Commander-in-Chief, The Nore


The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary and River Medway.

History

The origins of the Commander-in-Chief's post can be traced to the first area naval commander, then known as the Commander-in-Chief, Thames from 1695-1696.
From 1698 to 1699 the appointment was known as Commander-in-Chief, Medway. In 1707 the post holder was known as Commander-in-Chief, Thames and Medway and between 1711 and 1745 the office was known as the Commander-in-Chief, Thames, Medway and Nore. In 1745 the post for the first time was simply called the Commander-in-Chief, Nore established at Chatham and became responsible for sub-commands at Chatham, London, Sheerness, Harwich and Humber. Between 1747 and 1797 the post holder was known as the Commander-in-Chief, Medway and at the Nore.
From 1827 the Commander-in-Chief was accommodated in Admiralty House, Sheerness, built as part of the renewal of Sheerness Dockyard. From 1834 to 1899 the command was known as the Commander-in-Chief, Sheerness.
After the dissolution of the Home Fleet in 1905, remaining ships at a lesser state of readiness were split between three reserve divisions: Nore Division plus the Devonport Division and the Portsmouth Division. In 1909 the division was brought out of reserve status, and became operational as part of the 3rd and 4th Division of the Home Fleet.
In 1907 the Commander-in-Chief moved to a new Admiralty House alongside the naval barracks in Chatham, the Sheerness house being given over to the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet. In 1938 an underground Area Combined Headquarters was built close to Admiralty House to accommodate the Commander-in-Chief together with the local Air Officer Commanding and their respective staffs; similar headquarters were built close to the other Royal Dockyards. During the Second World War, the Nore assumed great importance: it was used to guard the east coast convoys supplying the ports of North Eastern England.
During the Second World War, the Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, at Chatham, included eight sub commands, each of which usually commanded by a Flag Officer either a Rear Admiral or Vice Admiral. They included Brightlingsea station, Harwich station, Humber, London, Lowestoft, Sheerness station, Southend and Yarmouth. These sub-commands were then sub-divided into Base areas usually commanded by a Naval Officer in Charge or a Residential Naval Officer these included HM Naval Bases at Boston, Burnham-on-Crouch, Felixstowe, Gravesend, Grimsby, Immingham, and Queensborough.
With the onset of the Cold War, the station and command diminished in importance as the navy decreased in size.
Between 1952 and 1961 the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore was double-hatted as Commander, Nore Sub-Area, of NATO's Allied Command Channel. The Nore Command was finally closed on 31 March 1961. The underground headquarters went on to serve as HMS Wildfire, a Royal Naval Reserve training and communications centre, from 1964 to 1994.

Commanders-in-Chief

Commanders-in-Chief have included:

Commander-in-Chief Thames, (1695–1696)

Post holders known as:
Post holders known as:
Post holders known as:
Post holders known as:

Flag Captain, the Nore

Post holders supporting the senior naval officer at the Nore included:
Post holders supporting the CINC, Nore included:
Included:

Nore Command

Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham

Captain-Superintendent, Chatham Dockyard

Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham

The Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham were purpose-built to provide accommodation and training facilities for the men of the reserve fleet who were waiting to be appointed to ships. Designed by Colonel Henry Pilkington, construction of the barracks began in 1897 and completed in December 1902.

Commodore-in-Command, Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham

was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960.

Admiral-Superintendent, Sheerness Dockyard

Nore command consisted of nine shore sub-commands usually administered by either a retired vice or rear admiral or an active captain who were appointed as Senior Naval Officers or Flag Officers.
StationsFlag Ship or Ships borne inFlag Officers/Officers commandingDatesRef
Brightlingsea StationHMS WallarooRear Admiral, Brighlingsea1914 – 1915
Brightlingsea StationHMS City of Perth then HMS NemoSenior Naval officer, Brighlingsea1914–1945
Dover StationHMS NemoNaval Officer-in-Charge, Dover & CO HMS Lynx1945–1946
Harwich StationHMS BadgerFlag Officer-in-Charge, Harwich1914–1944
Humber StationHMS BeaverFlag Officer-in-Charge, Humber1939 – 1946
London StationHMS YeomanFlag Officer-in-Charge, London1938–1946Rear Admiral Edward Courtney Boyle 1939-42
Admiral Martin Dunbar-Nasmith 1942-46
Lowestoft StationHMS MinosNaval Officer-in-Charge, Lowestoft1914–1918, 1942–1946
Southend StationHMS LeighCommander-in-Charge, Southend1914–1918, 1942–1946
Yarmouth StationHMS WatchfulFlag Officer-in-Charge, Yarmouth1942–1945

