Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Sir John Morrison Webster KCB (3 November 1932 – 5 October 2020) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer who became Flag Officer Plymouth and Port Admiral, Devonport.

Naval career

Educated at

Pangbourne College Pangbourne College is a mixed-sex education, coeducational Public school (UK), public school (private boarding school, boarding and day school, day school), for pupils aged 13-18 years, in Pangbourne, Berkshire, England. It is set in 230 acres ...

, Webster joined the Royal Navy in 1951.Debrett's People of Today 1994 He became

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

HMS ''Argonaut'' in 1970, Liaison Officer in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

in 1974 and Commanding Officer of the frigate HMS ''Cleopatra'' in 1977. He was appointed Director of Naval Warfare at the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

in 1980, Flag Officer Sea Training in 1982 and

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

to the

Commander-in-Chief Fleet The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the British Royal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional h ...

in 1984. He went on to be Flag Officer Plymouth and Port Admiral, Devonport at

HMNB Devonport His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Roya ...

in 1987, before retiring in June 1990. In retirement he became a landscape and marine painter. He died on 5 October 2020, at the age of 87.

Family

In 1962, he married Valerie Anne "Val" Villiers, daughter of Admiral Sir Michael Villiers;Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. they had one son, who predeceased him, and two daughters.

References

, - 1932 births 2020 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath People educated at Pangbourne College {{UK-navy-bio-stub