What is a Navy List?
A Navy List, or naval register, is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, and the ships which they command or to which they are appointed. Published Navy Lists are a valuable source of information for family historians.
What a list can reveal
Earlier years usually include names and dates of seniority for flag officers and other commissioned officers of the Navy, including Admirals, Captains, Commanders and Lieutenants.
Information usually included
The information varies between lists. A Navy List from 1905, for example, contains names, dates of seniority, and dates of birth where available for active and retired officers of the Navy and Marines. It includes officers, instructors, medical officers, chaplains and engineers.
You can view example pages from the 1905 list. The list also contains a record of the Prince of Wales, later King George V. Read the case study to find out more.