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Rear-Admiral George Edward Richards (1852–1927) was a British naval officer and hydrographer. He commanded the survey ship HMQS ''Paluma'' which in the late 19th century surveyed the
He was a sub-lieutenant aboard HMS ''Wolverine'' (2,431 tons) when it reached Brisbane in August 1877.
While in command of ''Renard'' (1878–84) he surveyed the
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...
in Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
Richards served aboard the schooner in 1878, and HMQS ''Paluma'' in 1887. He was commanding officer of surveying the Strait of Belle Isle
The Strait of Belle Isle ( ; ) is a waterway in eastern Canada, that separates Labrador from the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Location
The strait is located in the southeast of the ...
in 1897.
Early life
He was the eldest son of Sir George Richards,Hydrographer of the Royal Navy
The Hydrographer of the Navy is the principal hydrographical Royal Naval appointment. From 1795 until 2001, the post was responsible for the production of charts for the Royal Navy, and around this post grew the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office ...
.
On 5 January 1879 he married Emily Rose, the youngest daughter of John de Courcey Bremer, of Rose Bay, Sydney.
Naval career
He was a sub-lieutenant aboard HMS ''Wolverine'' (2,431 tons) when it reached Brisbane in August 1877.
While in command of ''Renard'' (1878–84) he surveyed the Russell Islands
:''See also Russell Island (disambiguation).''
The Russell Islands are two small islands ( Pavuvu and Mbanika), as well as several islets, of volcanic origin, in the Central Province of Solomon Islands. They are located approximately northwe ...
, Rendova Island
Rendova is an island in Western Province (Solomon Islands), Western Province, in the independent nation of Solomon Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific, east of Papua New Guinea.
Geography
Rendova Island is a roughly rectangular island, ...
, part of New Georgia
New Georgia, with an area of , is the largest of the islands in Western Province (Solomon Islands), Western Province, Solomon Islands, and the List of islands by area, 203rd-largest island in the world. Since July 1978, the island has been par ...
and Pocklington Reef. He also surveyed the Duke of York Islands
The Duke of York Islands (formerly ) are a group of islands located in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. They are found in StGeorge's Channel between New Britain and New Ireland islands and form part of the Bismarck Archipelago. T ...
. The Indispensable Reefs
The Indispensable Reefs are a chain of three large coral atolls in the Coral Sea. They are located about south of Rennell Island. The chain stretches over a length of and its average width is .
Administratively the Indispensable Reef belong ...
and Bampton Reefs were also visited.
He later commanded HMS ''Alacrity'' (1881–82) on hydrographic voyages along the coast of Queensland north of Hinchinbrook Island
Hinchinbrook Island (or Pouandai to the Biyaygiri people) is an island in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It lies east of Cardwell, Queensland, Cardwell and north of Lucinda, Queensland, Lucinda, separated from the north-eas ...
.
The 1887 voyage named the following places:
*Cid Harbour
Cid may refer to:
* Cid (soil)
* Cubic inch (c.i.d., cid), a displacement unit for internal combustion engines
* Cid, a slang term for lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
* Content-ID, a URI scheme (cid:) that allows the use of MIME within email
Peop ...
1887
*Orpheus Island
Orpheus Island National Park is a national park on Orpheus Island, in North Queensland, Australia. The Aboriginal (possibly Nyawaygi) name for this island is Goolboddi Island. It is one of the Palm Islands group, northwest of Brisbane, as is ...
1887
*Pioneer Bay
Pioneer Bay is a waterway in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It lies off the southwestern coast of Devon Island in the eastern high Arctic. Like Baring Bay to the south and Prince Alfred Bay to the north, it is an arm of Wellington C ...
* Acacia Island
* Mausoleum Island
*Combe Island
A combe (; also spelled coombe or coomb and, in place names, comb) can refer either to a steep, narrow valley, or to a small valley or large hollow on the side of a hill; in any case, it is often understood simply to mean a small valley through w ...
*Paluma Rock in the Palm Islands
The Palm Islands consist of three artificial island, artificial archipelagos: Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Islands (formerly known as Palm Deira or Deira Islands), and Palm Jebel Ali, off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Palm Islands were ...
He was later in command of the surveying ship HMS ''Triton'' from March 1893 to July 1894, and again from February 1899 to March 1902.
Captain Richards was placed on the retired list, at his own request, in December 1902. He was promoted to rear-admiral
Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.
Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
on the Retired list on 1 July 1907.
He died in December 1927.
Legacy
He compiled the first volume of, ''Pacific Islands ... sailing directions'' (1885). He was a birdwatcher and collector and a number of tropical birds are named after him.References