Jenkins Jones became a lieutenant in 1813 and a commander in 1816, being appointed to the JULIA. She was wrecked on the island of Tristan da Cunha in 1817 but Jones was acquitted at the subsequent court martial. From 1822 to 1824 he commanded the SAPPHO on the Cork Station and in 1828 the GLOUCESTER. Soon after, however, he was promoted captain into the ROYAL ADELAIDE but remained on half-pay until he took command of the CURACOA in 1839, on the South American Station, remaining there until 1842.
Elphinstone entered the Navy in 1761, became a lieutenant in 1770 and in 1772, having been promoted to commander, went to the Mediterranean in the SCORPION, where he remained until 1775. As a captain he then went to North America and commanded, in succession, the ROMNEY, 1775 to 1776, the PERSEUS, 1776 to 1780, and the WARWICK, 1780 to 1782, being present at the reduction of Charleston in 1780. Between 1782 and 1793 Elphinstone was unemployed until he took command of the ROBUST during the occupation and evacuation of Toulon. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1794 and served in the Channel Fleet until, in 1795, he was appointed to command the expedition against the Cape of Good Hope. After the successful capture of the Cape he returned home, to encounter a French invasion force in Bantry Bay. He also received a peerage as Baron Keith, 1797. His next task was to assist in suppressing the mutinies at the Nore and Plymouth. In 1799 he was second-in-command to Earl St. Vincent, Mediterranean Fleet, succeeding to the command in the same year and holding it until 1802. When war broke out again, in 1803, Lord Keith became Commander-in-Chief of the North Sea Station where, until 1807, his prime concern was the protection of the English coasts against invasion. From 1812 to 1814 he commanded the Channel Fleet and again took this office during the Hundred Days. Finally, he was responsible for organizing the safe passage of Napoleon to St Helena He was made Viscount Keith in 1814 The only biography is by Alexander Allardyce, Admiral Lord Keith (London, 1882). The Navy Records Society published 'The Keith Papers' in 1926 (ed W.G. Perrin), 1950 and 1955 (ed C C Lloyd).
John (known as 'Joe') Kelly, brother of Sir (William) Howard Kelly (q.v.), entered the Navy in 1884, became a lieutenant in 1893, commander in 1904 and captain in 1911, serving on the Australian, Cape and China Stations. In 1914 he was captain of the light cruiser DUBLIN in the Mediterranean and attempted to locate and attack the GOEBEN. The DUBLIN later went to the Dardanelles and was for a short time in the Adriatic. Subsequently Kelly commanded the DEVONSHIRE and WEYMOUTH on the South American Station and the PRINCESS ROYAL in the Grand Fleet. After the war he became Director of the Operations Division in the Admiralty and was made rear-admiral in 1921. As such he commanded a force in the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmora before going back to the Admiralty as Fourth Sea Lord. Two years as second-in-command, Mediterranean, followed this appointment and then a similar period as Admiral Commanding Reserves. After this Kelly expected to retire but in 1932 he was called upon to take over the command of the Atlantic Fleet (which was renamed the Home Fleet during this time) after the mutiny at Invergordon. His final command was as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, from 1934 to 1936.
Kennedy was first mate of the TIGRIS from 1845 to 1849 on three voyages from England to India and was also first mate of the MEDWAY from 1849 to 1852 during three voyages to Australia, taking emigrants to Port Phillip. He commanded the ARIES, going again to Australia, 1853 to 1854, the RACER, 1862 to 1863, London to Melbourne, to Calcutta and back and then home, the CANOPUS from England to India, 1864 to 4866 and the HORNET, 1866 to 1867 to India, Trinidad, home and back to India. The HORNET was burnt in 1868. Between 1868 and 1870 Kennedy carried mules and horses for the Abyssinian campaign in the Tynemouth and from 1871 to 1873 made five voyages to India in the Yorkshire. He gained his master's certificate in 1849 and an endorsement in steam in 1870.
Royal Navy: Administration - volumes relating to local administration
A M D Lampen was a cadet at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, c 1923.
Limpus entered the Navy in 1876. He served in the ALEXANDRA, in the Mediterranean, 1878 to 1879, in the BACCHANTE, Detached Squadron, 1880 to 1882, and the ALBACORE, again in the Mediterranean, 1884 to 1885. He was made a lieutenant in 1885 and a commander in 1898. He took a prominent part in the relief of LADYSMITH when he was second-in-command of the Naval Brigade during the Boer War. He was specially promoted to captain in 1900 for his efforts. In 1910 he was made rear-admiral, hoisting his flag in the JUPITER, Home Fleet. Between 1912 and 1914 he was Naval Adviser to Turkey and was made vice-admiral in the Turkish Navy. Between 1914 and 1916 he was Admiral Superintendent at Malta and was much concerned with the organization of supplies to the Dardanelles. He was President of the Shell Committee at the Admiralty in 1917 and retired in 1919.
