Michael Pollock - Post-war Naval Career

Post-war Naval Career

After the war, Pollock was involved in actions by Norfolk to provide gunfire support against insurgents in the Malayan Emergency and also in Java. He returned to HMS Excellent as a gunnery instructor in January 1946 and, having been promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 June 1946, became an application officer at the Admiralty Signals Research Establishment in August 1947. He became Fleet Gunnery Officer to the Commander-in-Chief, America and West Indies Station in October 1949. Promoted to commander on 30 June 1950, he became Commander (G) at the Chatham Gunnery School in November 1950 and helped organise the funeral of King George VI, at which he was second-in-command of the naval contingent, in February 1952; it was in recognition of this that he was subsequently appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order. He became Commander of the Junior Officers' War Course at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich in September 1952 and second-in-command of the light cruiser HMS Newcastle, the flagship of the Far East Fleet, in June 1954. In HMS Newcastle he saw action in the Korean War and then in the Malayan Emergency.

Promoted to captain on 30 June 1955, he became Assistant Director of Plans (Warfare) at the Admiralty in January 1956 and then became as Captain (D) at Portsmouth as well as Commanding Officer of the destroyer HMS Vigo in February 1958. After a tour as Director, Surface Weapons at the Admiralty's shore establishment at Bath commencing in January 1960, he was considered for command of the cruiser HMS Blake, but instead was given command of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal in January 1963. At this time HMS Ark Royal was carrying out the first trials of the Hawker P.1127 which subsequently developed into the Hawker Siddeley Harrier. He became Assistant Chief of Naval Staff in March 1964, with promotion to rear admiral on 7 July 1964, in the lead up to a defence review by the Labour government which resulted in the 1966 Defence White Paper. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1966 Birthday Honours.

Pollock became second-in-command of the Home Fleet in May 1966 with his flag in the cruiser HMS Tiger. HMS Tiger became the location for the "Tiger talks" between Prime Minister Harold Wilson and the UDI inclined premier Ian Smith about the future of Rhodesia. He led the Royal Navy delegations to the Royal Canadian Navy's centennial celebration of Canadian Confederation at Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1967, and to Expo 67 in Montreal. He was promoted vice-admiral on 26 December 1967 on appointment as Flag Officer Submarines and NATO Commander Submarines in the Eastern Atlantic. He was in this post when the first Polaris missile was tested and the Faslane submarine base was developed. Advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1969 Birthday Honours, he became Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy in January 1970 and received promotion to full admiral on 21 April 1970.

Admiral Sir Michael Le Fanu, Chief of the Defence Staff, retired suddenly due to ill health in late 1970. The new First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Peter Hill-Norton, was promoted to replace Le Fanu, and Pollock, having been advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1971 New Year Honours, was suddenly invited to replace Hill-Norton as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in March 1971. During Pollock's term as First Sea Lord, the Navy was involved in the "Cod War" with Iceland in 1972, the 1973 oil crisis and deep cuts in defence expenditure. He was also involved in the decisions that led to the creation of the "through deck cruiser", which became the small Invincible class aircraft carriers. Pollock was First and Principal Naval Aide de camp to the Queen from August 1972 to March 1974. Promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 1 March 1974, he retired that month.