The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Command.
The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the River Medway. The command was established at Chatham in 1752 and became responsible for sub-commands at Chatham, London (less the Admiralty), Sheerness, Harwich and Humber.
From 1827 the Commander-in-Chief was accommodated in Admiralty House, Sheerness, built as part of the renewal of Sheerness Dockyard. In 1907 he moved to a new Admiralty House alongside the naval barracks (HMS Pembroke) in Chatham, the Sheerness house being given over to the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet.
In 1938 an underground Area Combined Headquarters was built close to Admiralty House to accommodate the Commander-in-Chief together with the local Air Officer Commanding and their respective staffs; similar headquarters were built close to the other Royal Dockyards. During the Second World War, the Nore station assumed great importance: it was used to guard the east coast convoys supplying the ports of North Eastern England.
With the onset of the Cold War, the station and command diminished in importance as the navy decreased in size. The Nore Command was finally closed on 31 March 1961. The underground Headquarters went on to serve as a Royal Naval Reserve training and communications centre (HMS Wildfire) from 1964 to 1994.
Between 1952 and 1961 the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore double hatted as Nore Sub-Area Channel Command (NORECHAN) commander in NATO's Allied Command Channel.
Commanders-in-Chief
Commanders-in-Chief have included:
Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Geary (1757–1758)Commodore William Boys (1760–1761)Commodore William Gordon (1762–1765)Commodore Christopher Hill (1770–1771)Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Denis (1771–1775)Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon (1775–1776)Vice-Admiral Robert Roddam (1778–1783)Vice-Admiral Sir Walter Stirling (1783–1785)Vice-Admiral Sir Andrew Hammond (1785–1788)Vice-Admiral Richard Edwards (1788–1792)Vice-Admiral William Locker (1792–1794)Vice-Admiral John Dalrymple (1794–1795)Vice-Admiral Sir George Collier (January 1795 – April 1795)Vice-Admiral Charles Buckner (1795–1797)Vice-Admiral Skeffington Lutwidge (1797–1798)Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley (1798–1799)Vice-Admiral Alexander Graeme (1799–1803)Vice-Admiral Lord Keith (1803–1807)Vice-Admiral Thomas Wells (1807–1810)Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Stanhope (1810–1811)Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Williams (1811–1814)Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Rowley (1815–1818)Vice-Admiral Sir John Gore (1818–1821)Vice-Admiral Sir Benjamin Hallowell (1821–1824)Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Moorsom (1824)Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Blackwood (1827–1830)Vice-Admiral Sir John Beresford (1830–1833)Vice-Admiral Sir Richard King (1833–1834)Vice-Admiral Charles Elphinstone Fleeming (1834–1837)Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Otway (1837–1840)Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Digby (1840–1841)Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Brace (1841–1844)Vice-Admiral Sir John White (1844–1845)Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Durnford King (1845–1848)Vice-Admiral Sir George Elliot (1848–1851)Vice-Admiral Josceline Percy (1851–1854)Vice-Admiral William Gordon (1854–1857)Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Harvey (1857–1860)Vice-Admiral Sir William Hope-Johnstone (1860–1863)Vice-Admiral Sir George Lambert (1863–1864)Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Talbot (1864–1866)Vice-Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker (1866–1869)Vice-Admiral Richard Warren (1869–1870)Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Elliot (1870–1873)Vice-Admiral George Hastings (1873–1876)Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Chads (1876–1877)Vice-Admiral Sir William King-Hall (1877–1879)Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald Macdonald (1879–1882)Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Rice (1882–1884)Vice-Admiral Sir John Corbett (1884–1885)Vice-Admiral The Prince of Leiningen (1885–1887)Vice-Admiral Charles Waddilove (1887–1888)Vice-Admiral Thomas Lethbridge (1888–1890)Vice-Admiral Charles Curme (1890–1892)Vice-Admiral Sir Algernon Heneage (1892–1894)Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Wells (1894–1896)Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Nicholson (1896–1897)Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Hotham (1897–1899)Vice-Admiral Sir Nathaniel Bowden-Smith (1899–1900)Vice-Admiral Sir William Kennedy (1900–1901)Vice-Admiral Sir Albert Markham (1901–1903)Admiral Sir Hugo Pearson (1903–1907)Admiral Sir Gerard Noel (1907–1908)Admiral Sir Charles Drury (1908–1911)Admiral Sir Richard Poore (1911–1915)Admiral Sir George Callaghan (1915–1918)Admiral Sir Doveton Sturdee (1918–1921)Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas (1921–1924)Vice Admiral Sir William Goodenough (1924–1927)Admiral Sir Edwyn Alexander-Sinclair (1927–1930)Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt (1930–1933)Vice Admiral Sir Hugh Tweedie (1933–1935)Vice Admiral Sir Edward Evans (1935–1939)Admiral Sir Studholme Brownrigg (January 1939 – December 1939)Admiral Sir Reginald Plunkett (1939–1941)Admiral Sir George Lyon (1941–1943)Admiral Sir John Tovey (1943–1946)Admiral Sir Harold Burrough (1946–1948)Admiral Sir Henry Moore (1948–1950)Admiral Sir Cecil Harcourt (1950–1952)Admiral Sir Cyril Douglas-Pennant (1952–1953)Admiral Sir Geoffrey Oliver (1953–1955)Admiral Sir Frederick Parham (1955–1958)Admiral Sir Robin Durnford-Slater (1958–1961)