As early as 1688 information of interest to all persons connected with shipping had been available from Mr Edward Lloyd of Lloyd's Coffee House in London. From September 1696 to February 1697 Lloyd published a small shipping and commercial chronicle called Lloyd's News. Gradually Lloyd's Coffee House became the centre for people interested in shipping especially underwriters. The first issue of Lloyd's List appeared in 1734. In 1760 the Society for the Registry of Shipping was founded. Copies of the register from 1764 have survived and after 1775 the register, known as the Green Hook or Underwriters Register, was published annually. By 1775 the classification of vessels was standardized. Roman capitals were used for the classification of the hull and numbers were used for the classification of the equipment. This was the first appearance of the 'A 1', the highest classification given to a vessel by Lloyd's. A new method of classification, introduced in 1797, gave a higher classification to London-built vessels and caused much dissatisfaction among shipowners. In 1799 a rival book, called The New Registry Book of Shipping was published by a Society of Merchants, Shipowners and Underwriters instituted in 1797. This book, also published annually, became known as the 'Red Book' or 'Shipowners Register'. The failure of either register, however, to gain sufficient support through subscription led to their amalgamation in 1834 and the foundation of 'Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping'. Rules for the classification of vessels and the names of recognized surveyors were printed in the register. Special rules for the classification of iron ships were introduced in 1855. By the middle of the nineteenth century provision had been made for the appointment of surveyors at foreign ports. The North American ports were the first to be given a full-time surveyor: Quebec in 1852; Saint John, New Brunswick in 1853 and Prince Edward Island and Miramichi, New Brunswick, in 1856. In the same year a surveyor was appointed at Antwerp for Holland and Belgium. In 1869 Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Veerdam were included and Italian, French, German, Danish and Australian ports were added from 1871. When the Register celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1884 the number of surveyors had risen to sixty-six and was increasing steadily. Today it is still a world-wide organization with the majority of its surveyors abroad.
Merchant Shipping: Logs - East India Company
Thomas Louis entered the Navy in 1770, was promoted to lieutenant in 1777 and to captain in 1783. In 1794 he took command of the MINOTAUR, one of the ships in Nelson's squadron during the battle of the Nile, 1798; he continued under Nelson's orders in 1799, off the coast of Italy. Promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1804, Louis commanded the blockade off Boulogne, after which he hoisted his flag in the CANOPUS, off Toulon, in 1805. Still in the CANOPUS, Louis was second-in-command of the squadron which destroyed the French fleet at the battle of San Domingo, 1806; for this he was rewarded with a baronetcy. Later in 1806 he took charge of a small squadron in the Eastern Mediterranean and remained there until his death. See H.B. Louis, 'One of Nelson's Band of Brothers: Admiral Sir Thomas Louis, bart' (Malta, 1951). John Louis, son of Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis (q.v.), entered the Navy in 1795, was promoted to lieutenant in 1801, to commander in 1805 and to captain in 1806. He served during 1810 off the coast of Ireland and off Cadiz, was in the Mediterranean in 1811 and then went out to the West Indies. After several years on half-pay, he served again in the West Indies, 1826 to 1830. In 1837 he was appointed Captain Superintendent of Woolwich Dockyard and also to the command of the WILLIAM AND MARY yacht. He was Superintendent of Malta Dockyard, 1838 to 1843, and of Devonport, 1846 to 1850. Louis became Rear-Admiral in 1838, Vice-Admiral in 1849 and Admiral in 1851.
Thomas Louis entered the Navy in 1770, was promoted to lieutenant in 1777 and to captain in 1783. In 1794 he took command of the MINOTAUR, one of the ships in Nelson's squadron during the battle of the Nile, 1798; he continued under Nelson's orders in 1799, off the coast of Italy. Promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1804, Louis commanded the blockade off Boulogne, after which he hoisted his flag in the CANOPUS, off Toulon, in 1805. Still in the CANOPUS, Louis was second-in-command of the squadron which destroyed the French fleet at the battle of San Domingo, 1806; for this he was rewarded with a baronetcy. Later in 1806 he took charge of a small squadron in the Eastern Mediterranean and remained there until his death. See H.B. Louis, 'One of Nelson's Band of Brothers: Admiral Sir Thomas Louis, bart' (Malta, 1951).
Terence Lewin was born in Dover in 1923. Educated at the Judd School in Tonbridge, he joined HMS BELFAST as a naval cadet shortly before the outbreak of war in 1939. After serving aboard the battleship HMS VALIANT, Lewin joined the destroyer HMS ASHANTI. In ASHANTI, he took part in convoys to Murmansk and later to the Mediterranean as part of Operation Pedestal, the vital convoys keeping Malta supplied. Lewin distinguished himself in action, being mentioned in dispatches 3 times and was awarded the DSC. After the war he rose to post rank and commanded the destroyer CORUNNA, before the Dartmouth Training Sqaudron, and then in the Indian Ocean in 1967, the aircraft carrier HMS HERMES in the lead up to the Arab-Israeli war. Lewin was made Rear Admiral in 1968 and by 1977 had become First Sea Lord. As Chief of Defence Staff, he played a prominent role in the decision to replace the Polaris missile system with the Trident system. Also as Chief of Defence Staff, he was Mrs Thatcher's main military adviser during the Falklands conflict (1982), for which, on his retirement, he was made a life peer (1982) and KG in 1983. In retirement he was as active as ever, patron of many societies and much in demand as a public speaker on naval and maritime subjects. He was Chairman of the National Maritime Museum between 1983 and 1995. He was also President of the George Cross Island Association and played a leading role in planning the 50th Anniversary of the siege of Malta and the giant memorial bell erected in its memory. He also became very interested in the explorations of Captain Cook and contributed to the foundation of a Cook museum in Middlesbrough. Lewin died in 1999, aged 78. See also Richard Hill's biography of the Admiral, Lewin of Greenwich (2000).
