Admiralty

Admiralty, BOARD OF, a government department which has the management of all matters concerning the British navy. It comprises six lords commissioners, who decide collectively on important questions. Besides this collective or corporate action, each has special duties assigned to him. There are two civil or political lords, and four naval or sea lords. The First Lord, who is always a cabinet minister, besides having a general control, is responsible for all business of the Admiralty, and the other members of the Board act as his assistants in the various duties which are divided among them. The First Naval Lord is responsible to the First Lord for the administration of such business as relates to the personnel of the navy, and for the movement and condition of the fleet. He also appoints officers in command of ships. The Second Naval Lord assists the First Naval Lord, and appoints junior executive officers. The Junior Naval Lord assists the First Naval Lord, and appoints officers of civil branches. The Controller of the Navy—who has only recently been made a member of the Board—is responsible to the First Lord for business relating to the matériel of the fleet, that is, the building and repairing of ships, and to guns and naval stores. The Civil Lord acts as assistant to the Parliamentary Secretary. Under the lords are the First Secretary (parliamentary), the Second Secretary (permanent), and the Naval Secretary (professional). The Parliamentary and Financial Secretary is responsible to the First Lord for the finance of the department and parliamentary duties. The Permanent Secretary has exclusive charge of the secretariate, under direction of the First Lord. The post of private secretary to the First Lord is an appointment usually held by a post-captain of the Royal Navy. The only lord who necessarily resigns when the prime minister resigns is the First Lord, yet a change of the others frequently takes place. Some statesmen advocate a modified plan: proposing to render a few naval officers of rank permanent lords of the Admiralty, and only changing the others on a change of ministry. All delicate or doubtful matters are specially reserved for the First Lord; but in the Board meetings he has only one vote, like the rest, though, from his general parliamentary responsibility, he practically has both an absolute veto and an absolute power of giving action to his views. To the department (though not to the Board) belong also a hydro- grapher, directors of transports, victualling, naval ordnance, navy contracts, and naval construction; an accountant-general, and a medical director-general, with assistants, clerks, and other subordinate officials. The Coast-guard is under the control of the Admiral Superintendent of naval reserves.