Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Sir Albert Percy Addison, (8 November 1875 – 13 November 1952) was a senior officer in the

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 ...

. He was the Rear Admiral Commanding His Majesty's Australian Fleet from 30 April 1922 to 30 April 1924.The Argus (Melbourne, Vic) – Friday 10 February 1922. p6. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was recognised by the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom that was responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Historically, its titular head was the Lord High Admiral of the ...

as an authority on submarines, and his knowledge of that class of ship was used extensively.

Naval career

Joining the Royal Navy on 15 July 1889 as a naval cadet, he was promoted to sub-lieutenant on 14 March 1895, and

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 22 June 1897. He received specialised training in torpedoes, and was posted as a lieutenant (T) to the

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

HMS ''Victorious'' on 15 January 1901, as she served on the

Mediterranean Station The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a military formation, formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vita ...

. After service on HMS ''Mercury'', he was later promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

on 31 December 1907 and later to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 30 June 1913. He was appointed

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

while commanding HMS ''Dartmouth'', during the pursuit of and engagement with Austrian cruisers in the

Strait of Otranto The Strait of Otranto (; ) connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania. Its width between Punta Palascìa, eastern Salento, and Karaburun Peninsula, western Albania, is less than . The strait is named after ...

which had attacked the Allied drifter line on 14 May 1917. HMS ''Dartmouth'' was torpedoed on 15 May 1917 by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

submarine UC-25 after the engagement but he successfully brought his ship safely into port. Later while commanding submarine HMS ''E52'', he led the action which sunk UC-63 (commanded by Oberleutenant Karsten von Heydebrec) on 1 November 1917 at

Goodwin Sands Goodwin Sands is a sandbank at the southern end of the North Sea lying off the Deal, Kent, Deal coast in Kent, England. The area consists of a layer of approximately depth of fine sand resting on an Chalk, Upper Chalk platform belonging to ...

, Dover Straits. For his war service during the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was also appointed Chevalier of the Order of the Légion d'honneur and awarded the

Croix de guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. From April 1920 to March 1922 he was appointed Director of Torpedoes and Mining. He became Rear Admiral Commanding His Majesty's Australian Fleet between 30 April 1922 and 30 April 1924. He was promoted to rear admiral on 2 November 1923. After his appointment with the Australian Fleet ceased, he commanded the Destroyer Flotilla of the Mediterranean Squadron. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

on 3 June 1924, and

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

on 3 June 1931. He became the Director of Dockyards to the Admiralty from 1928 to 1937. After retiring on 1 March 1929, he was recalled in September 1939 at the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He retired in April 1946, and died on 13 November 1952.Obituary, The Times, Saturday, 15 November 1952; p. 8; Issue 52470; col E

Notes

References

*The Argus (Melbourne, Vic) – Friday 10 February 1922. p6
(online edition)
*The Argus (Melbourne, Vic) – Tuesday 22 April 1924. p10
(online edition)

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Addison, Albert Percy 1875 births Royal Navy admirals 1952 deaths Knights of the Legion of Honour Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy admirals of World War II Military personnel from Portsmouth People from Southsea