Commander W E May was a leading authority on the history and use of the compass. He was a founder member of the Royal Institute of Navigation and one of its first fellows. He joined the Royal Navy in 1912, being second in command of one of the gun turrets of HMS TEMERAIRE at the battle of Jutland. In 1923, he qualified as a navigating officer. He left the active list of the Royal Navy in 1927 and thereafter was engaged in various duties concerning compasses. During the latter part of World War Two he was responsible for all repairs to gyrocompasses throughout the Royal Navy. In 1951 Commander May was appointed Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum and held the post until his retirement in 1968.
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Massie entered the Navy in 1818 and was in the ASIA, flagship of Sir Edward Codrington, at Navarino in 1827, the year he was promoted to lieutenant. Between 1831 and 1832 he was First Lieutenant of the CARYSFORT in the Mediterranean and was then in the SATELLITE, 1833 to 1836, on the South American Station. In 1838 he was made commander and the next year was sent to assist in organizing the Turkish Navy. He was appointed to the THUNDERER in 1840, took part in the capture of ACRE and was promoted to captain in 1841. In 1849 he was given the command of the CLEOPATRA, East Indies and China Station, and took part in the Second Burma War (1852-1853). He commissioned in 1854 the POWERFUL, which was on the North American and West Indies Station in the latter part of 1855 and during 1856. Massie saw no further service, was promoted to rear-admiral in 1860 and was placed on the retired list in 1866 as a vice-admiral, becoming an admiral in 1872.
As an infant, MacGregor was saved from the Indiaman, KENT, which caught fire in the Bay of Biscay in 1825. He was well known as Rob Roy MacGregor because of his pioneering zeal while travelling in his canoe, the Rob Roy. This was first launched in 1865 and he navigated a network of rivers, canals and lakes, including the Rhine, Danube and Seine and Lakes Constance, Zurich and Lucerne. His most demanding voyage was in 1868 when he went through the Suez Canal down to the Red Sea and from thence to Palestine, navigating the Jordan and Lake Gennesareth. He published ' A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe' (London, 1866), 'A voyage alone in the Yawl Rob Roy' (London, 1867), 'The Rob Roy on the Baltic' (London, 1867) and 'The Rob Roy on the Jordan Red Sea and Gennesareth' (London, 1869). See also Edwin Hodder, 'John MacGregor ('Rob Roy')' (London, 1894).
McKinley entered the Navy in 1773, served in the West Indies during the campaign of 1778 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1782. He took part in the battle of the Saints and continued to serve during much of the peace. In 1798 he was promoted commander into the OTTER fireship, in which vessel he was present at the North Holland landing of 1799, when Enkhuisen was taken, and was also present at the battle of Copenhagen in 1801, the year he became a captain. He then commanded a succession of ships in the West Indies, including the GANGES, 1802 to 1803, in which he returned home. As Senior Officer at Lisbon in 1806, he was given command of the LIVELY until her wreck in 1810, off Malta. During this time she took part in the capture of Vigo Bay and Santiago, 1809, and in the evacuation of part of Sir John Moore's army. From 1811 to 1815 McKinley served in the Mediterranean and then in the North Sea. In 1818 he was appointed Third Captain of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich and in 1821 Governor of the Royal Naval Asylum; this appointment was combined with that of Captain Superintendent of Greenwich Hospital School in 1828. He was made rear-admiral in 1830 and vice-admiral in 1841.
McClintock entered the Navy in 1831. He served as a midshipman in the SAMARANG, South America, 1831 to 1835, then in the survey ship CARRON in the Irish Sea, 1835, and the HERCULES in the Channel, 1836 to 1837. From 1838 to 1841 he was in the CROCODILE on the North American Station. Between 1841 and 1842 he took courses in the EXCELLENT and at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth. McClintock next served as mate of the GORGON, on the South American Station, 1843 to 1845. He received his promotion to lieutenant in 1845 and was appointed to the FROLIC, Pacific Station, where he remained until 1847. For the next twelve years he was almost continually in the Arctic regions, serving on expeditions searching for Sir John Franklin and his men. During 1848 and 1849 McClintock was in the ENTERPRISE. From 1850 to 1851 he was Lieutenant of the ASSISTANCE on the expedition led by Captain Horatio T. Austin (1801-1865). During the expedition of 1852 to 1854 he commanded the INTREPID, steam tender to the RESOLUTE, Captain Henry Kellett (1806-1875). On his return he was promoted to captain. Lady Franklin chose McClintock to command her private search expedition in the yacht FOX, from 1857 to 1859. This effort was at last successful in solving the mystery and many relics of the lost expedition and Franklin's final message were recovered from King William Island. McClintock was knighted on his return. He published an account of his expedition, The Voyage of the Fox in 1859.
