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 Eric John Arthur Fullerton, KCB, DSO (1878 – 9 November 1962) was a Royal Navy officer.

Naval career

Fullerton was the second son of Admiral Sir John Fullerton and entered the Royal Navy himself in 1892 as a

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

in HMS ''Britannia''. He was promoted

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

in 1899 and lieutenant in 1900. He specialised as a physical training instructor in early 1903, then joined the new Royal Naval College, Osborne as Inspector of Gymnasia. In 1905 he joined the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

HMS ''Renown'' and in January 1907 transferred to HMS ''Queen'',

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...

. In October 1908 he joined the

royal yacht A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often c ...

, HMY ''Victoria and Albert'', and was promoted

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. ...

in 1910. In 1911 he was appointed

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

of the battleship in the Mediterranean, and the following year rejoined Osborne.Obituary, '' The Times'', 12 November 1962 When the First World War broke out he was given command of the monitor HMS ''Mersey'', which was used for operations off the Belgian coast, and also commanded the squadron consisting of ''Mersey'' and its two sister ships, HMS ''Humber'' and HMS ''Severn''.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> He later transferred his command to HMS ''Severn''. In 1915, after he had been 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 ...

, his ships completed the destruction of the German

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

SMS ''Königsberg'' in the

Rufiji River The Rufiji River lies entirely within Tanzania. It is also the largest and longest river in the country. The river is formed by the confluence of the Kilombero and Luwegu rivers. It is approximately long, with its source in southwestern Tanzania ...

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mozam ...

. For this action he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). In 1916 he took command of the battleship HMS ''Orion'' in the Grand Fleet, remaining in command for the remainder of the war. In 1918 he was appointed officer-in-charge of the naval officers taking courses at the University of Cambridge. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1920 New Year Honours. In August 1921 he returned to sea as Captain of the Fleet of the Atlantic Fleet to Admiral Sir Charles Madden and in 1923 he was appointed commodore of the Naval Barracks at Chatham. In May 1926 he was promoted rear-admiral at the relatively early age of 48. In April 1927 he was appointed Naval Secretary and in December 1929 he became Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station. He was promoted vice-admiral in 1930. In 1932 he became Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. He held the post until 1935, in which year he was promoted

, and retired in 1936, although he served with the Royal Naval Reserve during the Second World War. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1934.

Family

Fullerton married Dorothy Sybil Fisher, daughter of

John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher John Arbuthnot Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher, (25 January 1841 – 10 July 1920), commonly known as Jacky or Jackie Fisher, was a British Admiral of the Fleet. With more than sixty years in the Royal Navy, his efforts to reform the service helped t ...

, in 1908.

References

External links

Royal Navy Officers 1939−1945
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fullerton, Eric 1878 births 1962 deaths Royal Navy admirals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Royal Navy officers of World War I People educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne People from Hamble-le-Rice Military personnel from Hampshire Royal Naval Reserve personnel