Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Sir William Alison Dyke Acland, 2nd Baronet, (18 December 1847 – 26 November 1924) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer who rose to the rank of

. He served in the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

North American 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, with main bases at the Imperial fortresses of Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ...

Australia Station The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, whose rank varied over t ...

and the

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

Early life

William Acland was the eldest son of Sir Henry Acland, 1st Baronet and Sarah Cotton.

Career

In 1879, Acland was promoted to the rank of Commander. In May 1883 he received command of the sloop on the

Australian Station The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, whose rank varied over t ...

. In January 1885 he was promoted to the rank of Captain. ''Miranda'' was engaged in anti-

blackbirding Blackbirding was the trade in indentured labourers from the Pacific in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is often described as a form of slavery, despite the British Slavery Abolition Act 1833 banning slavery throughout the British Empire, ...

operations in the south-west Pacific. She visited many of the

Ellice Islands Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

in 1886. In July 1889, Acland was appointed to command the corvette in the Training Squadron, following which he commanded the cruiser in the

, then he was appointed to command of the cruiser of the

. Acland was appointed second in command of the

from early June 1901, and hoisted his flag on board the

pre-dreadnought battleship Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built from the mid- to late- 1880s to the early 1900s. Their designs were conceived before the appearance of in 1906 and their classification as "pre-dreadnought" is retrospectively appli ...

HMS ''Magnificent'' on 5 June 1901. After a year he was relieved of the command in the Channel Squadron, and struck his flag on the ''Magnificent'' on 5 June 1902. Four months later, he was appointed Admiral Superintendent of the

Gibraltar Dockyard Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territory and city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean (Strait of Gibraltar). It has an area of ...

, and was received in audience by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

on 21 October 1902, before taking up the position later the same month when he hoisted his flag at the receiving ship HMS ''Cormorant'' on 30 October. He lived at the official residence '' The Mount'' at

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

, whilst he held the office of Admiral Superintendent from 1902 to 1904. He was promoted to

vice-admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

on 15 March 1904, and left Gibraltar three months later. He was promoted to Admiral in 1908. He was placed on the Retired List on 17 July 1911. He was a Deputy Lieutenant of

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, and a Justice of the Peace for

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

and Devon.

Personal life

William Acland married Hon. Emily Anna Smith, daughter of the Rt. Hon. William Henry Smith and Emily Danvers, Viscountess Hambleden, on 7 July 1887, and had the following children: * Sir William Acland, 3rd Baronet (1888–1970) * Sir Hubert Acland, 4th Baronet (1890–1978)

Succession

Acland succeeded his father as 2nd Baronet Acland, of St Mary Magdalen, Oxford on the latter's death on 16 October 1900. On his death in 1924, he was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son.

References

External links

The Dreadnought Project
article {{DEFAULTSORT:Acland, William, 2nd Baronet 1847 births 1924 deaths 302 William Alison Dyke Royal Navy admirals Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Deputy lieutenants of Devon Nathaniel Cotton family