dorset and in 1957, Deputy Lieutenant for Dorset. When he died in 1986 at the age of 92, he was one of the last surviving admirals from World War II. In 1945, Crutchley had bought two paintings ( Capriccio: The Lagoon, Venice and La Torre di Marghera ) by
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#17328523200563172-427: Was a polo player, and was invited to play for Keyes' polo team, the Centurions . At one point in 1927, Crutchley played on the same team as Keyes, the Duke of York , and Louis Mountbatten . Crutchley was promoted to commander in 1928. In 1930, he married Joan Elisabeth Loveday of Pentillie Castle, Cornwall , the sister of Air Chief Marshal Alec Coryton . In August 1930, Crutchley joined HMS Diomede in
3233-400: Was born on 2 November 1893 at 28 Lennox Gardens, Chelsea, London , the only son of Percy Edward (1855–1940) and the Hon. Frederica Louisa (1864–1932), second daughter of Charles FitzRoy, 3rd Baron Southampton . His mother had been maid of honour to Queen Victoria . He was a godchild of Queen Victoria (from whom he derived his first two names). He joined the navy in 1906 and was educated at
3294-437: Was given a dual-hatted role as NATO Commander in Chief of Allied Forces Mediterranean in charge of all forces assigned to NATO in the Mediterranean Area. The British made strong representations within NATO in discussions regarding the development of the Mediterranean NATO command structure, wishing to retain their direction of NATO naval command in the Mediterranean to protect their sea lines of communication running through
3355-422: Was increased to four, reflecting the equivalence to the OF-9 four-star ranks of other countries. Prior to 1864 the Royal Navy was divided into coloured squadrons which determined his career path. The command flags flown by an Admiral changed a number of times during this period, there was no Admiral of the Red rank until that post was introduced in 1805 prior to this the highest rank an admiral could attain to
3416-546: Was known as Admiral of the Fleet . After the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 the rank of admiral of the red was introduced. The number of officers holding each rank steadily increased throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1769 there were 29 admirals of various grades; by the close of the Napoleonic Wars in 1816 there were 190 admirals in service. Thereafter the number of admirals was reduced and in 1853 there were 79 admirals. Although admirals were promoted according to strict seniority, appointments to command were made at
3477-405: Was met with "I'm not about to play Faust to your Mephistopheles through the medium of communications!" In 1956, ships of the fleet, together with the French Navy , took part in the Suez War against Egypt . From 1957 to 1959, Rear Admiral Charles Madden held the post of Flag Officer, Malta , with responsibilities for three squadrons of minesweepers, an amphibious warfare squadron, and
3538-402: Was not present at the Coronation Fleet Review of King George VI . Additional engineering work on the steering gear (which still suffered from damage taken at Jutland) and other equipment resulted in weekend leaves for the crew being curtailed, leading to very low morale. Comments appeared in British newspapers, which culminated in an anonymous letter from a crew member. This provoked an inquiry by
3599-567: Was promoted to rear admiral and lent to the Royal Australian Navy for service in the South West Pacific Area . On 13 June 1942 Crutchley succeeded Rear Admiral John Crace in command of Task Force 44 , the Australian Squadron, based in Brisbane , the last Briton to do so. During the landings on Guadalcanal , on 7 August 1942, Crutchley served as Commander Task Group 62.2 (CTG 62.2), the covering group, with his flag in HMAS Australia . TG 62.2 included three Australian and five American cruisers, fifteen destroyers, and some minesweepers. He
3660-416: Was put in abeyance in peacetime, except for members of the Royal family but was resurrected on an honorary basis in 2014 for the appointment of Lord Boyce . Admirals of the fleet continue to hold their rank on the active list for life. The current ranks are rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral and admiral of the fleet, also known as flag ranks because admirals, known as flag officers , are entitled to fly
3721-459: Was under Admiral Richmond K. Turner of the United States Navy , commander of the amphibious force. TG 62.2 was on constant alert, rendering support to the landings or fending off Japanese air attacks. On 8 August, Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher withdrew the aircraft carriers that had provided air cover. Turner decided the amphibious force must also leave the next day. He summoned Crutchley and Major General Alexander Vandegrift (commander of
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