Royal Navy Surface Fleet


The Royal Navy Surface Fleet is one of the :Category:Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy|fighting arms which is administered by the Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces and Rear Admiral Surface Ships also known as COMUKSTRKFOR . Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces is a sea-going combatant command appointment. Surface ships form one of the :Category:Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy|five fighting arms of the Royal Navy.
RN surface ships currently consist of two flotillas based at HMNB Portsmouth and HMNB Devonport, both located on the south coast of England. Surface combatants range from aircraft carriers to mine countermeasures vessels to offshore patrol vessels, but most are escorts; destroyers and frigates.
Surface combatants deploy to conduct several permanent Standing Royal Navy deployments. Closer to home, the surface fleet also conducts Fishery Protection Patrols around UK waters, by agreement with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Presently, Commander United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group and Commander Littoral Strike Group are the two main 1* deployable forces under COMUKMARFOR.

History

In 1990-1992 the Royal Navy was reorganised, creating the new posts of Flag Officer, Surface Flotilla responsible for operational readiness and training, and Commander, UK Task Group, who would command any deployed task group. In 2001 both of these appointments were unified into the post of Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces, who thereafter reported to CINCFLEET. He administered three sub-commands called Amphibious Task Group, UK Task Group, and Carrier Strike Group, each of these being commanded by a Commodore. These three commodores' positions directed operational, deployed, seagoing groups of warships.
In January 2011 the UK Task Group Commander was renamed Deputy Commander UK Maritime Forces. The Devonport and Portsmouth Flotillas are currently administered by the Commander Operations.
At some point between 2011 and 2018, Commander UK Maritime Forces was also given the role of Rear-Admiral Surface Ships, the 'tribal chief' of surface ships within the Navy.

Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces and Rear-Admiral Surface Ships

– reporting to Commander-in-Chief Fleet till 2012 then Fleet Commander.
ImageRankNameTerm
Rear AdmiralJames Burnell-Nugent2001–2002
Rear AdmiralDavid Snelson2002–2004
Rear AdmiralCharles Style2004–2005
Rear AdmiralNeil Morisetti2005–2007
Rear AdmiralGeorge Zambellas2007–2008
Rear AdmiralPhilip Jones2008–2009
Rear AdmiralPeter Hudson2009–2011
Rear AdmiralDuncan Potts2011–2013
Rear AdmiralRobert Tarrant2013–2014
Rear AdmiralTony Radakin2014–2016
Rear AdmiralAlex Burton2016–2017
Rear AdmiralPaul Bennett2017–2018
Rear AdmiralJerry Kyd2018–2019
Rear AdmiralAndrew BurnsFebruary 2019–December 2019
Rear AdmiralMichael UtleyDecember 2019-present

Footnotes