Commander-in-Chief, The Nore

The origins of the Commander-in-Chief's post can be traced to Stafford Fairborne, who in 1695 was appointed as captain of and "Commander in Chief of his Majesty's shipps in the River of Thames and the Medway". Thereafter, and for most of the eighteenth century, appointments were only made irregularly, and often just for limited periods of time (ranging between seven and thirty days). The appointment only became permanent with the posting of Commodore George Mackenzie in 1774. In the early 18th century the post holder was usually known as Commander-in-Chief in the Thames and Medway. In 1711 the office began to be known as Commander-in-Chief in the Thames, Medway and Nore. In 1742 Sir Charles Hardy was appointed "Commander in chief of all the ships of war in the rivers Thames and Medway, and at the buoy of the Nore", and similarly in 1745 Sir Chaloner Ogle, Admiral of the Blue, was appointed "Commander-in-Chief of HM Ships and Naval Vessels in the Rivers Thames and Medway and at the Buoy of the Nore" (as indeed was Isaac Townsend in 1752). 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 his appointment was sometimes known as the Commander-in-Chief at Sheerness; but otherwise by this time he was generally termed Commander-in-Chief at The Nore. 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 (HMS Pembroke) in Chatham, the Sheerness house being given over to the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet. The Dover Patrol, Harwich Force, and Humber Force operated in the Channel during the First World War, but were responsible to the Admiralty in London; the Nore was effectively a provider of shore support rather than a command with operational responsibilities. In 1938 an underground Area Combined Headquarters was built close to Admiralty House to accommodate the Commander-in-Chief together with the Air Officer Commanding No. 16 Group RAF, Coastal Command, 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. These sub-commands were then sub-divided into Base areas usually commanded by a Naval Officer in Charge (NOIC) or a Residential Naval Officer (RNO) these included HM Naval Bases at Boston, Burnham-on-Crouch, Felixstowe, Gravesend, Grimsby, Immingham, and Queensborough. With the onset of the Cold War, the Nore 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. Cecil Hampshire writes that the appointment of Commander-in-Chief finally lapsed as part of the "Way Ahead" economies. The closing ceremony took place on 24 March 1961, when the station's Queen's Colour was formally laid up in the presence of members of the Admiralty Board, several former Commanders-in-Chief, other civilian and military figures, "..and the Commander-in-Chief of the Netherlands Home Station flying his flag in the new Dutch destroyer Limburg who had been invited to attend." The Commander-in-Chief's appointment was finally discontinued on 31 March 1961. Cecil Hampshire writes that from 1 April 1961, the area was divided between the Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth and the Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland, the demarcation line being "roughly at The Wash." For purposes of administration from that date onward, the Admiral Superintendent Chatham also took the title of Flag Officer Medway. The underground headquarters went on to serve as , a Royal Naval Reserve training and communications centre, from 1964 to 1994. == Installations ==