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 ...

James Carine, (14 September 1934 – 27 January 2024) was a senior

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 ...

officer who served as

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

to Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command (1989–1991).

Early life

James Carine was born in

Castletown, Isle of Man Castletown ( gv, Balley Chashtal, pronounced ) is a town in the Isle of Man, geographically within the historical parish of Malew but administered separately. Lying at the south of the island, it was the Manx capital until 1869. The centre of ...

, on September 14 1934, the eldest of three children to Mr. & Mrs. Amos Carine. His father was a sailor, seeing service in the Merchant Navy with the

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

as well as during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in which he was engaged in the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...

. In addition his father served on the maiden voyage of the

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

''Mauretania''. Carine lived his early years in Queen Street, Castletown, with the family later moving to King William's Road on the Janet's Corner Estate. Attending Victoria Road Infants School, he subsequently passed his High School Entrance Exam and attended

Douglas High School for Boys St Ninian's High School ( gv, Schoill Ard Noo Ninian) is a secondary school located in Douglas and Onchan, on the Isle of Man. The School is set over two different sites, catering for different year groups. History The modern institution origi ...

before, in September 1945, he won a Henry Bloom Noble Scholarship to attend

King William's College King William's College (nicknamed KWC or King Bill's; gv, Colleish Ree Illiam) is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Headmasters' and ...

as a day boy. Sitting the theoretical part of his naval entrance examination in June 1949, Carine subsequently attended the Interview Panel in October 1950. Out of 238 applicants for the 27 vacancies available, he was one of 24 accepted.

Naval career

Carine attended the

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

. During his time at Dartmouth he was chosen as one of the cadets to represent the college at the

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

on June 2, 1953, being posted on the route in

Parliament Square Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and it contai ...

.Following the Coronation, he was invited to dine with the

Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and ...

. Carine served on the

Training Ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classr ...

HMS ''Devonshire'' before joining the

Bay Class Frigate The Bay class was a class of 26 anti-aircraft (A/A) frigates built for the Royal Navy under the 1943 War Emergency Programme during World War II (one of which was cancelled and six completed as despatch vessels or survey ships). They were based ...

HMS ''Enard Bay''. Further postings saw him serve onboard the Submarine Depot Ships HMS ''Forth'' and HMS ''Ausonia''; the ''Minotaur'' Class Cruiser HMS ''Superb''; the Beachy Head Class Repair Ship HMS ''Girdle Ness''; the

Whitby Class Frigate The Type 12 or ''Whitby''-class frigates were a six-ship class of anti-submarine frigates of the Royal Navy, which entered service late in the 1950s.Purvis, 1974Marriott 1990 They were designed in the early 1950s as first-rate ocean-going convoy ...

HMS ''Scarborough''; and the

County Class Destroyer The County class was a class of British guided missile destroyers, the first such warships built by the Royal Navy. Designed specifically around the Seaslug (missile), Seaslug anti-aircraft missile system, the primary role of these ships was are ...

HMS ''Glamorgan. Senior shore postings saw him serve as

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 ...

Executive Assistant to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic based in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, and as

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

in Command

HMNB Devonport His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Roy ...

at the time of the 400th anniversary of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

at which he hosted a dinner for

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during h ...

and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Promoted to the rank of

Carine served as Chief of Staff to Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command. Carine retired from the Royal Navy in 1992.

Personal life and death

In 1961 he married Sally. The marriage produced four children; one daughter and three sons. In his retirement Carine was active in his hobbies of dingy racing and

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

. He was appointed Chairman of the International Stud Book Committee for the Arab Horse Breed in addition to being Chief Executive of the British Arab Horse Society contributing to the

World Arabian Horse Organization The World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) is the world organization for the preservation, improvement and preservation of Arabian horses. WAHO grants membership to nations after examination of national breeding stud book A breed registry, als ...

, attending conferences in Poland, Turkey, Australia and Syria. He was created a Knight of the

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

by the then

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. Carine died on 27 January 2024, at the age of 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carine, James Manx people 1934 births 2024 deaths Royal Navy officers Culture of the Isle of Man Royal Navy rear admirals Royal Navy logistics officers 20th-century Royal Navy personnel