Alastair Mars
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Alastair Mars
Lieutenant Commander Alastair Campbell Gillespie Mars, DSO, DSC and Bar (1 January 1915 – 12 March 1985) was a Royal Navy World War II submarine commander. In 1952, he was court martialled and dismissed from the service under controversial circumstances and pursued a career as an author. Early career Mars joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1932, and was assigned to the cruiser . Promoted to midshipman in 1933, he was further promoted to acting sub-lieutenant in January 1936. In December he was appointed to the submarine HMS ''Grampus'' which was then building, and in April 1937 to HMS Swordfish. He was promoted to lieutenant on his assignment to HMS ''Medway'', the submarine depot ship of the China Station. In April 1938 he has appointed to HMS ''Regulus''. World War II After spending a short period on HMS ''H44'', in November 1941, Mars was appointed as commanding officer of HMS ''Unbroken'', which he served on until June 1943 on operations in the Mediterranea ...
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Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful command and leadership during active operations, typically in actual combat. Equal in Awards and decorations of the British Armed Forces, British precedence of military decorations to the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross and Royal Red Cross, since 1993 the DSO is eligible to all Military rank, ranks awarded specifically for "highly successful command and leadership during active operations". History Instituted on 6 September 1886 by Queen Victoria by Warrant (law), Royal Warrant published in ''The London Gazette'' on 9 November, the first DSOs awarded were dated 25 November 1886. The Order (distinction), order was established to recognise individual instances of meritorious or distinguished service in war. It is a military order, and wa ...
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HMS Grampus (N56)
HMS ''Grampus'' (N56) was the lead ship of Grampus-class submarine, her class of Naval mine, mine-laying submarine of the Royal Navy. She was built at Chatham Dockyard and ship naming and launching, launched on 25 February 1936. She served in World War II off China before moving to the Mediterranean Sea. She was sunk with all hands by the ''Regia Marina'' on 16 June 1940. On 16 June 1940, under the command of Lieutenant commander, Lieutenant Commander C. A. Rowe, ''Grampus'' laid mines in the Syracuse, Italy, Syracuse and Augusta, Sicily area. She was seen by the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946), Italian torpedo boat Italian torpedo boat Circe, ''Circe'', which was on Anti-submarine warfare, anti-submarine patrol with , , and Italian torpedo boat Polluce, ''Polluce''. Within a very short time, ''Grampus'' was destroyed. Wreckage came to the surface along with air bubbles and oil. ''Polluce'' was credited with the kill. There were no survivors. Some sources give the date of this ...
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Court Martial
A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the military, armed forces subject to Military justice, military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment. In addition, courts-martial may be used to try prisoner of war, prisoners of war for war crimes. The Geneva Conventions require that Prisoner of war, POWs who are on trial for war crimes be subject to the same procedures as would be the holding military's own forces. Finally, courts-martial can be convened for other purposes, such as dealing with violations of martial law, and can involve civilian defendants. Most navies have a standard court-martial which convenes whenever a ship is lost; this does not presume that the captain is suspected of wrongdoing, but merely that the circumstances surrounding the loss of t ...
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Windsor (UK Parliament Constituency)
Windsor (/ˈwɪnzə/) is a Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, constituency of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament represented since 2024 by Jack Rankin of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party. It was re-created for the 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 general election after it was abolished following the 1970 United Kingdom general election, 1970 general election and replaced by the Windsor and Maidenhead (UK Parliament constituency), Windsor and Maidenhead constituency. Constituency profile The constituency is centred on Windsor Great Park, covering the eponymous town of Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor and various towns and villages in RBWM and Slough, in Berkshire, and Runnymede in Surrey. The re-created constituency, from 1997, has continued a trend of large Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party majorities. Post 2023 boundary changes, in local election ...
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Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two Major party, major List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Beginning as an alliance of Whigs (British political party), Whigs, free trade–supporting Peelites, and reformist Radicals (UK), Radicals in the 1850s, by the end of the 19th century, it had formed four governments under William Ewart Gladstone. Despite being divided over the issue of Irish Home Rule, the party returned to government in 1905 and won a landslide victory in the 1906 United Kingdom general election, 1906 general election. Under Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime ministers Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1905–1908) and H. H. Asquith (1908–1916), the Liberal Party passed Liberal welfare reforms, reforms that created a basic welfare state. Although Asquith was the Leader of the Liberal Party (UK), party leader, its domin ...
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New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of island countries, sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The Geography of New Zealand, country's varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps (), owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. Capital of New Zealand, New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland. The islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable land to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to settle in the islands and subsequently developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight and record New Zealand. ...
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HMS Dolphin Shore-establishment
The seventeenth Royal Navy vessel to be named HMS ''Dolphin'' was the Royal Naval shore establishment sited at Fort Blockhouse in Gosport. ''Dolphin'' was the home of the Royal Navy Submarine Service from 1904 to 1999, and location of the Royal Navy Submarine School. Closure of submarine base The blockhouse and fortifications of the site had been constructed from the 14th century onwards, but in the late nineteenth century, it was deemed surplus by the Royal Commission, and was handed over to the Royal Navy in 1904. The navy set about expanding the site by added new blocks and accommodation for various ranks, and the base became an independent command in August 1912. Originally it was known simply as ''Haslar Submarine Base'', but was renamed as ''HMS Dolphin'' sometime after 1907, when the last ship to be called HMS Dolphin was brought to the site to provide extra accommodation. Heavy bombing during the Second World War on Gosport and Portsmouth, saw the submarine training ...
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Italian Cruiser Muzio Attendolo
''Muzio Attendolo'' was a light cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina which fought in World War II. She was sunk in Naples by bombers of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 4 December 1942. Although salvaged after the war, she was damaged beyond repair and was scrapped. Design ''Muzio Attendolo'' was part of the ''Raimondo Montecuccoli'' sub-class, which were the third group of Condottieri-class light cruisers. They were larger and better protected than their predecessors. She was built by CRDA Trieste and named after Muzio Attendolo, a 14th-century ruler of Milan and founder of the Sforza dynasty. Career Completed in 1935, this ship served in the Mediterranean. In 1936, under the command of Captain Manlio Tarantini, she was sent to Spain to protect Italian citizens following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.Paolo Alberini, Franco Prosperini, ''Dizionario biografico Uomini della Marina 1861-1946'', p. 511 During World War II she served in the following actions: * ...
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Italian Cruiser Bolzano
''Bolzano'' was a unique heavy cruiser, sometimes considered to be a member of the , built for the Italian ''Regia Marina'' (Royal Navy) in the early 1930s, the last vessel of the type to be built by Italy. A modified version of the earlier ''Trento'' class, she had a heavier displacement, slightly shorter length, a newer model of gun, and a more powerful propulsion system, among other differences influenced by the that had followed the ''Trento''s. ''Bolzano'' was built by the Gio. Ansaldo & C. between her keel laying in June 1930 and her ship commissioning, commissioning in August 1933. ''Bolzano'' had a fairly uneventful peacetime career, which primarily consisted of naval reviews for Italian and foreign dignitaries. She saw extensive action in the first three years of Italy's participation in World War II. She took part in the Battles of Battle of Calabria, Calabria, Battle of Taranto, Taranto, Battle of Cape Spartivento, Cape Spartivento, and Battle of Cape Matapan, Cape M ...
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