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 Richard Vesey Hamilton (28 May 1829 – 17 September 1912) 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. As a junior officer he twice volunteered to take part in missions to search for

Sir John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and thro ...

's ill-fated expedition to find the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...

. He also took part in the Battle of Fatshan Creek in June 1857 during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...

. Later in his career he became commander-in-chief at

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China, was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 1 ...

and took his fleet into

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

harbour in 1886, which surprised the Russians. He became First Naval Lord in July 1889 and in that role he was primarily concerned with implementing the recommendations contained in a report on the disposition of the ships of the Royal Navy many of which were unarmoured and together incapable of meeting the combined threat from any two of the other naval powers ("the Two-power Standard"): these recommendations had been enshrined in the

Naval Defence Act 1889 The Naval Defence Act 1889 ( 52 & 53 Vict. c. 8) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It received royal assent on 31 May 1889 and formally adopted the "two-power standard" and increased the United Kingdom's naval strength. The s ...

. He finished his career as President of the Royal Naval College at Greenwich.

Early career

Born the son of the Revd John Vesey Hamilton and his wife Frances Agnes Hamilton (née Malone), Hamilton was educated at the

Royal Naval School The Royal Naval School was an English school that was established in Camberwell, London, in 1833 and then formally constituted by the ( 3 & 4 Vict. c. lxxxvi). It was a charitable institution, established as a boarding school for the sons ...

Camberwell Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...

and joined the

in July 1843. He was posted to the sloop in the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a 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 vital sea link between ...

. He volunteered to become a mate on the barque which was despatched in 1850, under the command of Captain

Erasmus Ommanney Sir Erasmus Ommanney (22 May 1814 – 21 December 1904) was a Royal Navy officer and an Arctic explorer of the Victorian era. Early life He was born in London in 1814, the seventh son in a family of eight sons and three daughters of Sir F ...

, on a mission to search for

and his ill-fated expedition to find the

. Promoted to lieutenant on 11 October 1851, he volunteered for a second mission this time in the barque which was despatched in 1852, under the command of Captain

Henry Kellett Vice Admiral Sir Henry Kellett, (2 November 1806 – 1 March 1875) was an Irish naval officer and explorer. Career Born at Clonacody in Tipperary County, Ireland, on 2 November 1806, Kellett joined the Royal Navy in 1822. He spent three years ...

, in search of Franklin. While in the Arctic Hamilton was tasked with carrying out surveys of islands, including the first survey of the northern end of Melville island. He would work with a sled ashore to survey the islands. He gave his name to the small island Vesey Hamilton Island in the

Hazen Strait The Hazen Strait () is a natural waterway through the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Queen Elisabeth Islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It separates Mackenzie King Island in the Northwest Territories (to the north) from Melville Island (Northwe ...

. Resolute became stuck in the ice in the spring of 1854 and Kellett and his crew were ordered to abandon ship. Hamilton was given command of the gunboat in February 1856 and took part in the Battle of Fatshan Creek in June 1857 during the

. Promoted to West Indies Station in June 1858. Promoted to captain on 27 January 1862, he took command of the sloop on the West Indies Station in July 1862, the sloop on the West Indies Station in 1865 and the broadside ironclad on coast guard service at Portland Harbour in April 1870. He became commander of the steam reserve at HMNB Devonport, Devonport in 1873 and captain-superintendent of Pembroke Dock in March 1875 and 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 29 May 1875.

Senior command

Promoted to rear admiral on 27 September 1877, Hamilton was appointed Director of Naval Ordnance at the Admiralty in 1878. He was given command of the

Coast of Ireland Station The Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland was both an admiral's post and a naval formation of the Royal Navy. It was based at Queenstown, now Cobh, in Ireland from 1793 to 1919. The admiral's headquarters was at Admiralty House, Cobh. History ...

in 1880 and, having been promoted to vice admiral on 17 February 1884, he became commander-in-chief of

in September 1885; he took his fleet into

harbour the following year and gave the Russians a surprise. He was advanced to Knight Commander of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

on 21 June 1887 and promoted to full admiral on 18 October 1887. Hamilton went on to be Second Naval Lord in December 1888, and First Naval Lord in July 1889. In that role he was primarily concerned with implementing the recommendations contained in a report on the disposition of the ships of the Royal Navy many of which were unarmoured and together incapable of meeting the combined threat from any two of the other naval powers ("the Two-power Standard"): these recommendations had been enshrined in the

. He became President of the Royal Naval Collega at Greenwich, in September 1891 and retired from the Navy in May 1894. He was advanced to

Knight Grand Cross A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of the Order of the Bath on 25 May 1895. In retirement he wrote ''Naval Administration; The Constitution, Character, and Functions of the Board of Admiralty, and of the Civil Departments It Directs''. He died at his home in

Chalfont St Peter Chalfont St Peter is a large village and civil parish in southeastern Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe a ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

on 17 September 1912, and is buried at

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...

in South London.

Family

In 1862, Hamilton married Julia Frances Delmé Murray; they had two sons and two daughters.

William John Warburton Hamilton William John Warburton Hamilton (April 1825 – 6 December 1883), who generally signed as J. W. Hamilton, was an administrator, explorer, and politician in New Zealand. Early life Hamilton was born in 1825 at Little Chart, Kent, England. His f ...

was his eldest brother.

Publications

References

Sources

* *

External links

William Loney RN
Career History * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Vesey 1829 births 1912 deaths Admiral presidents of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy admirals Military personnel from Kent Royal Navy personnel of the Second Opium War