Admiral Sir Laurence Eliot Power, KCB, CVO (7 May 1864 – 20 January 1927) 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 ...

officer who played an important role in shipbuilding during 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 ...

Biography

Born in Bramley, Surrey, Power was the son of the Rev. Henry Bolton Power and the grandson of Major-General Sir Manley Power. He entered HMS ''Britannia'' in July 1877, ranked seventh out of forty-six successful candidates. He was rated midshipman in 1879, sub-lieutenant in 1883, lieutenant in 1887, commander in 1899, and captain in 1905. A navigation specialist, Power served as navigator in a number of ships from 1885 to 1903, when he received his first independent command. He was awarded the Shadwell Testimonial in 1890 for the best plan of an anchorage by a junior officer. In 1903, he was given command the sloop HMS ''Alert''. In 1905, he was promoted to captain and attended the Royal Naval War College. In 1906, he was given command of the protected cruiser HMS ''Elgar'', before being appointed Captain of the HM Navigation School (HMS ''Dryad'') in 1907. He was master of the fleet at the review of the Home Fleet by

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

in August 1907. In 1910, he was given command of the cruiser HMS ''Monmouth''. In 1912, Power was appointed Captain Superintendent of Contract-built Ships, with responsibility for contract work (excluding destroyers) on the Tyne, Thames, Mersey, at Barrow-in-Furness, and at Sunderland, with headquarters at Newcastle-on-Tyne. In that role, Power played an important role in shipbuilding and ship repair efforts during the First World War. He was appointed Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King in 1915. In December 1916 he was promoted to rear-admiral. In 1917, he was appointed Director of Dockyards and Repairs (restyled Director of Dockyards after the war). In 1920, he was promoted to vice-admiral and retired, but remained Director of Dockyards until 1923. He was promoted to admiral in 1925 on the Retired List. Power was appointed MVO in 1907, CB in 1916, promoted to CVO in 1917, and KCB in 1921. In 1900, Power married Muriel Want, daughter of Sydney A. Want, Sydney, New South Wales; they had two daughters and a son, Admiral Sir Manley Laurence Power.

References

Power, Adm. Sir Laurence Eliot, (7 May 1864–20 Jan. 1927), Royal Navy; Aide-de-camp to King George V, 1915; Director of Dockyards 1917–23

Laurence Eliot Power - The Dreadnought Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Power, Laurence Eliot 1864 births 1927 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy admirals of World War I Military personnel from Surrey Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College