Originally Posted by
langleybaston
Thank you. Serious question from serious amateur military historian whose RN knowledge ended at Trafalgar:
Including or excluding commodores [sort of one star with caveats] how does this compare with, say, RN at time of Jutland? Need 1916 Navy List and 1916 strength destroyers and upward. At a guess, one admiral per 20 ships . 5% rather than 50%.
[OK destroyers were puny, take armoured cruisers?].
LB my ratio included all ships and boats which are either HM Ship or HM Submarine.
In the July 1916 Navy List, on the active list there were 92 Flag Officers (AofF 3, A 12, VA 23, RA 54 (some of whom were acting VA)) - 2 RAs had been KIA in May 1916. Incidently Commodore was a command post not a rank until 1997. There were 644 vessels listed as Ships of the RN, RAN and RCN (Battleships 67, Battle Cruisers 7, Cruisers 40, Light Cruisers 89, Monitors 36, Patrol Boats 11, Depot Ships for Torpedo Craft (not listed as cruisers) 16, Sloops 69, Flotilla Leaders 10 and Torpedo Boat Destroyers 299) which give a FO to HMS ratio of 0.14 which is 7 ships per admiral. There were lots of other vessels but I were I to spend any longer on this the DWO (a distant cousin of whom was one of the 92 and one of the reasons she is, when vexed, given to implying she married beneath her station) would have me keelhauled.
Back to the present - I have to say 50% at high readiness is impressive IMHO.