In 1860 McClintock commanded the BULLDOG making soundings between Britain, Iceland, Greenland and Labrador, over the route of a proposed submarine telegraph cable. From 1861 to 1862 he commanded the DORIS in the Mediterranean, acting as escort to the Prince of Wales on his tour of the Near East, and from 1863 to 1865 commanded the AURORA, in the Channel and the North Sea during the Prusso-Danish War and later in the West Indies. Be was Commodore-in-Charge at Jamaica from 1865 to 1868, was promoted to rear-admiral in 1871 and from 1872 to 1879 was Admiral Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard, being appointed to vice-admiral in 1877. He sat on the organizing committee for the British Arctic Expedition of 1875 to 1876 led by Captain G S Nares. From 1879 to 1883 he was Commander-in-Chief on the North American and West Indies Station. He was promoted to admiral and retired in 1884. See Sir Clements Markham, Life of Admiral Sir Leopold McClintock (London, 1909).
The Middletons had been married for three years when they left Portsmouth on the ATLANTA to travel to Gibraltar, where Capt Middleton had been appointed to run the Navy Yard. Susannah Middleton's father John Martin Leake was Comptroller of Army Accounts and her brother William had been posted in 1805 from the Artillery to the Eastern Mediterranean. Robert Gambier Middleton was the son of George Middleton, former Comptroller of Customs for the port of Leith and elder brother of Sir Charles Middleton, Lord Barham and First Lord of the Admiralty. Robert Middleton had been taken under the wing of his uncle and entered the navy at the age of 12 seeing action with the Mediterranean fleet under Lord Hood. He was made post-Captain in 1794 and in 1803 he was placed in charge of the North Foreland District of the Sea Fencibles. In 1805 he was posted to Gibraltar as Superintendent of the Navy Yard. The Middletons remained in Gibraltar for three years before returning home in 1808. Susannah travelled home on the ILLUSTRIOUS in May 1808 prior to Capt Middleton who returned to England shortly after to take up a position in the Navy Board in London. In 1830 he was appointed Storekeeper-General to the Navy and retired in 1832 with the rank of Rear-admiral. Following their return to England, Susannah had the first of 10 children, 7 of whom reached adulthood.
In 1834 Meynell entered Henry Burney's Academy at Gosport and in 1836 joined the PARTRIDGE, home waters. From 1837 to 1839 he was in Australian waters in the ALLIGATOR and then took part in the China War, 1840 to 1843, in the CALLIOPE. Between 1844 and 1845 he was a mate in the PENELOPE during the anti-slavery operations off the west coast of Africa. In 1846 he was presented with a commission and re-appointed as additional lieutenant to the PENELOPE. He was unemployed from 1847 until 1853, when he joined the ROYAL GEORGE in the Baltic during the Crimean War. After 1855 he saw no further service.
Miller entered the Navy in 1880 and after service during the Egyptian campaign of 1882 went to the AUDACIOUS on the China Station until 1884. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1890 and then served successively in the PARTRIDGE in the West Indies, 1890 to 1892, the SPEEDWELL in the Channel, 1892, and the HOWE in the Mediterranean, 1893 to 1894. From 1894 until 1897 he was in the East Indies in the BONAVENTURE, from 1897 to 1900 on the North America and West Indies Station in the PEARL and from 1901 to 1903 on the China Station in the Talbot. He was promoted to commander in 1903 and to captain in 1908, serving subsequently on the Australian Station and in home waters. During the First World War he commanded ships in the Grand Fleet. He became a rear-admiral in 1920 and vice-admiral in 1922. He retired the same year and died in a motoring accident four years later.
Alexander Hood, younger brother of Samuel, Viscount Hood, entered the Navy in 1741 and was made lieutenant in 1746. During the Seven Year War he served in the Mediterranean and under Hawke in the Channel. He was made captain in 1756 and, after further service in the Channel and in the Mediterranean, was promoted to rear-admiral in 1780. From 1784 to 1790 he was a Member of Parliament for Bridgwater, after which he sat for Buckingham until 1796. In 1787 he was promoted to vice-admiral and in 1794 to admiral. In that year he was appointed second-in-command of the Channel Fleet, under Lord Howe, and took part in the battle of the First of June, after which he was given an Irish peerage. In the following year when Howe was ashore because of ill-health, he won a partial victory over the French Fleet. For this action, he was raised to the peerage of Great Britain. When Howe finally retired in 1797, Hood was made Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet. In 1800 he was relieved by St. Vincent and accepted no further active command. He was created a viscount in the same year.
Mackay was in charge of the astronomical observatory at Aberdeen from 1781 to 1795. In 1793 he published The theory and practice of finding the longitude at sea or land (London, 2 vols). When the chair of Natural Philosophy at Aberdeen fell vacant in 1800, MacKay was proposed but the election was contested. In 1802, Nevil Maskelyne (1730-1811), the Astronomer Royal, suggested that he should go to Australia to join the expedition led by Matthew Flinders, as their astronomer had returned home early in the voyage. Mackay, however, still hoped that he might win the Aberdeen election and, in addition, felt the pay offered by the Board of Longitude was too small. In 1804, his hopes having failed, he came to London. He was appointed mathematical examiner to Trinity House in 1805 and to similar posts with the East India Company and Christ's Hospital during the year following. As well as teaching and examining, he published further works on astronomy, navigation and mathematics.
