Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Matthew Charles Symonds, GCB (31 October 1811 – 14 November 1894) 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. He was commanding officer of which participated in the bombardment of Sevastopol during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

. Symonds became Admiral Superintendent at Devonport Dockyard and then Commander-in-Chief,

Channel Squadron Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

. In that capacity he invented the

scalene triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non-collinear ...

naval formation, replacing the older isosceles triangle naval formation, and earned himself a reputation as a tactician. He also carried out an investigation into the design of the turret ships HMS ''Monarch'' and HMS ''Captain'' and concluded that the turret ships were "formidable" and would, by superior armament, destroy any opposing broadside ships. He went on to be

Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this offic ...

. Symonds led an active retirement, writing letters and pamphlets to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' arguing in favour of changes to ship design and a stronger navy. He also wrote an open letter to the British press regarding the naval armour tests by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

at Annapolis arguing that the compound-armour used in the design of the British

Trafalgar-class battleship The two ''Trafalgar''-class battleships of the British Royal Navy were late-nineteenth-century ironclad warships. Both were named after naval battles won by the British during the Napoleonic Wars under the command of Admiral Nelson. The two ship ...

s was defective. He then issued a nine-column, eleven-point statement as a Christmas supplement to all the service papers entitled "The Truly Perilous State of Great Britain Should War Occur between France and Ourselves".

Early life

Symonds was born in 1811 in

Milford-on-Sea Milford on Sea, often hyphenated, is a large village or small town and a civil parish on the Hampshire coast. The parish had a population of 4,660 at the 2011 census and is centred about south of Lymington. Tourism and businesses for quite pr ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, the second son of Rear Admiral Sir William Symonds and Elizabeth Saunders Symonds (''née'' Luscombe). He was baptised along with his younger brothers Julian and Jermyn on 11 September 1816 in

Fawley, Hampshire Fawley is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is situated in the New Forest on the western shore of the Solent, approximately 7 miles (11 kilometres) south of Southampton. Fawley is also the site of Fawley Refinery, operated by ...

. His elder brother

William Cornwallis Symonds Captain William Cornwallis Symonds (1 August 1810 – 23 November 1841) was a British Army officer who was prominent in the early colonisation of New Zealand. Symonds was born at Lymington, Hampshire in 1810, the eldest son of William Symo ...

(1810–1841) became an army captain.

Early career

Symonds joined the Royal Navy on 25 April 1825. After passing his examinations, he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 5 November 1832.Heathcote, p. 240 He was appointed to the sixth-rate at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

in April 1833 and then transferred to the

fourth-rate In 1603 all English warships with a compliment of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers a six tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided i ...

in the Mediterranean Fleet in September 1833. He transferred again to the

first-rate In the rating system of the British Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a first rate was the designation for the largest ships of the line. Originating in the Jacobean era with the designation of Ships Royal capable of carrying ...

in July 1834 and to the sixth-rate on the

East Indies Station The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. Even in official documents, the term ''East Indies Station'' was ...

in December 1834. Symonds was promoted to commander on 21 October 1837, just before returning home, and then became commanding officer of the sloop on the

North America and West Indies Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the ...

in August 1838. He was promoted to captain on 22 February 1841, benefiting from his father's Whig friends in 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 ...

repaying favours for services they had received from his father in the past. He became commanding officer of the sixth-rate in the Mediterranean Fleet in May 1846 and then commanding officer of the fourth-rate , which he commissioned and then delivered to the Mediterranean Fleet, in January 1850.Heathcote, p. 241 Symonds was deployed to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

in HMS ''Arethusa'' in 1854, early of the

, and participated in the bombardment of Sevastopol in October 1854. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 5 July 1855 and was awarded the

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in f ...

, third class on 3 April 1858. He went on to be commanding officer of the first-rate HMS ''Conqueror'', in the

, in November 1855.

Senior command

Promoted to

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 ...

on 1 November 1860, Symonds became Admiral Superintendent at Devonport Dockyard, with his flag in the

second-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer gun ...

HMS ''Indus'', in December 1862. Promoted to vice-admiral on 2 April 1866, he went on to be Commander-in-Chief,

, with his flag in the armoured frigate HMS ''Minotaur'', in December 1868. In that role he invented the

naval formation, replacing the older isosceles triangle naval formation, and earned himself a reputation as a tactician. He was advanced to

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

on 13 March 1867. In 1870 Symonds carried out an investigation into the design of the turret ships HMS ''Monarch'' and HMS ''Captain'' and concluded that the turret ships were "formidable" and would, by superior armament, destroy any opposing broadside ships. HMS ''Captain''

capsize Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fro ...

d in September 1870 with the loss of nearly 500 lives because of design and construction errors that led to inadequate

stability Stability may refer to: Mathematics *Stability theory, the study of the stability of solutions to differential equations and dynamical systems ** Asymptotic stability ** Linear stability ** Lyapunov stability ** Orbital stability ** Structural sta ...

. Promoted to full admiral on 14 July 1871, Symonds became

, with his flag in the first-rate HMS ''Royal Adelaide'', in November 1875 and was then promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 15 June 1879 and advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 23 April 1880. HMSTrafalgar1897

Symonds retired in July 1883: he led an active retirement, writing letters and pamphlets to ''

'' arguing in favour of changes to ship design and a stronger navy. On 20 October 1890, he wrote an open letter to the British press regarding the naval armour tests by the

at Annapolis. His point was that the tests showed that the compound-armour used in the design of the British

s, HMS ''Trafalgar'' and HMS ''Nile'' was defective. He also argued that these battleships had "untrustworthy monster guns" fitted on "enormously heavy turrets" and consequently sat far too low in the water. In 1892, Symonds issued a nine-column, eleven-point statement as a Christmas supplement to all the service papers entitled "The Truly Perilous State of Great Britain Should War Occur between France and Ourselves". He died at his home, Sunny Hill at Higher Warberry in

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paig ...

, on 14 November 1894.

Family

In September 1845 Symonds married Anna Maria, daughter of Captain Edmund Heywood RN. Following the death of his first wife in June 1847, he married Prestwood Mary, daughter of Captain Thomas WolrigeFor more on Thomas Wolrige see: RN, in February 1856.

References

Sources

* *

External links

William Loney
Career History , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Symonds, Thomas Matthew Charles 1811 births 1894 deaths People from Milford on Sea Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy admirals of the fleet Royal Navy personnel of the Crimean War

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...