The End of Admiralty and its Impact on British Defence Policy 1955-1964

: Master of Research thesis

Abstract

The principal purpose of the thesis was to identify the specific events that resulted in the Admiralty being replaced as the command and control organisation of the Royal Navy. Historian N.A.M. Rodger declared in his 1979 book on the history of the Admiralty:

‘Thus after three hundred and thirty six years ended a unique and remarkable feature in the British governmental system’.

In the early 1980s Admiral Lewin called for greater research into the final years of the Admiralty and the foundations of the organisation that replaced it, the Ministry of Defence [MoD]. Shortly prior to Lewin’s request, Rodger made a critical declaration in his book:

‘This study is not the place, nor is the time yet ripe to trace in detail the contest which raged throughout 1962-1964 and from which the new Ministry of Defence finally emerged’.1

Therefore, the thesis fulfilled Rodger’s and Lewin’s request for a Naval command and control perspective on the events that transpired. The research has filled a significant research void in the narrative of the British Admiralty and historical understanding of the Royal Navy by providing an alternative perspective to the scholarship that was available at the time.

Date of Award	21 Sept 2015
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	King's College London University of Plymouth
Supervisor	Harry Bennett (Supervisor)