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 Herbert Leopold Heath, (27 December 1861 – 22 October 1954) was a senior officer in the

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 F ...

who served as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel from 1917 to 1919.

Military career

Born the son of Vice Admiral

Sir Leopold Heath Vice Admiral Sir Leopold George Heath KCB (18 November 1817 – 7 May 1907) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station. Naval career Heath joined the Royal Navy in 1830 and was involved in the capture o ...

and educated at

Brighton College Brighton College is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18); Brighton College Preparatory Sc ...

, Heath was commissioned into the

in 1874.Obituary: Admiral Sir Herbert Heath
/ref> In 1877 he took part in an engagement with the

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

vian rebel ship ''Huáscar''. He was on board the battleship, , when it was involved in a collision with the battleship, , and sank in 1893 with the loss of 372 lives. He led a party that tried to patch the hole in ''Victoria'', but the ship was sinking too quickly for repairs. Heath was 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 ...

on 1 January 1902, and later that year was appointed Assistant-Director of Naval Intelligence 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 ...

. In 1904 he was made

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the torpedo boat depot ship, , 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 ...

. Later he commanded the battleship, , and the cruiser, . In 1908 he became naval attaché in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. In 1910 he took command of the battleship, and around this time he was appointed the Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King. In 1912 he was appointed Admiral-Superintendent of

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is l ...

remaining in that post until 1914. Heath served in the

First World War 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 ...

and in 1916 took command of the

2nd Cruiser Squadron The 2nd Cruiser Squadron was a formation of cruisers of the British Royal Navy from 1904 to 1919 and from 1921 to 1941 and again from 1946 to 1952. History First formation The 2nd Cruiser Squadron was first formed in December, 1904 then placed ...

of the

Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from the ...

and as such he was the senior admiral of the cruiser line 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 May 1916. In November 1916 he was appointed to the command of the 3rd Battle Squadron. In 1917 he became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel. After the war he was made Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Scotland. He retired in 1922.

Family

In 1891 Heath married Elizabeth Catherine Simson and they went on to have two daughters.

References

External links

*
Biography of Adm Sir Herbert Leopold Heath in the JJ Heath-Caldwell family history website
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Herbert 1861 births 1954 deaths People educated at Brighton College Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Members of the Royal Victorian Order Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Commanders of the Legion of Honour Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy admirals of World War I British naval attachés Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal