Vice-Admiral Edmond Rollo Mainguy, (11 May 1901 – 29 April 1979) was a senior officer in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

Naval career

Mainguy was born in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

, on 11 May 1901. He attended the Royal Naval College of Canada in 1915 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 ...

.Awards to the Royal Canadian Navy
/ref> Following the outbreak of 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 opposi ...

, Mainguy took command of and then before being promoted to captain and taking overall command of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) destroyers in Halifax in 1941. In 1942 he was appointed acting

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 ...

and took command of RCN destroyers in Newfoundland, quickly followed by an appointment to Ottawa as Chief of Naval Personnel. He returned to active duty as the commanding officer of in 1944. As a part of

British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. The fleet was composed of empire naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944 from the remaining ships o ...

, ''Uganda'' took part in the

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

campaign.The ''Uganda'' Episode
In the post-war years Mainguy was appointed Flag Officer Pacific Coast in 1946, Flag Officer Atlantic Coast in 1948, and was the head of the commission that investigated the RCN insubordination incidents of 1949 before becoming Chief of the Naval Staff in 1951. Mainguy retired from the Royal Canadian Navy in 1956 as a vice-admiral. In retirement he was president of Great Lakes Shipping until 1965. He died in 1979.Article in Canadian Encyclopedia
/ref>

Family

Mainguy married Maraquita Nichol, daughter of Walter Cameron Nichol, in 1927. Their son, Daniel Mainguy, later also reached the rank of vice-admiral, serving as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff from 1983 to 1985.

References

External links

VAdm Mainguy Curriculum Vitae – 100 RCSCC Admiral Mainguy
1979 deaths 1901 births Canadian military personnel from British Columbia Royal Canadian Navy officers Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II Canadian admirals Canadian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Royal Canadian Navy {{Canada-mil-bio-stub