Flag Officer Spithead

The Flag Officer Spithead was a senior Royal Navy appointment first established in July 1971. The office holder was responsible for the command of Spithead and wider Portsmouth area command, that formed a part of Naval Home Command. The appointment continued until August 1975 when it was abolished.[1]

Flag Officer Spithead
Navy Department
Reports to	Commander-in-Chief, Naval Home Command
Precursor	Flag Officer Portsmouth Area
Formation	July 1971
First holder	Rear-Admiral Peter G. La Niece
Final holder	Rear-Admiral Stanley L. McArdle
Abolished	August 1975
Succession	Flag Officer, Portsmouth

History

The office of the Flag Officer Spithead was a senior Royal Navy appointment first created in July 1971. The office holder was responsible for the command of Spithead and wider Portsmouth area command, that formed a part of Naval Home Command. The appointment continued until August 1975 when it was abolished.[2]

Office Holders

• Rear-Admiral Peter G. La Niece, July 1971 – May 1973[3][4]
• Rear-Admiral Stanley McArdle, May 1973 – August 1975.

References

1. Mackie, Colin (April 2019). "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Scotland: C. Mackie. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
2. Mackie, Colin (April 2019). "Royal Navy Senior Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Scotland: C. Mackie. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
3. Hampshire, Arthur Cecil (1975). The Royal Navy since 1945 : its transition to the nuclear age. London: William Kimber & Co Ltd. p. 248. ISBN 9780718300340.
4. Richardson, J. W. (2014). Disaster Planning: Proceedings of a Symposium Held at the Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar, Gosport, Hants, on 10 and 11 October, 1974. Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 9. ISBN 9781483183435.