Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some 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, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

Sir Alexander Ludovic Duff (20 February 1862 – 22 November 1933) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, China Station.

Naval career

Duff joined the

as a Midshipman in 1875. He was promoted Commander in 1897, and served in command of the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...

HMS Bat in home waters from January 1898 to January 1900. In March that year, he was posted to the HMS ''Excellent'' for senior officers' gunnery course at the gunnery school based there. Promoted

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1902, and Rear-admiral in 1913. In 1905 he was appointed Naval Assistant to the Controller of the Navy. In 1909, he was given command of ''

HMS Temeraire Six ships and two shore establishments of the Royal Navy have been called HMS ''Temeraire''. The name entered the navy with the capture of the first ''Temeraire'' (French for "reckless") from the French in 1759: * was a 74-gun third-rate ship o ...

''. He was Director of the Mobilisation Division at the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

from 1912 through the start of the war. He served in

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, ...

as Rear-Admiral (Second-in-Command) of the

4th Battle Squadron The 4th Battle Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 4th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet (1912–14) and then the Grand Fleet after the outbreak of the First World War ...

from 1914 to 1916, taking part in the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice ...

in 1916, where he flew his flag in ''

HMS Superb Eleven ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Superb'', or HMS ''Superbe'': * was a 64-gun third rate, previously the . She was captured by in 1710 and was broken up in 1732 * was 60-gun fourth rate launched in 1736 and broken up ...

''. He was transferred to the Fourth Battle Squadron after Jutland. He then became Director of the new Anti-Submarine Division at the end of 1916. Like 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 Fo ...

, Admiral Jellicoe, Duff initially opposed the use of convoys. However, his efforts greatly reduced the destruction caused by the "underwater menace".Obituary: Admiral Sir Alexander Duff
''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 24 November 1933 In 1917 he became Assistant Chief of Naval Staff and then, from 1919, Commander-in-Chief, China Station. He retired in 1925.

Family

In 1886, he married his first cousin Janet Douglas Duff; they had two daughters. In 1924 he married Alice Marjorie Hill-Whitson; they had no children.

References

External links

Books

* Grigg, John. ''Lloyd George: War Leader, 1916–1918'' Allen Lane, London 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Duff, Alexander Ludovic 1862 births 1933 deaths Military personnel from Aberdeenshire Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy admirals of World War I Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Lords of the Admiralty British expatriates in China Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal