Transport Board
Encyclopedia
The Transport Board was the British Royal Navy
organisation responsible for the transport of supplies and military. It is also referred to as the Board of Transport and Transport Office.
It existed between 1690 and 1724, and again between 1794 and 1817, when it was merged into the Board of Admiralty.
It originated in the need to transport the British Army
to Ireland
in 1689 to meet the Jacobite invasion
of Ireland. The responsibility for the transportation was given to a board, later named the Commission for Transportation. In time the Commission assumed responsibility for transportation to all areas, not just Ireland. In 1724 the Commission was disbanded and other Admiralty boards and several Departments of the War Office
assumed its functions. This arrangement did not work well.
, Victualling
, and Transportation — that then ran the Royal Navy
until 1817. The Transportation Board centralized and unified the function of military transportation overseas. The Army therefore had to arrange all movement by sea through the Transport Board.
The establishment in 1794 of the Board reflected experience gained in the War of American Independence. A strong supporter was Sir Charles Middleton
(later Lord Barham), the former Controller of the Navy.
The Transport Board assumed responsibility for the care of prisoners of war on 22 December 1799 from the Sick and Hurt Commissioners
, and in 1806 the Transport Board had taken over the business of the Sick and Hurt Board.
In its Transport Service role, the Board was responsible for “the hiring and appropriating of Ships and Vessels for the conveyance of Troops and Baggage, Victualling, Ordnance, Barrack, Commissariat, Naval and Military Stores of all kinds, Convicts and Stores to New South Wales and a variety of miscellaneous services such as the provision of Stores and a great variety of Articles for the Military Department in Canada and many Articles of Stores for the Cape of Good Hope and other Stations”. The Board maintained resident Agents at British ports and at those foreign ports transports frequented. The Board also employed agents who travelled with the transports.
The Transport Agents represented the first quasi-professional specialization among commissioned officers. The Transport Agents were uniformed Navy officers under the employ of the Transport Board, but not being sea officers, were not subject to naval discipline. Their job was to control and organize merchant ships that the government had chartered. To assist them in their duties, Agents had a staff consisting of a Purser, Boatswain, Gunner, and Carpenter, all appointed by warrant and on Navy pay.
Hired vessels with a Transport Agent (always a Royal Navy Lieutenant but termed a Commander) aboard flew a blue ensign and a "plain blue common pendant" and could exercise authority over smaller transports that carried no Agent. In the case of a large convoys, one vessel would carry a "Principal Agent" (Commander or Captain RN) with a "Blue Broad Pendant" at the main-top-mast head. In the absence of a naval escort, the Principal Agent was in charge of the convoy.
led to the Board's re-establishment. Then in 1861 a select Committee of the House of Commons that contained both Navy and Army officers, recommended unanimously the formation of a separate and distinct Transport Office under the sole control of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty "To carry out transport of every kind required by our government to any part of our coast and to all our colonies and possessions, including India". The result was the creation in 1862 of the Transport Department of the Admiralty, which was put under the command of an Admiral.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
organisation responsible for the transport of supplies and military. It is also referred to as the Board of Transport and Transport Office.
It existed between 1690 and 1724, and again between 1794 and 1817, when it was merged into the Board of Admiralty.
It originated in the need to transport the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1689 to meet the Jacobite invasion
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
of Ireland. The responsibility for the transportation was given to a board, later named the Commission for Transportation. In time the Commission assumed responsibility for transportation to all areas, not just Ireland. In 1724 the Commission was disbanded and other Admiralty boards and several Departments of the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
assumed its functions. This arrangement did not work well.
1794 to 1817
The division of responsibilities and abuses that followed led to the creation of another Transport Board in 1794, which was one of three Boards — NavyNavy Board
The Navy Board is today the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the British Royal Navy. Its composition is identical to that of the Admiralty Board of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom, except that it does not include any of Her Majesty's Ministers.From 1546 to 1831, the Navy...
, Victualling
Victualling Commissioners
The Commissioners for the victualling of the Navy, often called Victualling Commissioners, were the body responsible under the Navy Board for victualling ships of the British Royal Navy.-Creation:...
, and Transportation — that then ran the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
until 1817. The Transportation Board centralized and unified the function of military transportation overseas. The Army therefore had to arrange all movement by sea through the Transport Board.
The establishment in 1794 of the Board reflected experience gained in the War of American Independence. A strong supporter was Sir Charles Middleton
Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham
Admiral Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham PC was a British naval officer and politician.He was born at Leith, Midlothian to Robert Middleton, a customs collector of Bo'ness, Linlithgowshire, and Helen, daughter of Charles Dundas.-Naval career:Middleton entered the Royal Navy in 1741 as captain's...
(later Lord Barham), the former Controller of the Navy.
The Transport Board assumed responsibility for the care of prisoners of war on 22 December 1799 from the Sick and Hurt Commissioners
Sick and Hurt Commissioners
The Sick and Hurt Commissioners were responsible for medical services in the British Royal Navy from 1715 to 1806...
, and in 1806 the Transport Board had taken over the business of the Sick and Hurt Board.
In its Transport Service role, the Board was responsible for “the hiring and appropriating of Ships and Vessels for the conveyance of Troops and Baggage, Victualling, Ordnance, Barrack, Commissariat, Naval and Military Stores of all kinds, Convicts and Stores to New South Wales and a variety of miscellaneous services such as the provision of Stores and a great variety of Articles for the Military Department in Canada and many Articles of Stores for the Cape of Good Hope and other Stations”. The Board maintained resident Agents at British ports and at those foreign ports transports frequented. The Board also employed agents who travelled with the transports.
The Transport Agents represented the first quasi-professional specialization among commissioned officers. The Transport Agents were uniformed Navy officers under the employ of the Transport Board, but not being sea officers, were not subject to naval discipline. Their job was to control and organize merchant ships that the government had chartered. To assist them in their duties, Agents had a staff consisting of a Purser, Boatswain, Gunner, and Carpenter, all appointed by warrant and on Navy pay.
Hired vessels with a Transport Agent (always a Royal Navy Lieutenant but termed a Commander) aboard flew a blue ensign and a "plain blue common pendant" and could exercise authority over smaller transports that carried no Agent. In the case of a large convoys, one vessel would carry a "Principal Agent" (Commander or Captain RN) with a "Blue Broad Pendant" at the main-top-mast head. In the absence of a naval escort, the Principal Agent was in charge of the convoy.
1817 to 1862
In 1817, the Transport Board was abolished and the Board of Admiralty took over its functions. The Crimean WarCrimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
led to the Board's re-establishment. Then in 1861 a select Committee of the House of Commons that contained both Navy and Army officers, recommended unanimously the formation of a separate and distinct Transport Office under the sole control of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty "To carry out transport of every kind required by our government to any part of our coast and to all our colonies and possessions, including India". The result was the creation in 1862 of the Transport Department of the Admiralty, which was put under the command of an Admiral.
External links
- History and Functions of The Sea Transport Services, Your Archives, The National Archives
- Transport Board, In-Letters And Orders... – ADM/MT&ET, National Maritime MuseumNational Maritime MuseumThe National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
- "Naval Administration" CHAPTER IX, by Sir Vesey Hamilton, G.C.B. (1896)
- ABUSES IN THE NAVY AND BARRACK DEPARTMENTS, HC Deb 15 February 1810 vol 15 cc426-34