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 Robert William Frank Gerken (11 June 1932 – 20 December 2022) was a British

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 served as

Flag Officer, Plymouth The Flag Officer Plymouth was a senior Royal Navy appointment first established in July 1969. The office holder was responsible for the administration of the facilities of the two major Royal Navy at Plymouth and Portsmouth. The appointment conti ...

Early life

Robert William Frank Gerken was born on 11 June 1932 in London. He was educated at

Chigwell School Chigwell School is a co-educational independent boarding and day school. It is a private school in Chigwell, in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It consists of a Pre Prep (ages 4–7), Prep School (ages 7–11), Senior School (ages 11–16 ...

Naval career

After attending the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equi ...

, Gerken joined the Royal Navy in 1948.Debrett's People of Today 1994 He became Commanding Officer 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 ''Andromeda'' as well as Captain of the 6th Frigate Squadron in 1974. He went on to become

Captain of the Fleet Fleet captain (US) is a historic military title that was bestowed upon a naval officer who served as chief of staff to a flag officer. In the UK, a captain of the fleet could be appointed to assist an admiral when the admiral had ten or more shi ...

in 1978, Flag Officer, Second Flotilla in 1981 with promotion 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 ...

from 7 July 1981, and Director-General, Naval Manpower and Training in 1983. Promoted to

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 vic ...

on 15 November 1984, his last appointment was as Flag Officer Plymouth and Port Admiral, HMNB Devonport in 1985 before he retired in April 1987. In retirement he became Chairman of Plymouth Development Corporation.

Personal life and death

In 1966, he married Christine Stephenson; they had two daughters. Following the death of his first wife he married Ann Fermor (née Blythe) in 1983. Gerken died on 20 December 2022, at the age of 90.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerken, Robert 1932 births 2022 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich People educated at Chigwell School Military personnel from London