The Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom is an honorary office generally held by a senior Royal Navy admiral. The title holder is the official deputy to the Lord High Admiral, an honorary (although once operational) office which was vested in the Sovereign from 1964 to 2011 and which was subsequently held by the Duke of Edinburgh. Vice-Admirals are appointed by the Sovereign on the nomination of the First Sea Lord. History The office was originally created on 25 April 1513, by Tudor King Henry VIII. The office holder served as the deputy of the Lord High Admiral from April 1546 when the incumbent jointly held the title of Lieutenant of the Admiralty, though not always simultaneously. From 1557 to 1558 Vice-Admiral Sir John Clere of Ormesby, Kt. was appointed Vice-Admiral of England by patent but not appointed Lieutenant of the Admiralty. The post was in abeyance until 1661; from then on, appointments became more regular and in 1672 the two separate distinct offices were amalgamated into one unified office, though both titles remained. The responsibilities of the pre-1964 Board of Admiralty would, in theory, have devolved upon the Vice-Admiral had the entire Board been incapacitated before a new Commission of Admiralty could pass the Great Seal. However, such a contingency never occurred in practice. In former days, the Vice-Admiral of England (or Vice-Admiral of Great Britain following the 1707 union with Scotland) was the second most powerful position in the Royal Navy, and until 1801 was officially called the Lieutenant of the Admiralty. Below the office of Vice-Admiral ranks the Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom, another now honorary office. Vice-Admirals of England Vice-Admiral William FitzWilliam 25 April 1513 – 1536 Post in abeyance Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Clere April 1546 – December 1552 Vice-Admiral Sir William Woodhouse, December 1552 – 1557 Vice-Admiral Sir John Clere of Ormesby, Kt. 1557 – 1558 Post in abeyance Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Leveson April 1604 - July 1605 Post in abeyance Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Mansel 1618 – 1648 Post in abeyance Vice-Admiral Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich 1 April 1661 – 28 May 1672 Vice-Admiral Prince Rupert of the Rhine 15 August 1672 – 19 November 1682 Vice-Admiral Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton 2 December 1682 – 1689 Vice-Admiral Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington 14 September 1689 – 18 December 1690 vacant? Vice-Admiral Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford 9 November 1693 –