# Chief of the Royal Danish Navy

The Chief of the Royal Danish Navy is the professional head of the Royal Danish Navy.

## History

Originally the commander of the navy was the King, with daily control given to the Admiralty and Commissioners College [da]. The Admiralty existed from 1660 until the end of absolute monarchy in 1848. In 1852, the position of Navy Inspector (Danish: Flådeinspektør) is established as the commander of the navy. Following the Naval Law of 1909, the position was renamed the General Inspector for the Navy (Danish: Generalinspektør for søværnet). After the Naval Law of 1932, the vice admiral would become Chief of the Naval Command (Danish: Chef for Søværnskommandoen) and director of the Ministry of the Navy. In 1960, the position was renamed to Chief of the Navy (Danish: Chef for Søværnet). Following major reductions in the 1980s, the name was again changed, this time to Inspector of the Navy (Danish: Inspektøren for Søværnet). In 1990, the Marine staff and the position of Inspector of the Navy were abolished, resulting in all areas of responsibility being transferred to the Admiral Danish Fleet. Following the Danish Defence Agreement 2013–17, the Admiral Danish Fleet was disbanded and reorganised into the Naval Staff. On 1 January 2019, as part of the Danish Defence Agreement 2018–23, the name was changed to Chief of the Naval Command (Danish: Chef for Søværnskommandoen).

## List of chiefs
### Navy Inspector

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Zahrtmann, Christian ChristopherVice admiral Christian Christopher Zahrtmann [da] (1793–1853) | 2 April 1852 | 1 April 1853 | 364 days | |
| 2 | | Mourier, ConradVice admiral Conrad Emil Mourier (1795–1865) | 1 April 1853 | 28 February 1860 | 6 years, 333 days | |
| 3 | | Meyer, JohanVice admiral Johan Anton Meyer (1799–1875) | 28 February 1860 | 28 December 1862 | 2 years, 303 days | |
| 4 | | Dockum, Carl EdvardVice admiral Carl Edvard van Dockum [da] (1804–1893) | 28 December 1862 | 17 September 1866 | 3 years, 263 days | |
| 5 | | Bille, SteenVice admiral Steen Andersen Bille (1797–1883) | 24 September 1866 | 27 January 1868 | 1 year, 125 days | |
| (4) | | Dockum, Carl EdvardVice admiral Carl Edvard van Dockum [da] (1804–1893) | 27 January 1868 | 27 March 1869 | 1 year, 59 days | |
| 6 | | Wulff, JørgenVice admiral Jørgen Peter Frederik Wulff (1808–1881) | 27 March 1869 | 19 June 1873 | 4 years, 84 days | |
| 7 | | Sommer, FrederikVice admiral Frederik Laurentius Fiedler Sommer (1813–1878) | 19 June 1873 | 20 July 1878 † | 5 years, 31 days | |
| – | | Schultz, AugustVice admiral August Christian Schultz (1813–1908) Acting | 20 July 1878 | 24 July 1878 | 4 days | |
| 8 | | Wrisberg, GerhardVice admiral Gerhard Frederik Wilhelm Wrisberg (1816–1896) | 24 July 1878 | 20 February 1886 | 7 years, 211 days | |
| 9 | | Meldal, JuliusVice admiral Julius Meldal [da] (1827–1901) | 21 February 1886 | 19 July 1897 | 11 years, 148 days | |
| 10 | | Koch, HansVice admiral Hans Henrik Koch (1836–1903) | 19 July 1897 | 2 January 1899 | 1 year, 167 days | |
| 11 | | Uldall, FritzVice admiral Fritz Peter Adolph Uldall (1835–1911) | 2 January 1899 | 9 March 1905 | 6 years, 66 days | |
| 12 | | Wandel, CarlVice admiral Carl Frederik Wandel (1843–1930) | 9 March 1905 | 5 March 1909 | 3 years, 361 days | |

### General Inspector for the Navy

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Wandel, CarlVice admiral Carl Frederik Wandel (1843–1930) | 5 March 1909 | 1 August 1911 | 2 years, 180 days | |
| 2 | | Kofoed-Hansen, OttoVice admiral Otto Joachim Moltke Kofoed-Hansen (1854–1918) | 1 August 1911 | 11 April 1918 † | 6 years, 222 days | |
| 3 | | Evers, Anton FerdinandVice admiral Anton Ferdinand Mazanti Evers (1857–1951) | 27 April 1918 | 31 March 1923 | 4 years, 338 days | |
| 4 | | Konow, HenriVice admiral Henri Konow (1862–1939) | 1 April 1923 | 7 February 1927 | 3 years, 313 days | |
| 5 | | Amdrup, Georg CarlVice admiral Georg Carl Amdrup (1866–1947) | 7 February 1927 | 30 November 1931 | 4 years, 296 days | |
| 6 | | Wenck, HenriVice admiral Henri L. E. Wenck (1872–1933) | 1 December 1931 | 31 March 1932 | 121 days | |

