Admiral Sir Michael Maynard Denny (3 October 1896 – 7 April 1972) 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 went on to be

Third Sea Lord The post of Controller of the Navy (abbreviated as CofN) was originally created in 1859 when the Surveyor of the Navy's title changed to Controller of the Navy. In 1869 the controller's office was abolished and its duties were assumed by that of ...

Naval career

Educated at

Queen Elizabeth's School, Wimborne Minster Queen Elizabeth's School (also known as QE) is a co-educational secondary school in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England. Introduction QE is an upper school, taking students between the ages of 13 and 18. In November 2014 there were 1,482 pupils, ...

,Obituary: Admiral Sir Michael Denny
The Times, April 1972 the Royal Naval College, Osborne and 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 ci ...

, Denny joined the

in 1909.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> He served in

World War I 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 ...

and, after the War, specialised in gunnery. In 1932 he joined the staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet. He spent two years at sea as an Executive Officer before becoming assistant director of Naval Ordnance at the Admiralty in 1937. He was appointed deputy director of Naval Ordnance in 1938. He served in

World War II 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 opposing ...

as Senior Naval Officer for the Åndalsnes landing and then as Chief Staff Officer for the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. In 1942 he was given command of the cruiser HMS ''Kenya''. He became Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet later that year. In 1943 he took command of the aircraft carrier from which he conducted air strikes against

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 ...

in Japan. After the War he became Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel and Director of Personal Services and then, from 1947, Flag Officer (Destroyers) for the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1949 he became

Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy The post of Controller of the Navy (abbreviated as CofN) was originally created in 1859 when the Surveyor of the Navy's title changed to Controller of the Navy. In 1869 the controller's office was abolished and its duties were assumed by that of ...

and in 1954 he was made Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet and Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Atlantic. He was appointed Chairman of the British Joint Services Mission to

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and UK Representative on the NATO Standing Group in 1956. He retired in 1959. In retirement he became a Director of Cammell Laird.

Family

In 1923 he married Sara Annie Esme Welman.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Denny, Michael 1896 births 1972 deaths Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Royal Navy admirals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Lords of the Admiralty People educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Wimborne Minster People educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne British naval attachés Military personnel from Gloucestershire Royal Navy personnel of World War I Royal Navy personnel of World War II