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 ...

Edmond Rollo Mainguy, (11 May 1901 – 29 April 1979) was a senior officer in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

Naval career

Mainguy was born in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, on 11 May 1901. He attended the

Royal Naval College of Canada The Royal Naval College of Canada (RNCC) was established by the Department of the Naval Service after the formation of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1910. The college was placed under the auspices of the Minister of Naval Service (and of Marin ...

in 1915 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 ...

.Awards to the Royal Canadian Navy
/ref> Following 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 ...

, Mainguy took command of and then before being promoted to captain and taking overall command of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) destroyers in Halifax in 1941. In 1942 he was appointed acting

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

and took command of RCN destroyers in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

, quickly followed by an appointment to Ottawa as Chief of Naval Personnel. He returned to active duty as the commanding officer of in 1944. As a part of

British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. It was formed from aircraft carriers, other surface warships, submarines and supply vessels of the RN and British Commonwealth ...

, ''Uganda'' took part in the

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

campaign.The ''Uganda'' Episode
In the post-war years Mainguy was appointed Flag Officer Pacific Coast in 1946, Flag Officer Atlantic Coast in 1948, and was the head of the commission that investigated the RCN insubordination incidents of 1949 before becoming Chief of the Naval Staff in 1951. Mainguy retired from the Royal Canadian Navy in 1956 as a vice-admiral. In retirement he was president of Great Lakes Shipping until 1965. He died in 1979.Article in Canadian Encyclopedia
/ref>

Family

Mainguy married Maraquita Nichol, daughter of

Walter Cameron Nichol Walter Cameron Nichol (October 15, 1866 – December 19, 1928) was a Canadian journalist, newspaper editor and publisher, and the 12th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the representa ...

, in 1927. Their son,

Daniel Mainguy Vice-Admiral Daniel Nicolas Mainguy CMM, CD (2 December 1930–17 August 2010) was a Canadian Forces officer who served as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. Career The son of Vice-Admiral Rollo Mainguy, Mainguy joined the Royal Canadian Navy i ...

, later also reached the rank of vice-admiral, serving as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff from 1983 to 1985.

References

External links

VAdm Mainguy Curriculum Vitae – 100 RCSCC Admiral Mainguy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mainguy, Rollo 1979 deaths 1901 births Canadian military personnel from British Columbia Royal Canadian Navy officers Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II Canadian admirals Canadian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Royal Canadian Navy