| Executive Corps | Medical Corps | Secretary’s Corps | Pay Corps | Engineer’s Corps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral of the Fleet | Honorary | ||||
| Admiral | |||||
| Vice-Admiral | |||||
| Rear-Admiral | Inspector-Gen’l of Hospitals | ||||
| Captain of the Fleet | Brevet | Inspector-Gen’l under 3 yrs | |||
| Commodore | |||||
| Captain | Secretary to Admiral of the Fleet | Paymaster-in-Chief | Chief Inspector of Machinery | ||
| Deputy Inspector-Gen’l of Hospitals | Inspector of Machinery afloat after 3 years | ||||
| Captain under 3 years | Deputy Inspector-Gen’ under 3 years | Secretary to Commander-in-Chief | Inspector of Machinery under 3 years | ||
| Commander | Fleet Surgeon | Sec’y to Com.-in-Chief under 5 years | Paymaster at 15 years’ seniority | Chief-Engineer at 15 years’ seniority | |
| Lieutenant after 8 years | Staff ” | Secretary to Flag Officer | Paymaster of 8 years | Chief-Engineer of 8 years | |
| Lieutenant | Surgeon | Secretary to Commodore | Paymaster under 8 years | Chief-Engineer under 8 years | |
| Sub-Lieutenant | Assistant Paymaster | Engineer | |||
| Chief Gunner | |||||
| Chief Boatswain | |||||
| Chief Carpenter | |||||
| Midshipman | Clerk | Assistant Engineer | |||
The coast-guard service, although not strictly naval, forms an auxiliary naval force, and is drawn entirely from the personnel of the navy. No person is eligible for the coast-guard who has not served eight years in the Navy and who has not qualified as a trained man or a seaman gunner.
The effective cadre of the British Navy is as follows:
| OFFICERS. | |
| Executive Corps | 2,252 |
| Engineer Corps | 870 |
| Pay Corps | 526 |
| Chaplains | 164 |
| Medical Corps | 415 |
| Coast Guard | 346 |
| Naval Reserve | 405 |
| 4,978 | |
| MEN. | |
| Petty Officers | 16,500 |
| Blue Jackets, Firemen, etc. | 18,600 |
| Boys | 6,300 |
| Coast Guard | 3,954 |
| Naval Reserve | 18,000 |
| Total | 63,354 |
| Officers | 4,978 |
| Grand total | 68,332 |
In addition to this cadre there are two corps of marine troops. The marine infantry, intended exclusively for service aboard ship, consists of three divisions of sixteen companies each, comprising in all 300 officers and 11,092 non-commissioned officers and privates; the marine artillery, intended for garrison duty and to a limited extent as gunnery servants on board ship (in the proportion of 32 to a first-rate), 16 companies, comprising a cadre of 100 officers and 2800 non-commissioned officers and privates.
The number of civil employés in the dock-yards amounts to about 20,600.
Officers of the executive corps are drawn exclusively from the naval school established on board the school-ship Britannia. Those of the engineer corps are drawn from the engineer school-ship Marlborough. The other corps are drawn from civil life.
The Royal Naval College at Greenwich is an institute at which officers of the executive, construction, and engineer corps take an advanced course of instruction, for the purpose of raising the standard of naval education and efficiency. All officers between the grades of captain and sub-lieutenant are eligible after passing a preliminary examination. This institution, organized first in Great Britain, is rapidly being developed in all the other European navies.
At the Portsmouth dock-yard there is a special gunnery and torpedo school for the purpose of advanced instruction.
The highest grade of officers in the naval reserve is that of lieutenant. This grade is opened to masters of the merchant service under 45 years of age. The grade of sub-lieutenant is open to the chief mates of the merchant service. The grade of midshipman is open to young gentlemen who have served not less than two years in one of the mercantile training-ships, and who are not over 18 years of age. There is an honorary reserve corps in which the grade of commander is reached, officers of this corps having served in the active reserve.