Board of Admiralty

Board of Admiralty

Flag of the Lord High Admiral. When the office was "put into commission", the flag was used by the commissioners executing the office of Lord High Admiral.
Agency overview
Formed	1628
Preceding agency	Office of the Lord High Admiral
Dissolved	1964
Superseding agency	Admiralty Board and Defence Council of the United Kingdom
Jurisdiction	Government of the United Kingdom
Headquarters	Admiralty Building Whitehall Westminster, London
Agency executives	First Lord of the Admiralty First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff
Parent department	Admiralty

The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628^[1] when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requirements of the Royal Navy; at that point administrative control of the navy was still the responsibility of the Navy Board, established in 1546. This system remained in place until 1832, when the Board of Admiralty became the sole authority charged with both administrative and operational control of the navy when the Navy Board was abolished. The term Admiralty has become synonymous with the command and control of the Royal Navy, partly personified in the Board of Admiralty and in the Admiralty buildings in London from where operations were in large part directed. It existed until 1964 when the office of First Lord of the Admiralty was finally abolished and the functions of the Lords Commissioners were transferred to the new Admiralty Board and the tri-service Defence Council of the United Kingdom.