The Chief of the Royal Danish Navy is the professional head of the Royal Danish Navy.
Chief of the Naval Command | |
---|---|
Chef for Søværnskommandoen (Danish) | |
Incumbent Rear admiral Henrik Ryberg since 1 April 2022 | |
Royal Danish Navy | |
Member of | Defence Command |
Reports to | Chief of Defence |
Term length | No fixed length |
Formation | 2 April 1852 |
First holder | Christian Christopher Zahrtmann |
Originally the commander of the navy was the King, with daily control given to the Admiralty and Commissioners College .[1] The Admiralty existed from 1660 until the end of absolute monarchy in 1848.[2] In 1852, the position of Navy Inspector (Danish: Flådeinspektør) is established as the commander of the navy.[3] Following the Naval Law of 1909, the position was renamed the General Inspector for the Navy (Danish: Generalinspektør for søværnet).[4] After the Naval Law of 1932, the vice admiral would become Chief of the Naval Command (Danish: Chef for Søværnskommandoen) and director of the Ministry of the Navy.[5] In 1960, the position was renamed to Chief of the Navy (Danish: Chef for Søværnet).[6] Following major reductions in the 1980s, the name was again changed, this time to Inspector of the Navy (Danish: Inspektøren for Søværnet).[6] In 1990, the Marine staff and the position of Inspector of the Navy were abolished, resulting in all areas of responsibility being transferred to the Admiral Danish Fleet.[6] Following the Danish Defence Agreement 2013–17, the Admiral Danish Fleet was disbanded and reorganised into the Naval Staff. On 1 January 2019, as part of the Danish Defence Agreement 2018–23, the name was changed to Chief of the Naval Command (Danish: Chef for Søværnskommandoen).[7]
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
1 | Christian Christopher Zahrtmann (1793–1853) | Vice admiral2 April 1852 | 1 April 1853 | 364 days | [8] | |
2 | Conrad Emil Mourier (1795–1865) | Vice admiral1 April 1853 | 28 February 1860 | 6 years, 333 days | [9][10] | |
3 | Johan Anton Meyer (1799–1875) | Vice admiral28 February 1860 | 28 December 1862 | 2 years, 303 days | [11] | |
4 | Carl Edvard van Dockum (1804–1893) | Vice admiral28 December 1862 | 17 September 1866 | 3 years, 263 days | [12] | |
5 | Steen Andersen Bille (1797–1883) | Vice admiral24 September 1866 | 27 January 1868 | 1 year, 125 days | [13] | |
(4) | Carl Edvard van Dockum (1804–1893) | Vice admiral27 January 1868 | 27 March 1869 | 1 year, 59 days | [12] | |
6 | Jørgen Peter Frederik Wulff (1808–1881) | Vice admiral27 March 1869 | 19 June 1873 | 4 years, 84 days | [14] | |
7 | Frederik Laurentius Fiedler Sommer (1813–1878) | Vice admiral19 June 1873 | 20 July 1878 † | 5 years, 31 days | [15] | |
– | August Christian Schultz (1813–1908) Acting | Vice admiral20 July 1878 | 24 July 1878 | 4 days | [16] | |
8 | Gerhard Frederik Wilhelm Wrisberg (1816–1896) | Vice admiral24 July 1878 | 20 February 1886 | 7 years, 211 days | [14] | |
9 | Julius Meldal (1827–1901) | Vice admiral21 February 1886 | 19 July 1897 | 11 years, 148 days | [17] | |
10 | Hans Henrik Koch (1836–1903) | Vice admiral19 July 1897 | 2 January 1899 | 1 year, 167 days | [18] | |
11 | Fritz Peter Adolph Uldall (1835–1911) | Vice admiral2 January 1899 | 9 March 1905 | 6 years, 66 days | [19] | |
12 | Carl Frederik Wandel (1843–1930) | Vice admiral9 March 1905 | 5 March 1909 | 3 years, 361 days | [20] |
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
1 | Carl Frederik Wandel (1843–1930) | Vice admiral5 March 1909 | 1 August 1911 | 2 years, 180 days | [20] | |
2 | Otto Joachim Moltke Kofoed-Hansen (1854–1918) | Vice admiral1 August 1911 | 11 April 1918 † | 6 years, 222 days | [21] | |
