Initially the English Navy had organized its fleet into sub-commands namely
squadrons from at least 1205 and certainly during the 16th century. A
channel squadron was operating out of
Portsmouth from around 1512. By 1560 The Navy Royal had three functioning squadrons one in the
Channel, and the
Irish Sea and another in the
North Sea. From 1509 until 1649 Vice-Admirals commanding particular fleets were styled so as to denote he was junior to the
Lord Admiral of England these flag officers were formally appointed by the crown. From 1709 the Channel Squadron was coordinated out of
Spithead,
Hampshire,
England under the command of
Sir John Norris. In 1715 Norris was reassigned to command the
British Baltic Fleet and sent to the
Baltic Sea to support a coalition of naval forces from
Russia,
Denmark and
Hanover taking in the
Great Northern War. In 1729 Admiral Norris returned to the Spithead Station for a second tenure as
CINC. In March 1744 he resigned his post over the
Admiralty's attempts to override his authority in setting strategy in response to renewed hostilities against France. Following Admiral Norris's resignation the station was then commanded by
Sir John Balchen until 1746 when the Admiralty issued orders to centralize all existing naval commands in the English Channel including Spithead and those at the
Downs,
Narrow Seas,
Portsmouth, and
Plymouth, to be under the control of Admiral
Lord Anson then the
Commander-in-Chief, Western Squadron. He then assumed the post of
Commander-in-Chief, English Channel, The Spithead Station was then merged with
Portsmouth Station.
Commander-in-Chief, English Channel • Vice-Admiral,
Sir John Norris, 5 March 1709 – 1715. • Vice-Admiral,
James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley, 1719. (as C-in-C, British Channel Fleet) • Admiral
Sir John Norris, 1729-1744 (second time - appoint adm. of the fleet and c.-in-c. then resigned) ==References==