Her Majesty's Naval Service | |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Allegiance | Elizabeth II |
Role | Naval, expeditionary and amphibious warfare |
Naval Staff Offices | Whitehall, London, UK |
Nickname(s) | Senior Service |
Branches |
Royal Navy ∟ RN Nursing Service ∟ RN Reserve Corps of Royal Marines ∟ RM Reserve ∟ RM Band Service Naval Careers Service |
Commanders | |
Lord High Admiral | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh |
First Sea Lord | Admiral Sir Philip Jones KCB |
Fleet Commander | Vice Admiral Ben Key CBE |
Second Sea Lord | Vice Admiral Jonathan Woodcock OBE |
Insignia | |
White Ensign |
Her Majesty's Naval Service, also known as the Senior Service, is the United Kingdom's naval warfare and maritime service. It consists of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Naval Careers Service, Royal Marines Band Service and Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service. The term Naval Service should be distinguished from the "UK Naval Services", which consist of the Naval Service and the Merchant Navy. The Naval Service as a whole falls under the command of the Navy Board, which is headed by the First Sea Lord. This position is currently held by Admiral Sir Phillip Jones (appointed April 2016). The Defence Council delegates administration of the Naval Service to the Admiralty Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence.
The Naval Service is dominated by the Royal Navy, and operates primarily from three bases in the United Kingdom where commissioned ships are based; Portsmouth, Clyde and Devonport, the latter being the largest operational naval base in Western Europe. As of 2016, there are over 180 vessels in service with the various branches of the Naval Service and supporting organisations, including; 77 commissioned ships of the Royal Navy, 33 landing craft of the Royal Marines, 63 auxiliary vessels of Marine Services and 10 auxiliary ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
The total displacement of HM Naval Service and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is approximately 641,000 tonnes.