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Milne, son of Admiral Sir David Milne, was entered on the books of the Leander in 1817 but probably did not go to sea until 1820, when he joined the Conway on the South American Station. Again on this station between 1824 and 1830, he served in the ALBION, 1824 to 1825, the GANGES, 1825 to 1827, and the CADMUS, 1827 to 1830. He became a lieutenant in 1827. In 1837 he was promoted to commander into the SNAKE, North America and West Indies Station, where he operated against slavers, and in 1839 was appointed Captain of the CROCODILE on the same station. He transferred to the CLEOPATRA for a brief period in 1841 and then returned home. Milne was Flag-Captain to his father from 1842 to 1845 in the CALEDONIA, Devonport, and from 1845 to 1847 was in the St. Vincent at Portsmouth. He was on the Board of Admiralty until 1859, having become a rear-admiral in 1858. During the American Civil War Milne was Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies. On his return, he again joined the Board of Admiralty until 1869 when he commanded the Mediterranean Station for a year. In 1872 he was appointed Senior Naval Lord and after his retirement in 1876 he continued to be called upon for important tasks, including membership of the Carnarvon Commission on Colonial Defence, 1879 to 1882.
Miles entered Britannia as a cadet in 1905. He went to sea the following year, as a midshipman, and by 1911 was a lieutenant. Miles served with submarines and destroyers during World War One, 1914-1918. His later appointments include Captain of HMS NELSON 1939-1941, which was one of the first ships to strike a magnetic mine; Head of the Military Mission to Moscow 1941-1943; Flag Officer Commanding Western Mediterranean 1944-1945; Commander-in-Chief Royal Indian Navy 1946-1947. He was made Rear-Admiral in 1941, Vice-Admiral in 1944 and Admiral in 1948. Miles was placed on the retired list in April 1948.
The moves which led to the formation of the Manchester Ship Canal Company and to the construction of the ship canal itself began to take practical shape in 1882, at a time when the commercial supremacy of Manchester appeared to be declining. It was thought that this decline was due in large part to the heavy cost of transit within the region, which led to the agitation for the building of a ship canal. The proposal encountered opposition from the railways and from powerful corporate interests in Liverpool and it was 1887 before work could begin. The task occupied six years and might never have been completed had not the city fathers come to the financial rescue of the promoters, lending them £3 millions in 1891 and a further £2 millions in 1893. The canal was opened to traffic in 1894.
Murray served as Base Intelligence Officer in the Iolaire, Stornoway, from 1914 to 1918, when he was given the rank of temporary sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.
Entering the Navy in 1799, Napier became a lieutenant in 1805, commander in 1807 and captain in 1809. Between 1811 and 1812 he served on the West coast of Italy and later in American waters. In 1833 he took service in the Portuguese navy and was victorious over the forces of Dom Miguel, who had seized the throne of Portugal from his niece, Maria, in 1828. As he had not sought permission to enter foreign service, Napier's name was removed from the Navy List hut was restored in 1836. In 1837 he was appointed second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet, taking a leading part in the Syrian campaign, 1839 to 1841, particularly at the bombardment of Acre and in the subsequent negotiations with Mehemet Ali. In 1846 he was promoted to rear-admiral and he took command of the Channel Squadron until 1849. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1853 and commanded the Baltic Fleet in the 1854 campaign. In 1858 he was advanced to admiral. Napier was Member of Parliament for Marylebone, 1841 to 1847, and for Southwark, 1855 to 1860. There are two biographies: Major-General E. Napier, 'Memoirs and correspondence of Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K. C. B.' (London, 1862) and H. Noel Williams, 'The life and letters of Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B. (1736-1860)' (London, 1917).
See sub-fonds level descriptions for individual biographies.
George Nares, son of Sir George Strong Nares, was a midshipman in the CURACOA on the Australian Station from 1892 to 1893. He specialized in surveying and became a lieutenant in 1896.
North entered the Navy as an assistant clerk in 1854 and served in the Crimean War. He was promoted to Assistant Paymaster in 1860 and Paymaster in 1870. In 1878 he was appointed to the survey ship ALERT, under Captain Sir George Nares. The first season was spent surveying in the Magellan Strait and the surrounding area. In the spring of 1879 Nares was recalled and succeeded by Captain J.F.L.P. Maclear. The ALERT carried out survey work in the Pacific, the Torres Strait (Prince of Wales Channel) and the Indian Ocean (Amirante Islands) before arriving home in 1882. North was promoted to Fleet Paymaster in 1886 and he retired in 1895 as Paymaster-in-Chief.
Norris entered the Navy in 1889. In 1893 as a midshipman in the Nile, Mediterranean, he was an eye-witness of the collision between the VICTORIA and CAMPERDOWN. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1896, commander in 1907 and captain in 1914. During the First World War he commanded the ARLANZA , 1915, and then served at the Admiralty. In 1918 he was appointed Commodore of the Persian Gulf Squadron. He subsequently commanded British naval forces in the Caspian Sea and, in May 1919, with six armed merchant vessels, some coastal motor boats and an air unit, attacked thirty Bolshevik ships, fourteen of which were destroyed. He headed a naval mission to Persia, 1920 to 1921. During the next eight years Norris held several appointments afloat and ashore. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1924 and retired on his promotion to vice-admiral in 1929. He was promoted to admiral on the retired list in 1933.