Facilities in this command

Various units that served in this command included:
FacilityBased atDateNotes
ChathamChatham, Kent1914–1918chain of command was to the Grand Fleet
HM Naval Base, ImminghamImmingham1914–1918chain of command was to the SNO/FO, Humber Station
Sheerness DockyardSheerness, Isle of Sheppey, Kent1914–1918
RNTE ShotleyChatham1914–1918Shotley Training Establishment

Naval formations that served under this command

Various units that served in this command included:
Naval UnitsBased atDateNotes
Reserve FleetChatham1900–19054 protected cruisers
Reserve FleetChatham1906–-191413 cruisers from the Aeolus, Arrogant, Astraea, Diadem, Eclipse, Edgar classes.
Reserve FleetChatham1939inc: 6 cruisers, 15 destroyers, and 5 minesweepers
3rd Battle SquadronChathamMay 1916–April 1918ex Grand Fleet
2nd Cruiser SquadronChatham1939–1940
5th Cruiser SquadronChatham1908–1909
7th Cruiser SquadronChatham1912
HMS Curacoa Chatham1939C-class cruiser
HMS London Chatham1939County-class cruiser
1st Destroyer FlotillaHarwichDecember 1939–June 1940
4th Destroyer FlotillaHumberAugust – December 1916
5th Destroyer FlotillaChatham1939–1940
7th Destroyer FlotillaHumber/ChathamAugust 1914 – November 1918, 1939–1940WWI part of AOPs
8th Destroyer FlotillaChatham1911–19141 cruiser leader, 2 scout cruisers and 24 torpedo boat destroyers
9th Destroyer FlotillaNore1911–19141 cruiser leader, 2 scout cruisers and 27 destroyers
16th Destroyer FlotillaHarwichJune 1940–May 1945
18th Destroyer FlotillaHarwichJune–December, 1940disbanded
19th Destroyer FlotillaChathamSeptember–October, 1939transferred to Dover Command
20th Destroyer FlotillaImmingham1914–1918, 1941
21st Destroyer FlotillaSheernessJuly 1940–May 1945formed the southern force for the escort of east coast convoys
22nd Destroyer FlotillaHarwichNovember–December, 1939inc: renamed 1st Destroyer Flotilla
Nore FlotillaHarwich1895–190943 torpedo boat destroyers
Nore Local FlotillaHarwich1912–1914was a Destroyer Flotilla
20th Minelaying Destroyer FlotillaHarwich1939–1940
4th Minesweeper FlotillaHarwichSeptember 1939–July 1942
5th Minesweeper FlotillaHarwichSeptember 1939–April 1941absorbed into 4MSF
6th Minesweeper FlotillaHarwichMay–September 1940
7th Minesweeper FlotillaHarwichMarch 1944–January 1945
8th Minesweeper FlotillaChatham1939
10th Minesweeper FlotillaChathamApril 1945
11th Minesweeper FlotillaChathamApril 1945
15th Minesweeper FlotillaChathamFebruary 1944
18th Minesweeper FlotillaChathamMay 1943
40th Minesweeper FlotillaHarwich1945
44nd Minesweeper FlotillaHarwichAugust 1944
117 Minesweeper FlotillaSheerness1944
133 Minesweeper FlotillaSheerness1944
140 Minesweeper FlotillaSheerness & Harwich1944divided between two naval bases
163 Minesweeper FlotillaLowestoft1944
202 Minesweeper FlotillaLowestoft1944
203 Minesweeper FlotillaHarwich1944
5th Motor Torpedo Boat FlotillaImmingham1939 – 1941
11th Motor Torpedo Boat FlotillaFelixstowe1944
21st Motor Torpedo Boat FlotillaFelixstowe1944
22nd Motor Torpedo Boat FlotillaFelixstowe1944
29th Motor Torpedo Boat FlotillaFelixstowe1939
2nd Submarine FlotillaImminghamAugust 1916 – February 1917coastal defence C Class
3rd Submarine Flotilla Immingham/Humber/HarwichSeptember 1916 – 1918, October 1939-May 1940
4th Submarine FlotillaShernessAugust 1916–September 1917Disbanded
5th Submarine FlotillaShernessAugust 1914–August 1916renamed 4th Submarine Flotilla
6th Submarine FlotillaHumberAugust 1914 – August 1916

Naval formations that received shore support from this command

Various units that served in this command included:
Naval UnitsBased atDateNotes
Admiral of PatrolsChatham1914–1918chain of command was to the Grand Fleet
Dover PatrolChatham1914–1918
Harwich ForceChatham1914–1918
Humber ForceGrimsby/Hull1914–1918, 1939–1940
Southern ForceChatham1914–1918