Admiral of the Blue Thomas Smith (1707 – 28 August 1762) was a British admiral and colonial governor, credited with the invention of the divisional system that remains in use on ships of 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 ...

. He served as Commander-in-Chief, North Sea,

Commander-in-Chief, Leith The Leith Station was a military unit of the British Navy administered by the Commander-in-Chief, Leith formally known as the Commander-in-Chief at Leith and on the Coast of Scotland from 1745 to 1825. History Royal Navy forces first began opera ...

and Commander-in-Chief, the Downs

Early life

Born in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

around 1707, Smith was the illegitimate son of Sir Thomas Lyttelton and a woman of whom details are unknown. He was raised a member of the Lyttelton family, who provided for Smith's education and aided him in the beginnings of his career in the Royal Navy.

Early naval career

The precise date as to when Smith entered the Royal Navy is unknown, but his first notable appointment in the Service was to the position of junior lieutenant aboard the ''Royal Oak'' on 6 February 1728, at the appointment of his commanding officer Sir Charles Wager. In June of the same year he was moved to the 44-gun ''Gosport'' under the command of Captain Duncombe Drake. While a lieutenant aboard the ''Gosport'', Smith attracted great controversy in an incident involving the French corvette ''Gironde'' on 23 November 1728. At the time of the incident the ''Gosport'' was harboured in

Plymouth Sound Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a deep inlet or sound in the English Channel near Plymouth in England. Description Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point in Devon, a distance of abou ...

and Smith was acting-commanding officer due to all of his superiors being ashore. While in command, a French corvette that had entered the Sound for shelter passed the ''Gosport'' while departing, and Smith signaled for the French captain ‘to haul in his pennant in respect to the king of Great Britain's colours’. Having already saluted the Royal Citadel of Plymouth, the French captain took this as an affront and the French authorities, upon receiving his report, presented an official letter of complaint to the British government. Smith was thus court-martialed and summarily dismissed from the Navy by king's order on 27 March 1729. However, due to popular outcry at his dismissal, he was reinstated at the same rank and made second lieutenant of the ''Enterprise'' on 12 May of the same year, receiving the nickname 'Tom o'Ten Thousand' from his fellow seamen. On 5 May 1730, Smith was promoted to the rank of captain and given the command of the 24-gun ''Success''. Two years after this Smith was given command of the ''Dursley Galley'', a 20-gun fast frigate stationed 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 Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

, mainly tasked with patrolling against Barbary Pirates. Remaining mainly in the Mediterranean, Smith remained in this position for a decade.

Tenures as Governor of Newfoundland

In 1740 Smith transferred to the 50-gun ''Romney'', on board which he sailed back to Great Britain. Smith then departed aboard the ''Romney'' with the fishing fleet to Newfoundland, where he was to become Commodore-Governor. He only held this position for one year, resigning in April 1742, but was appointed again in 1743 after a brief return to the Mediterranean.

Late naval career and the creation of the divisional system

Smith left the post of governor for good and was placed in command of the 100-gun ''Royal Sovereign'' in September 1745. On 11 February 1745 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, North Sea a post he held till December 1746, during this period Smith spent a lot of time organising anti-invasion defences off the coast of Suffolk and Essex aboard the 40-gun ''Hastings''. In February 1746 he replaced

John Byng Admiral John Byng (baptised 29 October 1704 – 14 March 1757) was a British Royal Navy officer who was court-martialled and executed by firing squad. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen, he participated at the Battle of Cape Pass ...

, a position he stayed in until January 1747. Smith was promoted to

Vice-Admiral of the White The Vice-Admiral of the White was a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, immediately outranked by the rank Vice-Admiral of the Red (see order of precedence below). Royal Navy officers holding the ranks of commodore, rear admira ...

in 1748,Harrison and in August 1755 he was made Commander-in-Chief, the Downs. Soon after taking command of the Downs Squadron in 1755, Smith began to draft a scheme to combat the problems regarding relations between the officers and the men in the Royal Navy. Under this system the lieutenants on board a ship would be placed in charge of a division of the ship's company, and would be responsible for the health, welfare and efficiency of the men under their jurisdiction. This system became known as the divisional system. While originally confined to Smith's Downs Squadron, it soon spread to other ships in the Service and was widely, though not universally admired, by the end of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

. By 1765 the system appears to have been the structure of choice for ships in the Royal Navy. A very efficient arrangement, Smith's divisional system resulted in increased efficiency and closer control, as well as improved communications between the officers and men on board. On 8 December 1756 he advanced to

Vice-Admiral of the Red Vice-admiral of the Red was a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, immediately outranked by the rank admiral of the Blue (see order of precedence below). Royal Navy officers currently holding the ranks of commodore, rear admira ...

. In December 1756 he was ordered back from the Downs to preside over the trial of Admiral John Byng, at which Smith apparently did his utmost (albeit unsuccessfully) to see that the court's recommendation of leniency was followed. Smith then returned to the Downs Squadron on 24 February 1757 after promotion to the rank of Admiral of the Blue, but ill health forced Smith to declare his retirement the following year.

Death

Thomas Smith died at his Rockingham Hall residence on 28 August 1762.

Citations

External links

Biography at Government House ''The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Thomas 1762 deaths Governors of Newfoundland Colony Royal Navy admirals 1707 births