After serving as master in a number of ships in the East Indies and Australia trade, James Nourse (d.1897) had his own ship built in 1861. In 1865 he settled on shore to own and operate more ships. He built up a fleet of sailing vessels with which he specialized in carrying contract labour between India and Guiana, the West Indies, Natal and Fiji. This trade was carefully regulated by the British and colonial governments. The ships were well-found with a reputation for healthy voyages, and sailing ships were employed at a time when many other trades had turned to steam. Cargo was a secondary consideration, but iron rails and salt were carried from England to India, rice and gunny bags from Calcutta and rice from Rangoon, sugar from the West Indies and Cuba and general cargo from the United States to Europe. After Nourse's death, the fleet was operated by his executors until 1903 when a limited liability company was formed under the title of James Nourse Limited. The sailing ships were gradually disposed of and replaced by six steamships. In 1917 the shares of the Company were acquired by P&O. During the inter-war years the older ships were replaced by new larger steamers, but the carriage of Indian labour to the West Indies was not resumed despite the demand there in the early 1920s for extra labour. There were, however, return voyages for those people who wished to be repatriated to India. Cargo became more important and regular monthly sailings were maintained from Calcutta and Rangoon to the West Indies and Cuba via the Cape. The India-Caribbean trade was discontinued in 1959 and the company engaged in world-wide tramping. In 1964 the management merged with that of the Ham Steamship Co Ltd and traded as Hain-Nourse Ltd until the reorganization of the P&0 Group in 1971.
See sub-fonds level descriptions for individual biographies.
Ogle entered the Navy in 1697. He became a lieutenant in 1702 and a commander in 1703. He was posted in 1708 and served for the remainder of the war, mostly in the Mediterranean. He commanded the PLYMOUTH in the Baltic in 1716 and the WORCESTER in 1717. After service on the coast of Africa, for which he was knighted, in the Mediterranean and in the West Indies, he was promoted to rear-admiral in 1739. In 1740 he was sent out to join Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon with reinforcements and took part in the attack on Cartagena 1741. He took over the command when Vernon left in 1742 and returned to England in 1745, having been promoted to vice-admiral in 1743 and admiral in 1744.
Ogle was most probably a cousin of Admiral-of-the-Fleet Sir Chaloner Ogle (although the relationship is variously given as son, nephew or cousin). He became a lieutenant in 1745 and a captain in 1756. He saw active service during the Seven Years War and commanded a ship during the Falkland Islands crisis of 1770. In 1774 he was appointed to the RESOLUTION, guardship at Portsmouth. He sailed under Rodney to the relief of Gibraltar in 1779 and then went to America, being recalled on his promotion to rear-admiral in 1780. He became a vice-admiral in 1787 and admiral in 1794.
Ogle was the eldest son of Admiral Sir Chaloner. He entered the Navy in 1787 and became a lieutenant in 1793, commander in 1795, and captain in 1796. He served mainly in the Mediterranean, being Captain of the UNITE 1805 to 1806. From 1806 to 1815 he commanded one of the royal yachts. He succeeded to the baronetcy in 1816 and was promoted to rear-admiral in 1819. He was commander-in-chief, North America 1827 to 1830 and became a vice-admiral in 1830 and an admiral in 1841. He was commander-in-chief at Portsmouth 1845 to 1848.
Oliver entered the Navy in 1878 and passed for lieutenant in 1884. In 1903 he was promoted to captain and founded the navigation school in the Mercury. This school was later given the name HMS Dryad. Oliver became Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord in 1908, and after a seagoing appointment became Director of Naval Intelligence in 1913. He was promoted to rear-admiral in the same year. In 1914 Oliver became Naval Secretary to the First Sea Lord. At the end of the war he commanded the First Battle Cruiser Squadron in the Grand Fleet, hoisting his flag in the REPULSE. In 1919 he was promoted to vice-admiral and in 1921 he was appointed Second Sea Lord. In 1923 he was made admiral. His last active employment was as Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, in which post he remained until 1927. He was made Admiral of the Fleet in 1928 and retired in the same year. See Sir William James, A great seaman. The life of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry F. Oliver (London, 1956).
See sub-fonds level descriptions for individual biographies.
Geoffrey Phipps Hornby, son of Sir Phipps Hornby, entered the Navy in 1837 and became a lieutenant in 1844. In 1852 he was promoted to captain but remained on half-pay until 1858, after which he commanded the TRIBUNE, China, 1858 to 1860, NEPTUNE, flagship, Mediterranean, 1861 to 1862, and EDGAR, flagship, Channel, 1863 to 1865. In 1865 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief on the west coast of Africa. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1869 and commanded the Flying Squadron in the LIVERPOOL on its voyage round the world, 1869 to 1871, and then the Channel Squadron from 1871 to 1874. Hornby was one of the Lords of the Admiralty from 1875 to 1877. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1875. From 1877 to 1880 he was Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean. He played an important part in the Balkan crisis of 1878, for which he was knighted and was promoted to admiral in 1879. He was President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, 1881 to 1882, and Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, 1882 to 1885. In 1885 he commanded an Evolutionary Squadron and became Admiral of the Fleet in 1888. See Mrs Frederick Egerton, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Geoffrey Phipps Hornby, G.C.B., a biography (London, 1896).
Sir Phipps Hornby (1785-1867) began his naval career in 1797, being promoted to Lieutenant in 1804 and to Captain in 1810. He was on half-pay between 1816 and 1832, and then held several posts ashore until his promotion to Rear Admiral in 1846. From 1847 to 1850 he was Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Squadron, with his base at Valparaiso, where he established his wife and family. He served briefly as a Lord of the Admiralty, was promoted on retirement in 1854, and became Admiral in 1858.
