Third Sea Lord

The Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy. The title of the office is now simply Controller of the Navy (abbreviated as CofN), and the Controller of the Navy is a member of the Admiralty Board.

History

In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were assigned to each of the 'Naval' Lords, who were described as 'Professional' Lords, leaving to the 'Civil' Lords the routine business of signing documents.

In the reorganisation of the Admiralty by Order in Council of 14 January 1869, the Comptroller of the Navy was given a seat on the Board of Admiralty as the Third Naval Lord and Comptroller of the Navy. The Comptroller lost the title of Third Naval Lord and the seat on the Board by an Order in Council of 19 March 1872, but regained them by a further Order of 10 March 1882.

In 1869, the post of Storekeeper-General of the Navy was abolished and its duties merged into those of the Comptroller of the Navy. The Third Naval Lord became known as the Third Sea Lord from 1905.

The appointment of Controller of the Navy was abolished in September 1912, although that of Third Sea Lord remained. In 1917 the post of Controller of the Navy was revived, but as a separate civilian position with a seat on the Board of Admiralty. In 1918, the post of Controller of the Navy was once again amalgamated with that of Third Sea Lord and in 1965 the post became simply Controller of the Navy.

List of Third Naval / Sea Lords and Controllers of the Navy

Controllers of the Navy up to 1832

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• William Holstocke, 1561–1589
• William Borough, 1580–1598
• Sir Henry Palmer 1598–1611
• Guylford Slingsby, 1611–1631
• Sir Henry Palmer, 1632–1641
• George Carteret, 1641–1642
• Sir Robert Slingsby, 1st Baronet, 1660–1661
• Sir John Mennes, 1661–1671
• Sir Thomas Allin, 1671–1680
• Captain, later Admiral Sir Richard Haddock, 1682–1686, 1688–1715
• Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Wager, 1715–1718
• Vice Admiral James Mighells, 1722–1733
• Captain Richard Haddock, 1734–1749
• Captain Savage Mostyn, 1749–1755
• Captain Charles Saunders, 1755–1756
• Captain Digby Dent, 1756
• Captain George Cockburne, 1756–1770
• Captain Sir Hugh Palliser, 1770–1775
• Captain Maurice Suckling, 1775–1778
• Admiral Charles Middleton, 1778–1790
• Captain Sir Henry Martin, 1790–1794
• Captain Sir Andrew Hamond, 1794–1806
• Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Thompson, 1806–1816
• Admiral Sir Thomas Byam Martin, 1816–1831

In 1832 the post of Controller of the Navy was abolished.

Third Naval Lords 1830–1869

• Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Pechell 1830–1834
• Rear Admiral Sir Charles Rowley 1834–1835
• Rear Admiral Sir George Elliot 1835–1837
• Rear Admiral Sir Edward Troubridge 1837–1841
• Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Pechell 1841
• Rear Admiral Sir George Seymour 1841–1844
• Rear Admiral Sir William Bowles 1844–1846
• Rear Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley 1846–1847
• Rear Admiral Lord John Hay 1847–1850
• Rear Admiral Sir Houston Stewart 1850–1852
• Rear Admiral Sir James Stirling 1852
• Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Herbert 1852–1853
• Rear Admiral Sir Richard Dundas 1853–1854
• Rear Admiral Sir Peter Richards 1854–1857
• Rear Admiral Henry Eden 1857
• Rear Admiral Sir Alexander Milne 1857–1859
• Rear Admiral Sir Henry Leeke 1859
• Rear Admiral Sir Charles Eden 1859–1861
• Rear Admiral Charles Frederick 1861–1865
• Rear Admiral Sir Edward Fanshawe 1865–1866
• Rear Admiral Henry Seymour 1866–1868

Controllers of the Navy 1859–1869

In 1859 the post of Surveyor of the Navy was changed to Controller of the Navy.