### Chiefs of the Naval Command

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Rechnitzer, HjalmarVice admiral Hjalmar Rechnitzer [da] (1872–1953) | 1 April 1932 | 10 May 1940 | 8 years, 39 days | |
| – | | Crèvecoeur, EmmanuelRear admiral Emmanuel Briand de Crèvecoeur (1882–1968) Acting | 10 May 1940 | 25 July 1941 | 1 year, 76 days | |
| – | | Vedel, AageRear admiral A. H. Vedel (1894–1981) Acting | 25 July 1941 | 31 July 1941 | 6 days | |
| 2 | | Vedel, AageVice admiral A. H. Vedel (1894–1981) | 1 August 1941 | 29 August 1943 | 2 years, 28 days | |
| Vacant No chief following Operation Safari |||||||
| (2) | | Vedel, AageVice admiral A. H. Vedel (1894–1981) | 5 May 1945 | 31 May 1958 | 13 years, 26 days | |

### Chiefs of the Navy

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Nyholm, HansVice admiral Hans Alfred Nyholm (1898–1964) | 1 June 1958 | 31 May 1961 | 2 years, 364 days | |
| 2 | | Pontoppidan, Svend ErikVice admiral Svend Erik Pontoppidan (1900–1987) | 1 June 1961 | 30 November 1965 | 4 years, 182 days | |
| 3 | | Thostrup, Sven StøckelVice admiral Sven Støckel Thostrup (1915–2006) | 1 December 1965 | 31 January 1980 | 14 years, 62 days | |
| 4 | | Lange, Niels FærgemannRear admiral Niels Færgemann Lange (1919–2006) | 1 February 1980 | 30 June 1982 | 2 years, 150 days | |

### Inspector of the Navy

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Lange, Niels FærgemannRear admiral Niels Færgemann Lange (1919–2006) | 1 July 1982 | 1984 | 1–2 years | |
| 2 | | Rasmussen, JørgenRear admiral Jørgen Philip Rasmussen (1925–2017) | 1984 | 1986 | 1–2 years | – |
| 3 | | Telling, MogensRear admiral Mogens Michael Telling (1927–2011) | 1986 | 1989 | 2–3 years | |
| 4 | | Ruth, JohanRear admiral Johan Andersen Ruth (born 1930) | 1989 | 31 December 1990 | 0–1 years | – |

### Chiefs of the Admiral Danish Fleet

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Borck, Knud Erik JohanRear admiral Knud Erik Johan Borck (1940–2011) | 1 January 1991 | 30 April 1995 | 4 years, 119 days | |
| 2 | | Winther, Kristen HustedRear admiral Kristen Husted Winther (born 1946) | 1 May 1995 | 30 June 2000 | 5 years, 60 days | |
| 3 | | Jørgensen, Tim SlothRear admiral Tim Sloth Jørgensen (born 1951) | 1 July 2000 | 31 July 2002 | 2 years, 30 days | |
| 4 | | Jensen, Kurt BirgerRear admiral Kurt Birger Jensen (born 1949) | 1 August 2002 | 31 July 2005 | 2 years, 364 days | |
| 5 | | Wang, Nils ChristianRear admiral Nils Christian Wang [da] (born 1958) | 1 August 2005 | 31 August 2010 | 5 years, 30 days | |
| 6 | | Hansen, FinnRear admiral Finn Hansen [da] (born 1957) | 1 September 2010 | 1 April 2013 | 2 years, 212 days | |
| – | | Leisborch, JanFlotilla admiral Jan Leisborch (born 1954) Acting | 1 April 2013 | 15 April 2013 | 14 days | |
| 7 | | Trojahn, FrankRear admiral Frank Trojahn (born 1963) | 15 April 2013 | 30 September 2014 | 1 year, 168 days | |

### Chiefs of the Naval Staff

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Trojahn, FrankRear admiral Frank Trojahn (born 1963) | 1 October 2014 | 31 March 2017 | 2 years, 242 days | |
| 2 | | Mikkelsen, TorbenRear admiral Torben Mikkelsen (born 1963) | 1 June 2017 | 31 December 2018 | 1 year, 213 days | |

### Chiefs of the Naval Command

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Mikkelsen, TorbenRear admiral Torben Mikkelsen (born 1963) | 1 January 2019 | 1 June 2022 | 3 years, 151 days | |
| – | | Fjord, CarstenFlotilla admiral Carsten Fjord-Larsen Acting | 1 June 2022 | 1 April 2023 | 304 days | |
| 2 | | Rear admiral Henrik Ryberg (born 1963) | 1 April 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 204 days | |