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Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the senior service of the armed forces of the Crown and has a long and distinguished history. The Admiralty was responsible for strategy and naval policy while the Navy Board (until its abolition in 1832) was responsible for its ships, supplies and pay. From Tudor times, when ships became identifiable as warships and the Royal Navy a standing force, ships acquired permanent Captains. Ships (as merchant ships still do) had a master but also a military commander called the Captain or Commander. This effectively reduced the status of Masters to navigating officers.
In the 17th and early 18th century the three squadrons; the Red Squadron, the White Squadron and the Blue Squadron became established. These were notional formations not actually based on the organization of the fleet. What they did was divide the various grades of Admiral, running from Admiral of the Red, Admiral of the White etc through Vice-Admirals´ down to Rear Admiral of the White and Rear Admiral of the Blue. Over all these from the mid-18th century was the rank of Admiral of the Fleet. Ships flew the red, white or blue ensign depending upon which squadron the Admiral commanding them belonged. The three squadrons were abolished in 1863 and from then on the white ensign was flown by all Royal Navy ships.
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