Digitally Copied Navy Lists available on line

Navy Lists for the following years are available on line, most with an excellent self explanatory search facility: click on the date below for access. (As many are old volumes with poor typeface the search facility may not always work satisfactorily, and a manual search may be necessary, - if so it should be noted that Navy Lists are generally published in three sections, often in separate volumes.

Section 1: Alphabetical. This lists officers alphabetically by surname, giving initials, rank, seniority in that rank, and where serving. There are normally separate alphabetical listings for Royal Navy, Royal Naval Reserve, and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.

Section 2: Seniority, This lists officers in rank and seniority date order. Officer's full forenames, and often additional information are shown here. It shoud be noted that officers of the same rank and specialisation may be listed in different sections according to their 'List' (officers were formerly divided into lists according to career structure ie General List (full career officers), Special Duties List (officers promoted from the ranks), Supplementary List (officers on short service engagements) etc.

Section 3: Giving individual ships and establishments, Ministry of Defence / Admiralty departments, the officers serving in each and the date they joined that ship or establishment. Until the 1960s Navy Lists included all officers in the ship in this section, from the 1970s only key officers were listed, from the 1990s only Commanding Officers, and today no officers are listed at all, - only ship name and BFPO number. The commanding officer can however be established in years covered by the website, by accessing all officers of the ship in the year, and identifying the most senior by rank and seniority.

Click on the year of interest for direct access to the Navy List:

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