| Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|
HMSArk Royal on the River Clyde | |
| Active | 1913–2020 |
| Country | |
| Branch | |
| Type | Command (military formation) |
| Part of | Navy Command |
| Garrison/HQ | HM Naval Base Clyde |
TheFlag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland (FOSNI) was a senior post in theRoyal Navy of theUnited Kingdom. It was based atHM Naval Base Clyde, and the holder of the post was the Royal Navy's senior officer in Scotland.[1] The post of FOSNI, dating from 1946, was re-scoped and re-named in 1994 toFlag Officer Scotland, Northern England & Northern Ireland (FOSNNI), then named back in 2015, before being dis-established in 2020.[why?]
The Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland was the most senior naval position in Scotland and is the successor to appointments starting with the Senior Officer on the Coast of Scotland, established in 1913, just prior to the outbreak of theFirst World War. The title was altered to Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth in 1916. From 1946 the post became the Flag Officer Scotland & Northern Ireland. Between 1961 and 1994 the Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland was triple-hatted as Commander Northern Sub-Area (NORLANT) ofAllied Command Atlantic (ACLANT), and as Commander Nore Sub-Area Channel (NORECHAN) ofAllied Command Channel. Based atRAF Pitreavie Castle, NORECHAN was tasked to preventSoviet Navy ships and submarines from entering the North Sea. When the command moved from Rosyth to HMNB Clyde in 1994, it took responsibility for a larger area, becoming the Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland.[2] In 2015 the post reverted to Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland. The post was removed under the Royal Navy's Navy Command Transformation Programme and renamed Commodore Submarine Service (COSM).[3]
Major subordinatestone frigates under C-in-C Rosyth on the outbreak of the Second World War includedHMS Flora at Invergordon; HMS Bacchante (a shore establishment) at Aberdeen,HMS Claverhouse at Leith, andHMS Calliope on the Tyne.[4]Bacchante had been commanded by theSenior Naval Officer, Aberdeen from 1915 to 1919[5] and then theFlag Officer-in-Charge, Aberdeen from 1942 to 1945.[6] Wartime subsidiary bases includedAultbea onLoch Ewe.[7] Facilities at Aultbea were established in February 1915 duringWorld War I and partially deactivated in April 1919. Aultbea was reactivated duringWorld War II in 1940 following theGerman attack on Scapa Flow and subsequent sinking ofHMS Royal Oak, when theHome Fleet was temporarily based there.[8] It was also a staging point forarctic convoys that operated out ofLoch Ewe. It remained in operation until October 1967.[9]
Flag Officers have been:[10]
Included:[11]
| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SirRobert Lowry | Admiral | July 1913 | June 1916 |
| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SirFrederick Hamilton | Admiral | June 1916 | October 1917 |
| 2 | SirCecil Burney | Admiral | October 1917 | March 1919 |
| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SirHerbert Heath | Admiral | March 1919 | April 1922 |
| 2 | SirJohn Green | Vice-Admiral | April 1922 | June 1923 |
| 3 | SirReginald Tyrwhitt, Bt. | Rear-Admiral | June 1923 | June 1925 |
| 4 | SirWalter Cowan | Vice-Admiral | June 1925 | June 1926 |
| 5 | Humphrey Bowring | Rear-Admiral | June 1926 | June 1928 |
| 6 | John Cameron | Rear-Admiral | June 1928 | July 1929 |
| 7 | Theodore Hallett | Rear-Admiral | July 1929 | July 1931 |
| 8 | the Hon.William Leveson-Gower | Vice-Admiral | July 1931 | July 1933 |
| 9 | Everard Hardman-Jones | Rear-Admiral | July 1933 | July 1935 |
| 10 | Robert Davenport | Rear-Admiral | July 1935 | July 1937 |
| 11 | Evelyn Thomson | Vice-Admiral | July 1937 | August 1939 |
| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SirCharles Ramsey | Admiral | August 1939 | June 1942 |
| 2 | SirWilbraham Ford | Admiral | June 1942 | June 1944 |
| 3 | SirWilliam Whitworth | Admiral | June 1944 | July 1946 |
| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SirFrederick Dalrymple-Hamilton | Admiral | July 1946 | July 1948 |
| 2 | SirErnest Archer | Vice-Admiral | July 1948 | July 1950 |
| 3 | SirAngus Cunninghame Graham | Vice-Admiral | July 1950 | August 1951 |
| 4 | John Crombie | Rear-Admiral | August 1951 | October 1953 |
| 5 | SirGeoffrey Robson | Vice-Admiral | October 1953 | March 1956 |
| 6 | SirJohn Cuthbert | Vice-Admiral | March 1956 | July 1958 |
| 7 | David Luce | Vice-Admiral | July 1958 | December 1959 |
| 8 | SirRoyston Wright | Vice-Admiral | December 1959 | September 1961 |
| 9 | SirArthur Hezlet | Vice-Admiral | September 1961 | June 1964 |
| 10 | SirDavid Gregory | Vice-Admiral | June 1964 | July 1966 |
| 11 | SirJohn Hayes | Vice-Admiral | July 1966 | July 1968 |
| 12 | SirIan McGeoch | Vice-Admiral | July 1968 | May 1970 |
| 13 | David Dunbar-Nasmith | Rear-Admiral | May 1970 | July 1972 |
| 14 | Martin Lucey | Rear-Admiral | July 1972 | August 1974 |
| 15 | SirAnthony Troup | Vice-Admiral | August 1974 | June 1977 |
| 16 | SirCameron Rusby | Vice-Admiral | June 1977 | November 1979 |
| 17 | SirThomas Baird | Vice-Admiral | November 1979 | January 1982 |
| 18 | Robert Squires | Vice-Admiral | January 1982 | December 1983 |
| 19 | SirNicholas Hunt | Vice-Admiral | December 1983 | May 1985 |
| 20 | SirGeorge Vallings | Vice-Admiral | May 1985 | October 1987 |
| 21 | SirJock Slater | Vice-Admiral | October 1987 | February 1989 |
| 22 | SirMichael Livesay | Vice-Admiral | February 1989 | March 1991 |
| 23 | SirHugo White | Vice-Admiral | March 1991 | November 1992 |
| 24 | SirChristopher Morgan | Vice-Admiral | November 1992 | April 1996 |
Note: From 2005, the post holder also held the title ofFlag Officer, Reserves and Flag Officer Regional Forces.[12]
| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Tolhurst | Rear-Admiral | April 1996 | September 1997 |
| 2 | Michael Gregory | Rear-Admiral | September 1997 | August 2000 |
| 3 | Derek Anthony | Rear-Admiral | August 2000[13] | May 2003 |
| 4 | Nick Harris | Rear-Admiral | May 2003 | April 2006 |
| 5 | Philip Wilcocks | Rear-Admiral | April 2006 | December 2006 |
| 6 | Tony Johnstone-Burt | Rear-Admiral | December 2006 | February 2008 |
| 7 | Philip Jones | Rear-Admiral | February 2008[14] | September 2008 |
| 8 | Martin Alabaster | Rear Admiral | September 2008[14] | September 2011 |
| 9 | Christopher Hockley | Rear-Admiral | September 2011 | August 2014 |
| 10 | John Clink | Rear-Admiral | August 2014 | July 2015 |
| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Weale | Rear-Admiral | July 2015[15] | May 2020[16] |
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