Sir Richard Vesey Hamilton (28 May 1829 – 17 September 1912) 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. As a junior officer he twice volunteered to take part in missions to search for

Sir John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. After serving in wars against Napoleonic France and the United States, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and through t ...

's ill-fated expedition to find the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...

. He also took part in the

Battle of Fatshan Creek The Battle of Fatshan Creek (佛山水道之戰) was a naval engagement fought between the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and the Cantonese fleet of Qing China on 1 June 1857. Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equ ...

in June 1857 during the Second Opium War. Later in his career he became commander-in-chief at

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 18 ...

and took his fleet into

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, c ...

harbour in 1886, which surprised the Russians. He became First Naval Lord in July 1889 and in that role he was primarily concerned with implementing the recommendations contained in a report on the disposition of the ships of the Royal Navy many of which were unarmoured and together incapable of meeting the combined threat from any two of the other naval powers ("the Two-power Standard"): these recommendations had been enshrined in the

Naval Defence Act 1889 The Naval Defence Act 1889 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It received the Royal Assent on 31 May 1889 and formally adopted the " two-power standard" and increased the United Kingdom's naval strength. The standard called for ...

. He finished his career as President of the Royal Naval College at Greenwich.

Early career

Born the son of the Revd John Vesey Hamilton and his wife Frances Agnes Hamilton (née Malone), Hamilton was educated at the

Royal Naval School The Royal Naval School was an English school that was established in Camberwell, London, in 1833 and then formally constituted by the Royal Naval College Act 1840. It was a charitable institution, established as a boarding school for the sons of ...

in Camberwell and joined the

in July 1843. He was posted to the sloop in the Mediterranean Fleet. He volunteered to become a mate on the barque which was despatched in 1850, under the command of Captain

Erasmus Ommanney Sir Erasmus Ommanney (22 May 1814 – 21 December 1904) was a Royal Navy officer and an Arctic explorer of the Victorian era. Early life He was born in London in 1814, the seventh son in a family of eight sons and three daughters of Sir F ...

, on a mission to search for

and his ill-fated expedition to find the

. Promoted to lieutenant on 11 October 1851, he volunteered for a second mission this time in the barque which was despatched in 1852, under the command of Captain

Henry Kellett Vice Admiral Sir Henry Kellett, (2 November 1806 – 1 March 1875) was a British naval officer and explorer. Career Born at Clonacody in Tipperary County, Ireland, on 2 November 1806, Kellett joined the Royal Navy in 1822. He spent three yea ...

, in search of Franklin. Resolute became stuck in the ice in the spring of 1854 and Kellett and his crew were ordered to abandon ship. HMS Achilles (1863)

Hamilton was given command of the gunboat in February 1856 and took part in the

in June 1857 during the Second Opium War. Promoted to West Indies Station in June 1858. Promoted to captain on 27 January 1862, he took command of the sloop on the West Indies Station in July 1862, the sloop on the West Indies Station in 1865 and the broadside ironclad on coast guard service at Portland Harbour in April 1870. He became commander of the steam reserve at HMNB Devonport, Devonport in 1873 and captain-superintendent of Pembroke Dock in March 1875 and was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 29 May 1875.

Senior command

Promoted to rear admiral on 27 September 1877, Hamilton was appointed Director of Naval Ordnance at 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 ...

in 1878. He was given command of the

Coast of Ireland Station The Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland was both an admiral's post and a naval formation of the Royal Navy. It was based at Queenstown, now Cobh, in Ireland from 1797 to 1919. The admiral's headquarters was at Admiralty House, Cobh. History T ...

in 1880 and, having been promoted to vice admiral on 17 February 1884, he became commander-in-chief of

in September 1885; he took his fleet into

harbour the following year and gave the Russians a surprise. 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 of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

on 21 June 1887 and promoted to full admiral on 18 October 1887. Hamilton went on to be Second Naval Lord in December 1888, and First Naval Lord in July 1889. In that role he was primarily concerned with implementing the recommendations contained in a report on the disposition of the ships of the Royal Navy many of which were unarmoured and together incapable of meeting the combined threat from any two of the other naval powers ("the Two-power Standard"): these recommendations had been enshrined in the

. He became President of the Royal Naval Collega at Greenwich, in September 1891 and retired from the Navy in May 1894. He was advanced to

Knight Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...

of the Order of the Bath on 25 May 1895. In retirement he wrote ''Naval Administration; The Constitution, Character, and Functions of the Board of Admiralty, and of the Civil Departments It Directs''. He died at his home in Chalfont St Peter in Buckinghamshire on 17 September 1912, and is buried at

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of E ...

in South London.

Family

In 1862 Hamilton married he Julia Frances Delmé Murray; they had two sons and two daughters.

William John Warburton Hamilton William John Warburton Hamilton (April 1825 – 6 December 1883), who generally signed as J. W. Hamilton, was an administrator, explorer, and politician in New Zealand. Early life Hamilton was born in 1825 at Little Chart, Kent, England. His fa ...

was his eldest brother.

Publications

References

Sources

* *

External links

William Loney RN
Career History * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Richard 1829 births 1912 deaths Admiral presidents of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy admirals Military personnel from Kent Royal Navy personnel of the Second Opium War