Vice Admiral Sir Benjamin Charles Stanley Martin (18 July 1891 – 3 June 1957) was a

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officer who was the first boy from the Royal Naval Hospital School,

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, to reach flag rank in the Royal Navy. He was also the first officer from the lower deck to become a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

on the active list in modern times and only the second, after Sir Thomas Spence Lyne, to achieve flag rank at all in the same period.

Naval career

Martin was born on 18 July 1891 to Benjamin S. Martin and Alice (née Gawn). His father, a Petty Officer (1st class), was killed during the accidental sinking of on 22 June 1893. He attended the Royal Naval Hospital School in Greenwich, graduating into the

in 1907 as boy sailor, first class. Promoted to warrant rank as gunner (torpedo) on 28 May 1915, the following year he served at 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 John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

in in the

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under Rear-Admiral

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. On 13 October 1916, Martin was commissioned as Mate, and following a short transfer to a

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 in ...

he returned to ''Malaya''. After promotion to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 13 May 1919, Martin served as torpedo officer in the cruisers and . In 1924, Martin was given his first command on , attached to , the Royal Navy torpedo school in

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. Later Martin commanded the destroyers and . Following his promotion to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on 30 June 1931, Martin take charge of HMS ''Voyager'' as a division leader in the

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in the Mediterranean. With promotion to the rank of captain on 30 June 1935, Martin commanded the sloop on the

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. Two years later, Martin was in command of and the destroyer flotillas of the Reserve Fleet during the Coronation Naval Review (in 1937). After a spell at the

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, Martin took command of the cruiser .

Sinking of ''Bismarck''

As captain of ''Dorsetshire'', Martin was ordered in May 1941 to steam north from her convoy escort duties off

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convoy to assist in the operations against the . After intercepting the damaged ''Bismarck'', ''Dorsetshire'' was ordered to attack the German battleship with torpedoes, which helped sink the battleship on 27 May. Martin was awarded a

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

for his actions. In 1942 Martin was appointed Commodore in Charge at

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, and received a CBE in the 1944 New Year honours. With his promotion to rear admiral on 7 July 1944, Martin became the first officer in 87 years to reach active flag rank having started on the lower decks. Shortly afterwards he was given command of the landing force aboard of the

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in 1945. Martin retired from the Royal Navy and in recognition of his service he was awarded a KBE in June, 1946. He was promoted to vice admiral on the retired list on 2 September 1948.

Awards and honours

* Mention in Despatches, Captain Benjamin Charles Stanley Martin, Royal Navy, 1 January 1941. * To be Companions of the Distinguished Service Order: Captain Benjamin Charles Stanley Martin, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Dorsetshire. * To be Additional Knights Commanders of the Military Division of the said Most Excellent Order, Rear-Admiral Benjamin Charles Stanley Martin, C.B.E., D.S.O, 7 June 1946.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Benjamin Charles Stanley 1891 births 1957 deaths Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy admirals of World War II Military personnel from the Isle of Wight