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First Lord of the Admiralty - 1859-1892

The Board of Admiralty consisted of the First Lord, the first and second Naval Lords, the Additional Naval Lord and Controller, the junior Naval Lord, and the Civil Lord, who are commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral, and with them are the parliamentary and financial secretary and the permanent secretary. As has been explained, the First Lord is responsible under the Orders in Council to the Crown and to Parliament for all Admiralty business. In the hands of the other Lords and secretaries rested duties very carefully defined, and they direct the civil departments which are the machinery of naval administration.

The first Naval Lord, the second Naval Lord, and the junior Naval Lord are responsible to the First Lord in relation to so much of the business concerning the personnel of the navy and the movements and condition of the fleet as is confided to them, and the Additional Naval Lord or Controller is responsible in the same way for the material of the navy; while the parliamentary secretary has charge of finance and some other business, and the Civil Lord of all shore works— i.e., docks, buildings, etc. — and the permanent secretary of special duties.

The First Lord of the Admiralty is the cabinet minister through whom the navy receives its political direction in accordance with imperial policy. He was the representative of the navy in Parliament, which looked to him for everything concerned with naval affairs. The members of the Board are his advisers; but if their advice is not accepted, they have no remedy except protest or resignation. It cannot be denied that the responsibility of the members of the Board, if their advice should be disregarded, must cease, and it is sufficiently obvious that the remedy of resignation will not always commend itself to those whose position and advancement depend upon the favour of the Government. In addition to general direction and supervision, the First Lord has special charge of promotions and removals from the service, and of matters relating to honours and rewards, as well as the appointments of flag officers, captains, and other officers of the higher ranks. With him rests also the nomination to naval cadetships for the major part and assistant clerkships.

Apart froni the First Lord, the first Naval Lord is the most important officer of the Board of Admiralty. It seems to he unquestionable that Sir James Graham was right in describing the senior Naval Lord as his "first naval adviser." Theoretically, the first Naval Lord was responsible for the personnel of the fleet; but in practice he is necessarily concerned with the material also as soon as it is put into commission, and with the actual commissioning of it. It is correct to say that he is chiefly concerned with the employment of the fleet, though his advice has weight in regard to its character and sufficiency, and is always in relation to the shipbuilding program.

The first Naval Lord's duties and authority covered the fighting efficiency and employment of the fleet, ami upon him and upon the Controller the naval business of the country largely falls. He directed the operations of the admiral superintendent of naval reserves in regard to ships, the hydrographer, the director of naval ordnance, so far as the gunnery and torpedo training establishments are concerned, and the naval intelligence department, and he has charge of all matters relating to discipline. The mobilization of the fleet, both in regard to personnel and material, also falls to him, and among a mass of other business in his department are necessary preparations for the protection of trade and the fisheries, he will thus be seen that the first Naval Lord is the chief officer of the Board of Admiralty, and that the operations of the other members of the Board all have relation to his work, which is no other than preparation for war. It may here be remarked that it appears most necessary to change the Naval Lords frequently, so that there may always be in the Board some one who possessed recent touch with the service afloat.

The second Naval Lord may be regarded as the coadjutor of the first Naval Lord, with whose operations his duties ae very closely related, though, like every other member of the lioard, he is subordinate only to the First Lord. The duties of the second Naval Lord are wholly concerned with the personnel of the fleet, the manning of the navy, aud mobiUiition. In his hands rests the direction of naval education, training, and the affairs of the royal marine wees. The training establishments and colleges are in the UK. He appointed navigating officers and lieutenants of ships (unless they be to command), sub-lieutenants, Midshipmen, and cadets, engineer officers, gunners, and sailors, aud supervises the management of the reserve. His province was the mobilization of the personnel.

Naval Lord and Controller has charge of everything that concerns the material of the fleet, and his operations are the complement of the work of the first Naval Lord. A great number of civil departments are directed by the Controller, and his survey and supervision extend to the dockyards and building establishments of the fleet. He submits plans to the board for new ships, and is responsible for carrying into effect its decisions in regard to all matters of construction and equipment. The building operations both in the dockyards and in private yards are therefore under his supervision. In regard to all these matters, the director of naval construction and the engineer-in-ehief are the heads of the civil dei>artments that carry on the work. Again, the controller is responsible in regard to armament—both gunnery and torpedo— and it is the work of his department to see to all gunnery and torpedo fittings, and to magazines, shell-rooms, and electric apparatus. The officer in immediate charge of this branch of the Controller's work, under his direction, is the director of naval ordnance.

In regard to work at the dockyards, the Controller is aided by the director of dockyards. He supervises this officer in preparing tho programme of work done in the dockyards, the provision of the material required, aud its appropriation to particular work in accordance with the programme. Other officers who conduct great operations under the authority and responsibility of the Controller are the director of stores, who maintains all necessary supplies of coal and stores at home and abroad, and examines the store accounts of ships, and tho inspector of dockyard expense accounts, who has charge of the accounts of dockyard expenditure and seeing that outlay is charged as directed. In regard to the navy estimates, the Controller, through his subordinates, is responsible for the preparation and administration of votes 8 and 9 (those for shipbuilding and naval armaments), except in regard to some subheadings of the former.

The junior Naval Lord has in his hands the very important duties that are concerned with the transport, medical, aud victualling services, as well as the regulation of hospitals, the charge of coaling arrangements for the fleet, and other duties that conduce to the practical efficiency of the navy. He also appoints chaplains, naval instructors, medical officers (except in special cases), and officers of the accountant branch. A vast business in regard to the internal economy of ships greatly occupies the junior Lord. He has charge, for example, of uniforms, prize - money, bounties, naval savings banks, and pensions to seamen aud marines, and the widows of naval and marine officers. The work of the junior Naval Lord places under his direction the director of transports, the director-general of the Medical Department, the director of victualling, and, in regard to particular matters, the director of stores, the accountant-general, the chaplain of the fleet, and the Intelligence Department, so far as the junior Lord's department is concerned.

The Civil Lord supervised, through the director of works, the Works Department, dealing with Admiralty buildings aud works, construction and labour, contracts, and purchases of building stores and laud. He is also responsible for the civil staff of the naval establishments, except in regard to certain officials, and for duties connected with Greenwich Hospital, compassionate allowances, charitable funds, and business of like character. The accountantgeneral, in regard to these matters, is directed by him, aud the director of Greenwich Hospital is under his authority.