The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between the United Kingdom and the majority of the British Empire in the Eastern Hemisphere. The first Commander-in-Chief for the Mediterranean Fleet was the appointment of General at Sea Robert Blake in September 1654. The Fleet was in existence until 1967.
The battleships Bulwark, Renown and Ramillies at Malta in 1902
Admiralty House in Valletta, Malta, official residence of the Commander-in-Chief from 1821 to 1961
The Order of sailing in the Mediterranean fleet in 1842
Villa Portelli, official residence of the Commander-in-Chief from 1961 to 1967 (and then of Flag Officer Malta from 1967 until 1979).
Robert Blake was an English naval officer who served as general at sea and the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1656 to 1657. Blake served under Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War and Anglo-Spanish War, and as the commanding Admiral of the State's Navy during the First Anglo-Dutch War. Blake is recognized as the "chief founder of England's naval supremacy", a dominance subsequently inherited by the British Royal Navy well into the early 20th century. Despite this, due to deliberate attempts to expunge the Parliamentarians from historical records following the Stuart Restoration, Blake's achievements tend to remain relatively unrecognized. Blake's successes, however, are considered to have "never been excelled, not even by Nelson" according to one biographer, while Blake is often compared with Nelson by others.
Robert Blake, General at Sea, 1598–1657 (by Henry Perronet Briggs, painted 1829)
Robert Blake's flagship, the Saint George, at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1657, by Charles Dixon
Statue of Robert Blake in Bridgwater, Somerset (1998)
Robert Blake General at Sea, (1598–1657)