Sir Geoffrey Thomas Phipps Hornby (1825-1895), son of Sir Phipps Hornby, entered the Navy in 1837, being appointed to the PRINCESS CHARLOTTE, flagship of Admiral Stopford. He was promoted to Captain in 1852 and commanded several vessels, including the EDGAR, flagship, Channel, 1863-1865. He was given command of the Channel Squadron from 1871 to 1874, and was Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean from 1877 to 1880. He became Admiral of the Fleet in 1888.
Robert Stewart Phipps Hornby (1866-1956), younger son of Sir Geoffrey, entered the Navy in 1879, served in the Egyptian War in 1882 and became a Lieutenant in 1886. He was promoted to Captain in 1903 and commanded the DIANA in the Mediterranean, 1904 to 1906. From 1914 to 1915, he was Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station, and he was promoted to Admiral in 1922 on the retired list.
Windham Mark Phipps Hornby (1896-1987), son of Admiral R S Phipps Hornby, entered the Navy in 1909 and was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant in 1916. He joined the RAMILLIES in 1917, was promoted to Lieutenant in 1918, to Lieutenant-Commander in 1925 and retired in 1932.
Murray Thomas Parks, son of Commander Murray Thomas Parks, entered the Navy as a naval cadet in 1876. He served as midshipman in the RALEIGH under Captain Trewlawny Jago. He was midshipman in the INVINCIBLE and CRUISER 1881 to 1882. He was appointed to WATCHFUL, a gunboat, in 1884 and a commission lieutenant in 1885. In 1888 he was appointed to the COCATRICE in the Mediterranean. In 1892 he became lieutenant in the MEDEA and in 1893 transferred to the PHOEBE on the Cape Station. He was promoted commander in 1896 and in the same year appointed to the UNDAUNTED on the China Station. He was appointed commander of the BLANCHE on the Cape Station in 1900 and in 1903 joined the Coast Guard Service. He was promoted captain and retired in 1908.
The Prince Steam Shipping Company Ltd was formed in 1883 with a nominal capitol of £250,000. Further steamships were ordered and the first of these commenced trading in 1884. By 1886 the company's fleet comprised twenty sailing ships and seventeen ocean-going steamships. A year later the sailing vessels were sold and Knott applied himself to the development of a fleet of steamships engaged in world-wide trade. Among the earliest services advertised were those between the UK and Tripoli, Malta, Tunis, Egypt, Cyprus, Palestine and Syria. By 1888 the company was firmly established on routes from Europe and New York to Brazil and the River Plate and in the years leading up to the First World War, it had a large share in the coffee trade between Brazil and the USA.
With the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894, a service was instituted between Manchester and Alexandria for the importation of Egyptian cotton. Manufactured goods and machinery were exported through Manchester.
In 1895 a new company was formed, the Prince Line (1895) Ltd. Three years later the date was dropped from the title and the Prince Line Ltd absorbed the entire range of Knott's shipping interests, principally the Prince Steam Shipping Company Ltd and the Prince Steam shipping Insurance Association, founded in 1887. As older ships were replaced by new and larger tonnage a regular line was built on the carriage of Italian emigrants to New York. However , in 1917 the Italian Government restricted this trade to national flag carriers and the Prince Line's part in it came to an end.
In the early years of the twentieth century a service from New York to South Africa, India and the Far East was inaugurated. Later, in 1917, twelve steamers and the interests of James Gardiner and Company, Glasgow, were acquired to become the subsidiary company Rio Cape Line. The combination of these undertakings led to the development of a round the world service.
During the First World War nineteen ships were lost to enemy action. Following the death of two of his sons at Ypres and the Somme and the capture of a third at Gallipoli, James Knott, the founder of the company, sold his interests to Furness, Withy and Company Ltd in August 1916. He was created a baronet the following year. In 1919 the Furness family relinquished their interests in Furness, Withy and Company Ltd. and as result the offices of the company were moved from Newcastle to London.
The fleet and services were rebuilt between the wars despite the economic depression of the decades. The company's first motor ship, built in 1924 as the TRAMORE, was taken over from the associated Johnston Line in 1925 and renamed BRAZILIAN PRINCE. In 1929 four fast passenger-cargo motor ships of 10, 920 tons gross, carrying 101 passengers, were completed and named NORTHERN PRINCE, SOUTHERN PRINCE, EASTERN PRINCE and WESTERN PRINCE. These were employed on the well established New York- South American routes.
At the outbreak of war in 1939 the Prince Line and Rio Cape Line fleets together comprised twenty vessels, maintaining the four regular services- the Mediterranean, USA- South Africa, New York - South America and the Far East round the world service. Losses during the war totalled fourteen.
While the fleet was again rebuilt in the years after 1945 and the citrus trade with Israel continued to flourish, the entire operations of the company gradually contracted as a result of foreign competition and later, containerisation. Only a reduced Mediterranean service survived, and this was combined with Furness, Withy's other Mediterranean interest, the Manchester Liners service, as a joint operation.
