Admiral Sir Robert Nelson Ommanney, KBE, CB (January 31, 1854 – January 12, 1938) was a British admiral who served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

. His service included commanding a cruiser on the

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 18 ...

during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

, Admiral Superintendent of the

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th centur ...

and on special assignment in the Admiralty during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Early life

Ommanney was born into a naval family. Several of his relatives were also admirals of the Royal Navy."Sir Nelson Ommanney – Obituary", ''New York Times'', January 13, 1938, p. 21.
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Naval career

Ommanney joined the Royal Navy two days short of his fourteenth birthday, on January 29, 1868. He was appointed lieutenant in 1878, commander in 1893, and captain in 1899. Ommanney was appointed rear-admiral in 1908 and vice-admiral in 1913. In 1915, he was placed on the retired list at his own request. He was appointed admiral on the retired list in 1917. He had a varied career with the Royal Navy. In the 1870s, he was involved in the suppression of the slave trade in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and off the east coast of Africa. Ommanney was captain of HMS Europa, a cruiser of the ''Diadem'' class, for half a year in 1903. In 1904, he was appointed captain of

HMS Andromeda Eight ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Andromeda'', after the Greek heroine Andromeda. * was a 28-gun sixth rate launched in 1777 and lost in a hurricane in 1780. * was a 32-gun fifth rate launched in 1784, placed on harbour ...

, another ''Diadem'' class cruiser, and sailed for the

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 18 ...

. He served in that capacity during the

. He was the first captain of the battleship, HMS ''Britannia'', from 1906 to 1907. From 1907 to 1908, he was Captain of the Devonport Dockyard, and from 1909 to 1912, he was the Admiral Superintendent of the

on the River Medway in Kent. During World War I, Ommanney held a special office at the Admiralty. In 1915, the

First Sea Lord The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) is the military head of the Royal Navy and Naval Service of the United Kingdom. The First Sea Lord is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in the British Armed F ...

, Admiral Jackie Fisher wrote to Winston Churchill, at that point

First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...

: "We have struck oil in Admiral Ommanney. Oliver tells me he knows more handling a Fleet than anyone in the Navy! Why is he not in a Battle Squadron then? Put him in place of Warrender—Warrender to Greenwich—Bayly to Monitors—Jerram to Mines like Ommanney—let those ideas germinate!" Ommanney was knighted in the

New Years Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark thi ...

of 1919 for his war service with the Admiralty.

Nautical assessor

Ommanney was appointed to act as a nautical assessor to assist courts dealing with admiralty issues. The role of a nautical assessor is to provide expert advice on matters of nautical skill and seamanship. For example, he acted as one of two nautical assessors in the hearing by the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

into the collision in the Halifax harbour which led to the

Halifax Explosion On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship collided with the Norwegian vessel in the waters of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastating the Richmond d ...

in 1917.

Death

Ommanney died on January 12, 1938, at

Parkstone Parkstone is an area of Poole, Dorset. It is divided into 'Lower' and 'Upper' Parkstone. Upper Parkstone - "Up-on-'ill" as it used to be known in local parlance - is so-called because it is largely on higher ground slightly to the north of th ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of ...

, nineteen days short of his 84th birthday, and seventeen days short of the 70th anniversary of entering the Royal Navy.

Honours

* Admiralty commendation for his hydrographic work while on the

* Companion of the Order of the Bath, 1912 *Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Works

R.N. Ommanney, ''Notes on the Management of Ships in a Fleet''Ommanney, Commander R. N., R.N. ''Notes on the Management of Ships in a Fleet'' (Portsmouth: Griffin & Co., 1898).
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ommanney 1854 births 1938 deaths Royal Navy admirals of World War I Royal Navy officers of World War I Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy admirals