How the Royal Navy retired admirals without waiting for a death

Did a nineteenth-century Royal Navy officer have to wait for an admiral to die before promotion?

No. Admirals could be moved to the non-serving yellow list, while captains could be left on half-pay and out of active employment.

Nineteenth-century flag promotion did not depend literally on an admiral dying. Serving flag officers belonged to the red, white, or blue squadrons, while officers moved to the yellow became non-serving admirals; captains could also be left on half-pay and simply not re-employed. An Admiral of the Fleet remained on call and received pay rather than an ordinary pension, which helps explain how the popular myth arose. In practice, the useful promotion list was shaped by serving status, seniority, continued employment, and sometimes political connections rather than by death alone.