The Flag Officer-in-Charge, Humber was a Royal Navy officer who administered naval forces located at Immingham and Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. His formation was sometimes known as the Humber Station or Humber Area. In World War I it was a sub-command of the Admiral of Patrols from 1914 to 1916, then came under the Commander-in-Chief at the Nore until 1921. In World War II the FOIC was responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.

History Prior to World War I an Admiral of Patrols was appointed to command the destroyer and torpedo boat patrol flotillas that were formed and operating from different bases down the east coast of Britain, from the Forth to the Humber. Immingham was headquarters for 7th Destroyer Flotilla from August 1914 to November 1918. In 1915 The Auxiliary Patrol a component force under the (ADMP) based at Grimsby was designated Auxiliary Patrol Area IX, during this period HMNB Immingham was also a submarine base for British D class submarine. During World War II the Humber Force received shore support from this station from 1939 to 1940. In 1941 various mine-laying and mine-seeping flotillas and groups were under the command.

Administration world war one Name Base/Flag Ship Humber Station HMS Wallington, (1917-1920), HMS Pembroke VII (1919-1920), HMS Pembroke VIII (1920-1921)

Senior Naval Officer, Grimsby

Post holders included:

Rank Insig Name Term Notes/Ref Senior Naval Officer, Grimsby 1 Commander Charles. S. ForbesNovember 1916 – 9 March 1919 (& Mobilising Officer, Humber District)2 Captain Francis H. Pollen9 March 1919 – 15 June 1920 (Acting Cpt & Mobilising Officer, Humber District)

Commanding Officer, Humber Area

Post holders included:

Rank Insig Name Term Notes/Ref Commanding Officer, Humber Area 1 Captain Stephen. H. RadcliffeAugust 1920 – January, 1921 (as Commanding Officer, Humber Area)

Administration world war two Name Base/Flag Ship Humber Station HMS Beaver (1939-1945)

Flag Officer-in-Charge, Humber :Post holders included:

Rank Flag Name Term Notes/Ref Flag Officer-in-Charge, Humber 1 Rear-Admiral Arthur Francis Pridham September 1939 - 1 October 1940(as Flag Officer, Humber Area) 2 Vice-Admiral Reginald V. Holt 1 October 1940 - 15 October 1942(retd) 3 Rear-Admiral Cosmo M. Graham 15 October 1942 - July 1945

Flag Captain, Chief Staff Officer and in command of HM Naval Base Immingham Post holders included:

Rank Insig Name Term Notes/Ref Flag Captain, Chief Staff Officer, Humber, and Commander HMNB Immingham 1 Captain Edwin Mansergh Palmer22 December 1941 - July 1945 (retd)

Naval formations in this command Various units that served in this command included:

Naval Units Based at Date Notes4th Destroyer Flotilla Humber August - December, 1916 transfer from Grand Fleet allocated to Humber Force, 1 Cruiser (L) 1 depot ship, 10 - 15 destroyers7th Destroyer Flotilla Humber August 1914 - November 1918 11 torpedo boat destroyers (Admiral of Patrols)20th Destroyer Flotilla Immingham 1914 - 1918 40th Division - 6 ships under Captain (D), Nore20th Destroyer Flotilla Immingham 1941 a specialist mine laying flotilla inc 13 ships4th Minesweeping Flotilla Immingham 1939 - 1941 8 ships5th Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla Immingham 1939 - 1941 8 ships2nd Submarine Flotilla Immingham August 1916 - February 1917 C class for coastal defence3rd Submarine Flotilla Immingham/Humber September 1916 - 1918 D class for offensive patrols & C class for coastal defence6th Submarine Flotilla Humber August 1914 - August 1916 C class for coastal defence

Naval formations receiving shore support from this command Various units that served in this command included:

Naval Units Based at Date NotesHumber Force Humber August - December, 1916 East Coast Force Humber (Admiral of Patrol) August 1914 - November 1918

References

Sources Bertke, Donald A.; Smith, Gordon; Kindell, Don (2012). World War II Sea War, Volume 3: The Royal Navy is Bloodied in the Mediterranean. Lulu Publishing. . Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War I. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Publishing. . Gilbert, Martin (1977). Winston S. Churchill (1. American ed., 1. [Dr.] ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. . Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. (2017), "Grimsby - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell. Houterman, J.N. "Royal Navy Nore Command 1939-1945: Humber". unithistories.com. Houterman and Kloppes. Houterman, J.N. "Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945 - P: Palmer, Edwin Mansergh". www.unithistories.com. Houterman and Kloppes. Retrieved 7 July 2018. Parkinson, Jonathan (2018). The Royal Navy, China Station: 1864 - 1941: As seen through the lives of the Commanders in Chief. Leicester, England: Troubador Publishing Ltd. .