His Majesty's Naval Service is the United Kingdom's naval warfare and maritime service. It consists of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve and Naval Careers Service. The Naval Service as a whole falls under the command of the Navy Board, which is headed by the First Sea Lord. This position is currently held by Admiral Sir Ben Key (appointed November 2021). The Defence Council delegates administration of the Naval Service to the Admiralty Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence.
The Naval Service is dominated by the Royal Navy, and operates primarily from three bases in the United Kingdom where commissioned ships are based; Portsmouth, Clyde and Devonport, the last being the largest operational naval base in Western Europe. As of April 2023, there were about 100 vessels in service with the various branches of the Naval Service, plus nearly 100 additional vessels operated by the supporting Serco Marine Services. These vessels included: 70 commissioned ships of the Royal Navy, 21 landing craft of the Royal Marines, 13 auxiliary ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and nearly 100 supporting Marine Services vessels. Additional vessels are under charter to the Ministry of Defence. As of 2022, HM Naval Service (Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Naval Careers Service) employed about 39,500 regular and reserve personnel.
In 2020, the First Sea Lord announced that the 'Naval Service' will informally be known as the 'Royal Navy'. The Royal Navy was made a colloquial name for the Naval Service as part of a transformation programme with the approval of the Navy Executive Committee to reflect the strength of the Royal Navy brand and assist with unifying the force.
The total displacement of the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is, as of April 2023, in excess of 763,400 tonnes, while the combined displacement of Royal Marine landing craft is approximately an additional 2,200 tonnes.
King's Regulations for the Royal Navy
Components as of 2017
The 2017 Queen's Regulations for the Royal Navy stipulate that the Naval Service consists of: The Royal Navy (Royal Naval Reserve) - including Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service The Royal Marines (Royal Marines Reserve) Naval Careers Service
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary operate a fleet of auxiliaries in support of the Royal Navy. Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel are part of the Ministry of Defence civil service. Among the many contractors which support the Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy is Serco Marine Services, provided under a private finance initiative.
Former composition
The following services were formerly also components of the Naval Service: The Women's Royal Naval Service (merged into the Royal Navy in 1993) The Royal Naval Minewatching Service (reformed into the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service in 1962 and disbanded in 1994) The Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (incorporated within the Royal Navy in 2000)
Naval Reserve Forces: The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (merged with the Royal Naval Reserve in 1958) The Royal Naval Volunteer (Supplementary) Reserve The Royal Naval Volunteer (Wireless) Reserve The Royal Naval Volunteer (Postal) Reserve) The Royal Naval Emergency Reserve (disbanded c. 1959) The Royal Naval Special Reserve (disbanded c. 1960) The Women's Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (renamed the Women's Royal Naval Reserve in 1958, merged into the Royal Naval Reserve in 1993) The Women's Royal Naval Supplementary Reserve The Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service Reserve (incorporated within the Royal Naval Reserve in 2000)
Formerly the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service, the Fleet Reserve, and the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors were also considered part of the Naval Service.