Commander-in-Chief, Levant
Former British Royal Navy Station
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The Commander-in-Chief, Levant was a senior administrative shore commander of the Royal Navy. The post was established in February 1943 when the British Chiefs of Staff Committee ordered the Mediterranean Fleet to be divided into two commands. One was responsible for naval operations involving ships, and the other, administrative and support, was responsible for shore establishments.[1] His subordinate establishments and staff were sometimes informally known as the Levant Command or Levant Station.[2] In December 1943 the title was changed to Flag Officer, Levant and East Mediterranean.[3] In January 1944 the two separate commands were re-unified into a single command merging back into Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet.[4]
| Commander-in-Chief, Levant | |
|---|---|
| |
| Active | 1943-late 1940s |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Allegiance | British Empire |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Part of | Mediterranean Fleet |
| Garrison/HQ | HMS Nile, Alexandria, Egypt, (1943-1946) HMS Stag and HMS Osiris (1948-1950ish) |
History
Shore-based naval area commands in the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre had historically reported to the Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet.
"A Flag Officer (Liaison), Rear-Admiral F. Elliott, had been appointed to co-ordinate matters of local defence [of Alexandria], and he was already the Fortress Commander in all but name. In war he was to be responsible to the General Officer Commanding British Troops in Egypt for the security of the Fortress, but was to meet the requirements of the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, in every possible way."[5]
In 1940, responsibility for the Red Sea area was transferred from the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies to the Mediterranean Fleet and did not revert until 1942. Following a meeting in London, the Chiefs of Staff Committee signaled on 2 February 1943 to Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, that:[6]
1). The Mediterranean will be divided into two commands:(a) the area to the west line A to B to be the Mediterranean command. (b) the area to the East of the above line to be the Levant command which will include the Red Sea. 2). For the present the line A to B will be the line running from the Tunisian/Tripolitanian border to a position in Latitude 35 degrees North, Longitude 60 degrees East, thence to Cape Spartivento (Italy).[6]
Between 1943 and 1945 the shore commands reporting to C-in-C Levant were Tunisia (1943), North Africa (1943-1944), Sicily (July–September 1943); Taranto (September 1943 - May 1945), FO West Italy (September 1943 - October 1944), Northern Mediterranean (October 1944), and Western Mediterranean (January 1943 - January 1944) & (July 1944 - 1945). The dockyards at Gibraltar and Malta continued as major bases supporting the new organisation.[7] In December 1943 the command was renamed to Levant and Eastern Mediterranean.[8]
In August 1946 the command was retitled the Flag Officer, Middle East, part of the tri-service British Middle East Command, until 1959.[9]
Commanders in Chief
| Rank | Flag | Name | Post Name | Term | Notes/Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vice-Admiral |  | Vice Admiral Sir Henry Harwood | Commander-in-Chief, Levant | February – 5 June 1943 | [10][11] |
| 2 | Admiral |  | Sir John Cunningham | Commander-in-Chief, Levant | 5 June 1943 – August 1943 | [10] |
| 3 | Vice-Admiral | | Vice Admiral Sir Algernon Willis | Commander-in-Chief, Levant | 14 October – December, 1943 | [10] |
| 4 | Vice-Admiral | | Sir Bernard Rawlings | Flag Officer, Levant and East Mediterranean | 28 December 1943 – -October 1944 | From January 1944 FOLEM was responsible to C-in-C Mediterranean.[11][10] |
| 5 | Vice-Admiral | | Sir William G. Tennant | Flag Officer Levant and East Mediterranean | October 1944 - August 1946 | [12][10] |
Sub-commands, 1943 to 1946
Naval Officer-in-Charge, Aden
Commodore-in-Charge, Algiers
Flag Officer, North Africa
Flag Officer, Northern Area, Mediterranean
Flag Officer, Sicily
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag Officer, Sicily [11] | |||||
| 1 | Rear Admiral |  | Rhoderick McGrigor | 13 July – September, 1943 | [13] |
Flag Officer, Taranto Area
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag Officer, Taranto and Adriatic [11] | |||||
| 1 | Rear Admiral | | Arthur Peters | 13 September – 15 November 1943 | and liaison Italy[13] |
| 2 | Rear Admiral | | Rhoderick McGrigor | 15 November 1943 | ditto[13] |
Flag Officer, Tunisia
| Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag Officer, Tunisia [11] | |||||
| 1 | Admiral | | Sir Gerald C. Dickens | 12 May – December, 1943 | retired[13] |
Flag Officer, Western Italy
Flag Officer, Western Mediterranean
Rear-Admiral, Alexandria
The Commander, Levant Area, was responsible to the Rear-Admiral, Alexandria.