List of admirals who have hoisted their flag aboard HMS Victory

List of admirals who have hoisted their flag aboard HMS Victory is a stand-alone list of admirals who have flown their flag from , accompanied by their commanding officers. As Victory is still a commissioned ship of the Royal Navy that serves as the flagship to the First Sea Lord, it is recognised that the list cannot as yet be completed.

At sea

HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate wooden sailing ship of the line. With years of service as of , she is the world's oldest naval vessel still in commission. Partly because of her long service, she has been the flagship of many a British admiral, beginning with Augustus Keppel who hoisted his flag on 24 March 1778 during the American Revolutionary War.McKay (2004) He had received the rank of full admiral the month previous on 29 January and boarded the ship at Portsmouth as the Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet. Keppel commanded Victory in her first major action, when his fleet engaged the French at the First Battle of Ushant on 27 July. Keppel resigned his commission in February 1779 following a political row with his subordinate, Sir Hugh Palliser. Keppel was so infuriated by the affair that he refused to serve again and Sir Charles Hardy, at the age of 65, was brought out of retirement as the most suitable replacement, raising his flag in March 1779. He never had an opportunity to take her into battle, dying from a seizure on 19 May 1780.Lavery (2015) p. 61Davies (2004)

+ Admirals who hoisted their flag aboard HMS Victory during her service at sea Admiral From Until 1st Captain 2nd Captain refsAdmiral Augustus Keppel16 May 177818 March 1779Rear-Admiral John CampbellCaptain Jonathan FaulknorWharton (1872) p. 50Admiral Sir Charles Hardy19 March 177918 May 1780Rear-Admiral Richard KempenfeltCaptain Henry CollinsAdmiral Francis Geary24 May 178028 August 1780Rear-Admiral Richard KempenfeltCaptain S. W. CollinsRear-Admiral Francis William Drake11 September 178029 December 1780Captain S. W. ClaytonNoneVice-Admiral Hyde Parker20 March 178131 May 1781Captain S. W. ClaytonNoneCommodore John ElliottJune 1781August 1781Captain John HoworthNoneRear-Admiral Richard Kempenfelt10 September 178111 March 1782Captain John HoworthCaptain Henry CromwellAdmiral Lord Howe20 April 178214 November 1782Captain John Levenson-GowerCaptain Henry DuncanAdmiral Lord Howe17 July 1790August 1790Sir Roger CurtisNoneVice-Admiral Lord HoodAugust 1790August 1791Sir Hyde ParkerCaptain John KnightRear-Admiral Sir Hyde Parker5 February 17936 May 1793Captain John KnightNoneWharton (1872) p. 52Admiral Lord Hood6 May 179315 December 1794Rear-Admiral Sir Hyde ParkerCaptain John KnightRear-Admiral Robert Mann8 July 179527 September 1795Captain John KnightNoneVice-Admiral Robert LinzeeOctober 1795November 1795Captain John KnightNoneAdmiral Sir John Jervis3 December 179530 March 1797Captain Robert CalderCaptain George GreyVice-Admiral Lord Nelson18 May 180323 May 1803Captain Samuel SuttonNoneVice-Admiral Lord Nelson30 July 180319 August 1805Captain George MurrayCaptain Thomas HardyVice-Admiral Lord Nelson14 September 180522 December 1805Captain Thomas HardyNoneVice-Admiral Sir James Saumarez18 March 18089 December 1808Captain George Johnstone HopeCaptain Philip DumaresqVice-Admiral Sir James Saumarez8 April 180920 December 1809Captain George Johnstone HopeCaptain Philip DumaresqVice-Admiral Sir James Saumarez11 March 18103 December 1810Captain Philip DumaresqNoneRear-Admiral Sir Joseph YorkeDecember 1810March 1811NoneNoneVice-Admiral Sir James Saumarez2 April 181125 December 1811Captain Philip DumaresqCaptain Lewis ShepherdVice-Admiral Sir James Saumarez14 April 181215 October 1812Captain Philip DumeresqNone

Harbour service

Following inspection and repairs in January 1824, Victory was considered too weak for active service and suitable only for use as the Port admiral's flagship. She remained in that role at Portsmouth Harbour until April 1830.Winfield (2010) p. 67 In 1831, a public outcry stopped an Admiralty order for the ageing ship to be broken up and she was instead reassigned as home to the Captain of Ordinary, whose responsibility was to look after all the ships that had been laid up. In 1832 however, she was recommissioned as flagship to the port admiral once more.McGowan (2003) p. 29 The port admiral moved his flag to the 120-gun in August 1836 and Victory was without a role until August 1837, when she became flagship to the Admiral Superintendent of the Dockyard. In 1847 Victory was the flagship to the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth but she was docked again in 1857 for further repairs and recoppering. She resumed her role on her return to service in 1858, but in 1869 the Commander-in-Chief's flag was transferred to the steam line of battle ship and Victory was designated her tender.

