So the RN bods are clearly rather touchy about this subject. But the answer seems to be - yes there are more Admirals than sizeable (and currently seaworthy) warships.
You also know you're getting old when you remember training this commodore when he was a junior Sub Lt. Very, very smart cookie, and one of the genuinely nicest guys I've ever met - glad to see he's done so well.
You could say the same thing about any large organisation. British Gas, for example has slightly smaller manpower (30,000 at BG v 36,000 RN) but has more people (50 at BG v 34 RN) people at director level. When was the last time any of them repaired a broken pipe or installed a boiler? Of course, it's not their job to do that, in the same way as it's not an Admiral's job to drive a ship.
Well not really, it's good to help people realise that they are holding the wrong end of a stick.
My understanding was that Admirals never lost their status and can be called up however old.
Not sure if they were called up or volunteered but more than a few flag officers came out of retirement to serve as convoy commodores in the Battle of the Atlantic in WW2