The papers start with Platt serving aboard HMS PORTO (c 1780-1782). After PORTO, Platt served on various ships, including HMS ISIS, HMS EAGLE, and HMS CENTURION, mainly in the East and West Indies. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 7 November 1793 and then served on a number of ships, such as HMS ALLIGATOR and HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN. During his career, Platt appears to have also served in the merchant navy, notably on the KATHARINE, COUNTESS OF EFFINGHAM, which carried Thomas, Earl of Effingham, governor of Jamaica, and his wife to Jamaica (1789-1790). Platt did not enjoy his time in merchant service and the collection includes an example of a reply from the Admiralty to Platt's letter, requesting employment. He also appears to have been involved with the Folkstone Sea Fencibles, with the collection including several documents relating to impressment. Platt was superannuated commander 2 December 1828 and can be found in the retired section of the Navy Lists for the years 1828-1832.
Parr was born on 14 June 1849 and entered the Royal Navy in 1863. He served in the 1875-1876 Arctic Expedition under Captain Sir George S Nares, and was promoted to Commander. In 1882, he participated in the Egyptian War (3rd Class Medjidie). Parr became a Captain in 1887, acted as Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria, 1900-1901, and was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1901. From 1903-1905 he served as Vice-President of the Ordnance Committee, also gaining the rank of Vice-Admiral in 1905. Parr retired from the Navy in 1906, and was made Admiral (retired list) in 1908. He died on 20 February 1914.
Pryce-Cumby entered the Navy in 1784 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1792. Between 1795 and 1798 he served in the ASTREA and then in the THALIA, being present at the battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797. Following three years as Flag-Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral Alexander Graeme (d 1818) at the NORE, he was appointed to command the SWIFT in the North Sea between 1803 and 1804. In 1804 he was appointed to the BELLEROPHON and, when the captain was killed at Trafalgar, took command of the ship. He was promoted to captain in 1806 and in the following year was appointed to the DRYAD on the Irish Station. From 1808 to 1811 he was Captain of the POLYPHEMUS, having command of a squadron at San Domingo in 1809, and from 1811 to 1815 of the HYPERION. In 1812 he was ordered to Davis Strait to protect the whale fishery and in 1813 was on convoy duty in the Atlantic. From 1814 to 1815 he was in the Channel. Pryce-Cumby had no further service until 1837, when he was appointed Superintendent of Pembroke Dockyard; he died in the same year.
Harvey entered the Navy in 1787. He was present at the battle of the First of June 1794 and became a lieutenant four months later. In 1796 he was promoted to commander and to post rank in the next year. He was appointed to the Standard in 1805 under Vice-Admiral Collingwood, in the Mediterranean and in 1807 took part in the action of Sir John Duckworth in the Dardanelles. Returning to England in 1808, he was appointed to the Majestic in the Baltic until 1810 and then served until 1815 in the North Sea. Between 1815 and 1839 he had no employment. He was made rear-admiral in 1821, vice-admiral in 1837 and in 1839 was appointed Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station; he died during this command.
The Royal Naval College was established by Order of Council on the 1st February 1873 "to provide for the education of Naval Officers of all ranks above that of midshipman, in all branches of theoretical and scientific study bearing upon their profession" (Admiralty Circular no. 8, RNC, Greenwich). It absorbed the School of Naval Architecture, previously based in Kensington. Subjects studied included maths, mechanics, experimental sciences, hydrography, navigation, marine engineering and naval architecture. Students ranged in rank from Acting Sub-Lieutnant to Captain. There were three main groups of students studying at the College: Lieutenants studying gunnery and engineering, who had to pass nine months in the College before they could commence their practical course in the EXCELLENT: fifty to one hundred Sub-Lieutenants, who had completed five years at sea: and about one hundred volunteers of all ages and ranks attending on half-pay. Royal Marine Officers, Dockyard Apprentice Scholars, Merchant Marine Officers, private and foreign students could also study at the College.
The College was primarily a tactical school, despite the establishment of the War Course in 1900 and the renaming of the College "The Royal Naval War College" in 1907. During this period, the eminent naval historian Sir Julian Corbett lectured on history and strategy.
During World War One, the College was used partly as a barracks and also for scientific experimental work. 27,000 officers of the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve passed through the College.
By 1939 all Sub-Lietenants went to the College for two terms for a course in general education and in the elementary study of war. At the outbreak of war, most courses ceased and the Staff College reopened in Novemebr 1943. In 1947 the Combined Staff College was instituted and ran thirty-four courses over the period January 1947 to December 1967. The Department of Nuclear Science and Technology opened in 1959 and was the largest in the College. It provided the essential qualifying courses for offciers who were to operate nuclear submarines or who would be involved in nuclear research. Only after passing the examination at the College could students procees to further training at the full-power shore based nuclear reactor at Dounreay. The Joint Service Defence College, an independent Ministry of Defence Establishment offering courses to prepare British officers of the three services, was relocated to the Royal Naval College in 1983. The JSDC and Royal Naval College were subsumed into a new Joint Service Command and Staff College based at Bracknell in 1998 and the adminstration of the Royal Naval College buildings passed to the Greenwich Foundation.
After the Royal Naval War Libraries had ceased to function at the end of the Second World War, it was decided to use the large collection of non-fiction books which had formed the loan collection as the basis for a peace-time lending library to serve members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and WRNS, both serving and retired. The organisation thus formed was called the Royal Naval Loan Library and it was financed by a capital sum partly made over from the Royal Naval War Libraries fund, with a grant from the Royal Naval War Amenities Fund and other donations. After just a year of existence the organization decided that its financial basis was not strong enough and it was wound up.