+ Admirals who hoisted their flag aboard HMS Victory while she was on harbour service at Portsmouth Admiral From Until Commanding Officer refsAdmiral Sir George MartinJanuary 1824April 1827Captain Charles InglisWharton (1872) p. 56Admiral Robert Stopford1 May 182730 April 1830Captain George ElliotAdmiral Sir Thomas Foley6 October 183114 January 1833Osborne FoleyRear-Admiral Sir Frederick Maitland22 January 183328 January 1833Captain Hyde ParkerAdmiral Thomas Williams29 January 183331 August 1835Captain Edward R. WilliamsRear-Admiral Sir Frederick Maitland25 August 183625 July 1837Captain Thomas SearleRear-Admiral Duncombe Pleydell-BouverieJuly 1837August 1842Captain Thomas SearleRear-Admiral Hyde Parker6 August 184212 June 1845Captain William HendersonAdmiral Sir Charles Rowley13 June 184519 August 1845Captain George MoubrayRear-Admiral James Richard Dacres20 August 18455 September 1845Captain George MoubrayRear-Admiral Hyde Parker23 September 18455 June 1846Captain George MoubrayAdmiral Sir Charles Ogle6 June 184630 September 1848Captain John PascoAdmiral Sir Thomas Capel1 October 184830 September 1851Captain Charles EdenWharton (1872) p. 58Admiral Sir Thomas Briggs1 October 185126 December 1852Captain George Bohun MartinVice Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane27 December 185231 December 1855Captain John ShepherdVice Admiral Sir George Seymour1 January 18561 March 1859Captain George Thomas GordonAdmiral Sir William Bowles20 March 185919 March 1860Captain Arthur FarquharVice Admiral Sir Henry Bruce20 March 186019 December 1864Captain Robert CooteVice Admiral Sir Michael Seymour20 December 186419 March 1866Captain Francis ScottWharton (1872) p. 60Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley20 March 186620 March 1869Captain Francis EgertonTender to from 20 December 1869 until 1 September 1891Admiral The Earl of Clanwilliam1 August 189117 September 1894Captain Robert WoodwardHeathcote (2002) p. 171Admiral Sir Nowell Salmon VC18 September 189431 August 1897Captain Wollaston KerslakeHeathcote (2002) p. 225Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour1 September 189717 November 1900Captain Francis BridgemanAdmiral Sir Charles Hotham18 November 190030 September 1903Captain Edward JonesHeathcote (2002) p. 122Admiral Sir John Fisher1 October 190318 March 1904Captain Robert ArbuthnotHeathcote (2002) p. 81The Port Admiral's flag moved to and on 1 February 1905, to Admiral Sir Archibald Douglas18 March 19051 March 1907Captain Spencer LoginAdmiral Sir Day Bosanquet2 March 190717 March 1908Captain Archibald MooreAdmiral Sir Arthur Fanshawe18 March 190830 April 1910Captain Edward Hyde ParkerHeathcote (2002) p. 74Admiral Sir Assheton Curzon-Howe1 May 191017 March 1911Captain John HutchinsonLaughton; Lambert (2004)Admiral Sir Arthur Moore18 March 191131 July 1912Captain John HutchinsonAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Hedworth Meux1 August 191217 February 1916Captain Edwyn Alexander-SinclairHeathcote (2002) p. 174Admiral The Hon Sir Stanley Colville18 February 191617 April 1919Captain Richard Stapleton-CottonAdmiral Sir Cecil Burney18 April 191917 June 1920Captain Colin MackenzieHeathcote (2002) p. 38Admiral Hon Sir Somerset Gough-Calthorpe18 June 192031 May 1923Captain Colin MackenzieHeathcote (2002) p. 105

Dry dock

At the end of 1921, Victory was brought into Portsmouth Dockyard for a detailed inspection, where it was discovered that she had hogged so badly that the bow and stern had dropped by and respectively, and that the scarph joints of the keelson had opened up by more than an . Concerns about her ability to remain afloat led to Victory being dry docked indefinitely. She was moved to No. 2 dock on 20 March 1922.McGowan (2003) pp. 30-31 The ship continued to fly the flag of the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth until the post was amalgamated with Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth in 1969, when she became flagship to the newly formed Commander-in-Chief, Naval Home Command.History in Portsmouth This position was merged with that of Second Sea Lord in 1994. He flew his flag aboard the ship until October 2012, when the distinct Commander-in-Chief posts were discontinued and full command responsibility was vested in the First Sea Lord, who has since flown his flag from her. In May 2025, The First Sea Lord, Sir Ben Key was suspended while an investigation into his behaviour was carried out. He was provisionally replaced by acting Chief of Naval Staff, Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Sir Martin Connell. A new First Sea Lord, Sir Gwyn Jenkins was appointed on 27 May 2025. He is not an admiral but a general in the Royal Marines.