• Rear-Admiral Sir Baldwin Wake Walker, 1859–1861
• Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Robinson, 1861–1869

Third Naval Lords and Controllers of the Navy 1869–1872

• Admiral Sir Robert Robinson, 1869–1871
• Captain Robert Hall, 1871–1872

Controllers of the Navy 1872–1882

• Captain Robert Hall, 1872
• Rear-Admiral Sir William Stewart, 1872–1881
• Vice-Admiral Thomas Brandreth, 1881–1882

Third Naval Lords and Controllers of the Navy 1882–1904

Third Naval Lords and Controllers of the Navy include:

• Vice-Admiral Thomas Brandreth, 1882–1886
• Vice-Admiral Sir William Graham, 1886–1888
• Vice-Admiral John Hopkins, 1888–1892
• Vice-Admiral Sir John Fisher, 1892–1897
• Rear-Admiral Arthur Wilson, 1897–1901
• Rear-Admiral William May, 1901–1905

Third Sea Lord and Controllers of the Navy 1904–1912

• Rear-Admiral Sir Henry Jackson, 1905–1908
• Rear-Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, 1908–1910
• Rear-Admiral Charles Briggs, 1910–1912
• Rear-Admiral Gordon Moore, 1912

Third Sea Lords 1912–1918

• Rear-Admiral Gordon Moore, 1912–1914
• Rear-Admiral Frederick Tudor, 1914–1917
• Rear-Admiral Lionel Halsey, 1917–1918

Controllers of the Navy 1917–1918

• Vice-Admiral Sir Eric Geddes, 1917
• Sir Alan Garrett Anderson, 1917–1918

Third Sea Lords and Controllers of the Navy 1918–1965

Third Sea Lords and Controllers of the Navy include:

• Rear-Admiral Sir Charles de Bartolomé, 1918–1919
• Rear-Admiral Sir William Nicholson, 1919–1920
• Rear-Admiral Sir Frederick Field, 1920–1923
• Rear-Admiral Cyril Fuller, 1923–1925
• Vice-Admiral Sir Ernle Chatfield, 1925–1928
• Vice-Admiral Roger Backhouse, 1928–1932
• Vice-Admiral Charles Forbes, 1932–1934
• Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson, 1934–1939
• Vice-Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, 1939–1942
• Admiral Sir Frederic Wake-Walker, 1942–1945
• Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Daniel, 1945–1949
• Admiral Sir Michael Denny, 1949–1953
• Admiral Sir Ralph Edwards, 1953–1956
• Admiral Sir Peter Reid, 1956–1961
• Admiral Sir Michael Le Fanu, 1961–1965

Controllers of the Navy 1965–present

Controllers of the Navy include:

• Admiral Sir Horace Law, 1965–1970
• Admiral Sir Michael Pollock, 1970–1971
• Admiral Sir Anthony Griffin, 1971–1975
• Admiral Sir Richard Clayton, 1975–1979
• Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, 1979–1981
• Admiral Sir Lindsay Bryson, 1981–1984
• Admiral Sir Derek Reffell, 1984–1989
• Admiral Sir Kenneth Eaton, 1989–1994
• Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Walmsley, 1994–1996
• Rear-Admiral Frederick Scourse, 1996–1997
• Rear-Admiral Peter Spencer, 1997–2000
• Rear-Admiral Nigel Guild, 2000–2003
• Rear-Admiral Richard Cheadle, 2003–2006
• Rear-Admiral Andrew Mathews, 2006–2007
• Rear-Admiral Paul Lambert, 2007–2009
• Rear-Admiral Amjad Hussain, 2009–2012
• Rear-Admiral Henry Parker, 2012–2013
• Rear-Admiral Duncan Potts, 2013–2014
• Rear-Admiral James Morse, 2014–2016
• Rear-Admiral Paul Bennett, 2016–

See also

• First Sea Lord
• Second Sea Lord
• Fourth Sea Lord
• Fifth Sea Lord