3 | Anton Ferdinand Mazanti Evers (1857–1951) | Vice admiral27 April 1918 | 31 March 1923 | 4 years, 338 days | [22] | |
4 | Henri Konow (1862–1939) | Vice admiral1 April 1923 | 7 February 1927 | 3 years, 313 days | [23] | |
5 | Georg Carl Amdrup (1866–1947) | Vice admiral7 February 1927 | 30 November 1931 | 4 years, 296 days | [24] | |
6 | Henri L. E. Wenck (1872–1933) | Vice admiral1 December 1931 | 31 March 1932 | 121 days | [25] |
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
1 | Hjalmar Rechnitzer (1872–1953) | Vice admiral1 April 1932 | 10 May 1940 | 8 years, 39 days | [26] | |
– | Emmanuel Briand de Crèvecoeur (1882–1968) Acting | Rear admiral10 May 1940 | 25 July 1941 | 1 year, 76 days | [27] | |
– | A. H. Vedel (1894–1981) Acting | Rear admiral25 July 1941 | 31 July 1941 | 6 days | [28] | |
2 | A. H. Vedel (1894–1981) | Vice admiral1 August 1941 | 29 August 1943 | 2 years, 28 days | [28] | |
Vacant No chief following Operation Safari | ||||||
(2) | A. H. Vedel (1894–1981) | Vice admiral5 May 1945 | 31 May 1958 | 13 years, 26 days | [28] |
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
1 | Hans Alfred Nyholm (1898–1964) | Vice admiral1 June 1958 | 31 May 1961 | 2 years, 364 days | [29] | |
2 | Svend Erik Pontoppidan (1900–1987) | Vice admiral1 June 1961 | 30 November 1965 | 4 years, 182 days | [30] | |
3 | Sven Støckel Thostrup (1915–2006) | Vice admiral1 December 1965 | 31 January 1980 | 14 years, 62 days | [31] | |
4 | Niels Færgemann Lange (1919–2006) | Rear admiral1 February 1980 | 30 June 1982 | 2 years, 150 days | [32] |
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
1 | Niels Færgemann Lange (1919–2006) | Rear admiral1 July 1982 | 1984 | 1–2 years | [32] | |
2 | Jørgen Philip Rasmussen (1925–2017) | Rear admiral1984 | 1986 | 1–2 years | – | |
3 | Mogens Michael Telling (1927–2011) | Rear admiral1986 | 1989 | 2–3 years | [33] | |
4 | Johan Andersen Ruth (born 1930) | Rear admiral1989 | 31 December 1990 | 0–1 years | – |
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
1 | Knud Erik Johan Borck (1940–2011) | Rear admiral1 January 1991 | 30 April 1995 | 4 years, 119 days | [34] | |
2 | Kristen Husted Winther (born 1946) | Rear admiral1 May 1995 | 30 June 2000 | 5 years, 60 days | [34] | |
3 | Tim Sloth Jørgensen (born 1951) | Rear admiral1 July 2000 | 31 July 2002 | 2 years, 30 days | [34] | |
4 | Kurt Birger Jensen (born 1949) | Rear admiral1 August 2002 | 31 July 2005 | 2 years, 364 days | [34] | |
5 | Nils Christian Wang (born 1958) | Rear admiral1 August 2005 | 31 August 2010 | 5 years, 30 days | [34][35] | |
6 | Finn Hansen (born 1957) | Rear admiral1 September 2010 | 1 April 2013 | 2 years, 212 days | [34][36] | |
– | Jan Leisborch (born 1954) Acting | Flotilla admiral1 April 2013 | 15 April 2013 | 14 days | [37] | |
7 | Frank Trojahn (born 1963) | Rear admiral15 April 2013 | 30 September 2014 | 1 year, 168 days | [34][37] |
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
1 | Frank Trojahn (born 1963) | Rear admiral1 October 2014 | 31 March 2017 | 2 years, 242 days | [34][37] | |
2 | Torben Mikkelsen (born 1963) | Rear admiral1 June 2017 | 31 December 2018 | 1 year, 213 days | [38] |
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
1 | Torben Mikkelsen (born 1963) | Rear admiral1 January 2019 | 1 June 2022 | 3 years, 151 days | [39] | |
– | Carsten Fjord-Larsen Acting | Flotilla admiral1 June 2022 | 1 April 2023 | 304 days | [39] | |
2 | Rear admiral Henrik Ryberg (born 1963) |
1 April 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 20 days | [40] |