Sir Archibald Day (18 July 1899 – 17 July 1970) was an officer in the Royal Navy and Hydrographer of the Navy from 1950-1955. He played an important part in planning the evacuation from

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.HMS ''Conway'', the naval school ship, and then was at

Dartmouth Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

, but was mobilised for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

after only one term at the age of 15. He served as cadet and midshipman in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

and with HMS ''Welland'' in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 15 August 1919, and in 1920 began survey work, serving on HMS ''Endeavour'' on the north coast of Egypt. He spent the next 12 years surveying in various ships on the east coast of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

, and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, with two spells ashore as naval assistant. Fair Chart Kyrenia 01

His first command, from June 1932, was HMS ''Fitzroy'', surveying on the east coast of England and Scotland. He was then with HMS ''Ormonde'' in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

and

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

. He was promoted to Commander in 1934. From 1937 to 1940, he was Superintendent of Charts in the Hydrographic Department. He was promoted to Captain in 1940 and appointed Chief Staff Officer to the Flag Officer, Dover. He played a major part in planning the evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940. His surveying experience on the east coast of England, with its many treacherous sandbanks and strong tides, was invaluable in this task. He was Assistant Hydrographer in 1943 and 1944. This was at time when chart production was essential to the war effort, and seven million charts and maps were being printed each year. Admiralty Chart No 1885 Akyab Harbour Surveyed 1945

Admiralty Chart No 1885 Akyab Harbour Surveyed 1945

In November 1944, Day took over command of HMS ''White Bear'', a yacht converted for surveying, and carrying printing equipment and staff. ''White Bear'' was then in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

, and took part in the

Burma campaign (1944–1945) The Burma campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II, South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily by Commonwealth of Nations, British Commonwealth, Republic of China (1912–49), Chinese and United States forces a ...

coordinating survey teams that were charting the many channels on the coast of Burma, and printing maps and charts for the assault forces. He was awarded the DSO for this operation. After the Japanese surrender, ''White Bear'' conducted surveys around the

Malay peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...

and in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, to assist re-establishment of normal navigation. After the war, Day resumed his position as Assistant Hydrographer, and then in February 1948 took command of HMS ''Dalrymple'', newly commissioned as a survey ship, working in the Mediterranean. In 1950 he was appointed

Hydrographer of the Navy The Hydrographer of the Navy is the principal hydrographical Royal Naval appointment. From 1795 until 2001, the post was responsible for the production of charts for the Royal Navy, and around this post grew the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office ...

, a post he held until 1955. As Hydrographer, Day collaborated with the

Decca Navigator The Decca Navigator System was a hyperbolic radio navigation system which allowed ships and aircraft to determine their position by using radio signals from a dedicated system of static radio transmitters. The system used phase comparison of tw ...

Company to develop electronic systems for surveying using transportable shore stations. He was a supporter of international cooperation in Hydrography and Oceanography, leading the United Kingdom Delegation to the International Hydrographic Conference held in Monaco in April 1952. He was promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1953 and made KBE in 1954. He retired in 1955. After retirement, Day led a small team to carry out a hydrographic survey of

Lake Nyasa Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fre ...

In 1956 he was appointed coordinator of the

International Geophysical Year The International Geophysical Year (IGY; french: Année géophysique internationale) was an international scientific project that lasted from 1 July 1957 to 31 December 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific ...

, based in Brussels, but travelling extensively to facilitate the work of scientists from many countries that were taking part. His final work was his history ''The Admiralty Hydrographic Service 1795-1919'', which was published in 1967. The book gives a summary of the earlier part of the period, which was covered by Dawson's earlier ''Memoirs of Hydrography''Part 1. - 1750 to 1830Part 2. - 1830-1885
and a much more detailed account of the period from 1884-1919 with biographies of surveyors and tabulations of surveys and ships by year. He died on 17 July 1970 in

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

References

Bibliography

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External links

UK Hydrographic Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Archibald 1899 births 1970 deaths British hydrographers Hydrographers of the Royal Navy Royal Navy vice admirals Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire

References

Bibliography

See also

External links