Operations Division (Royal Navy)


The Operations Division was a former Directorate of the Admiralty Naval Staff responsible for the creation and implementation of long-term policy in regards to the composition of all Royal Navy fleets, squadrons and commands and including operational planning and monitoring from 1912-1961.

History

The Operations division was established in January 1912 initially as a component part of the new Admiralty War Staff created by the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill and later the naval staff. It worked closely with the Naval Intelligence Division throughout most of existence and remained until 1961 when it was amalgamated with the Trade Division to create a new Trade and Operations Division. In 1964 the Admiralty Department was abolished, however trade and operations functions continued under the new Naval Staff function within the Navy Department of the Ministry of Defence as the Directorate of Naval Operations and Trade.

Responsibilities

The division was chiefly responsible for coordinating the distribution of the British fleet globally and for the general day-to-day, movements of each of the Royal Navy's units as ordered by the Board of Admiralty, and acted-upon initially by the Chief of the War Staff later Chief of the Naval Staff. However each of the individual Commander-in-Chief's regulated the movements of fleets, flotilla's or squadrons and ships that was under their respective commands.
The division had to ensure that accurate information was constantly available at all times, this included the positions and conditions of all the most important ships. This was done by devising an operational plotting system that enabled the Admiralty to track of all ship movements, all scheduling of re-fits, monitoring fuel levels, and monitoring ammunition storage levels worldwide.
The division would coordinate closely with the Operational Intelligence Center within the Naval Intelligence Division. The Operations Division received intelligence communiques, reviewed the importance of them, then would recommend any necessary remedying actions to be taken. When orders were approved by the Naval Staff they were communicated to all commanding flag officers who would action them.

Directors duties

As of 1918:

Pre-World War One period

Director of Operations Division

Director of Operations Division

Director of Operations Division (Home)

Director of Operations Division (Home)

Director of Operations Division

Deputy Director of Operations

Included:
Included:
Assistant Director of Operation Division :
A more detailed breakdown of the distribution of work allocated within the division to the various staff sections can be seen below as of 1917:
SectionAdmiralty RoomDistribution of Work
One38 Distribution of fleet all questions relating to.
Sailing orders for H.M. ships.Refits, docking, repairs etc. of H.M. ships. New ships - programme of trials and commissioning orders. British portion of Monthly Return of War vessels.Reports of Courts-martial and Courts of Enquiry. Visual signals.Is responsible for seeing that other departments concerned are informed of movements of ships.
Two38 Systems of communication generally, including questions of policy regarding to wireless telegraphy, laying and repair of cables, movements and work of cableships, land-line telegraphs and telephones, communications between H. M. Ships and merchant vessels at home and abroad.
Three38 Harbour and coast defence of the United Kingdom, British Dominions and Colonies and India, including:-
Disposition of guns, lights, mines, booms, etc., and personnel necessary for
these;
Examination service at all ports;
Traffic regulations.
FourB. Instructions for Entry of H.M. ships into Defended Ports at home and abroad.
Swept Channels, booms, etc., at defended ports. Confidential and public traffic regulations. Fishing and fishing areas round the North Sea and Atlantic.
Five38 Movements of all H.M. Ships employed abroad and letters of proceedings from Commanders in Chief on foreign stations.. Corrects “Pink List”, as regards H.M. Ships abroad. Keeps wall charts in Chart Room corrected as regards vessels on foreign service.
SixA. Controlled sailings in connection with French Coal Trade and ore trade from
North coast of Spain. Board of Trade reports. Reports dealing with enemy submarines. Courts of Enquiry relating to reports of sinkings of merchant ships
Seven38 Movements and letters if proceedings of 10th Cruiser Squadron, Grand Fleet destroyer flotillas, H.M. ships at Home ports, H.M. ships stationed at bases, minelayers and mine-carriers in Home waters. Corrects “Pink List” as regards the foregoing vessels.
Eight66 All matters relating to distribution and employment of destroyers, patrol flotillas,
submarines, sloops, special service vessels, auxiliary patrols, escorts by auxiliary patrols. Prepares daily statement of destroyer flotillas. Telegrams and reports dealing with enemy submarines.
NineB. Movements of ships of the Grand Fleet when detached from repairs, and armed boarding vessels, minesweepers and supply vessels attached to Grand Fleet. White Sea - Trade and defence. Movements and refit of vessels stationed in White Matters relating to Hospital ships. Assists in Chart Room and takes duty there when required.
TenB. Overseas operations. Naval Flotilla on Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria. Questions concerning Persia and Abyssinia. Letters of proceedings from Mediterranean, East Indies and China.
Eleven38 Air Operations. Anti-aircraft defences. W/T and other communications with aircraft.
Twelve66
Twelve 66 Movements of troop and store transports, wheat, sugar and nitrate transports, mercantile fleet auxiliaries and merchant vessels carrying valuable Government cargoes. Sailing orders and route instructions for the above. Board of Trade reports. Merchant ship casualties. Minesweeping reports. Matters relating to navigation.
ThirteenB. Mining operations and records. Matters relating to torpedoes.
FourteenChart RoomRecords of all telegrams referring to mines, wrecks, lights, buoys, swept channels, dangerous areas, etc., and plots positions of mines reported, suspicious vessels and objects, and dangerous and prohibited areas. Superintends correction of reference charts by cartographer from Hydrographic office.
FifteenChart Room
SixteenPlanning RoomFormulation and preparation of all plans
Twenty39 .
Twenty 39

Attribution

Primary source for this article is by Harley Simon, Lovell Tony,, Operations Division, dreadnoughtproject.org, http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org.