George Willes
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir George Ommanney Willes GCB
(19 June 1823 – 18 February 1901) was a Royal Navy
officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
.
, Willes joined the Royal Navy
in 1838. He took part in the bombardment of Fort Constantine at Sevastopol
in 1854. Willes was given command of the frigate
HMS Chesapeake
in 1859 and of HMS Impérieuse
in 1861 in both cases as Flag Captain to the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies
. In this capacity he took part in the Battle of the Taku Forts
during the Second Opium War
.
In 1864 he was made Captain of the ironclad warship
HMS Prince Consort
.
He became Admiral-Superintendent at Devonport
in 1876 and Commander-in-chief, China Station
in 1881. His last post was as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
in 1886. He retired in 1888.
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 mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(19 June 1823 – 18 February 1901) was a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Portsmouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the post.-History:...
.
Naval career
Educated at the Royal Naval College, PortsmouthRoyal Naval Academy
The Royal Naval Academy was established at Portsmouth Dockyard as a facility to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, education and admission.-Training:In 1773, a shore side...
, Willes joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1838. He took part in the bombardment of Fort Constantine at Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
in 1854. Willes was given command of the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
HMS Chesapeake
HMS Chesapeake (1855)
HMS Chesapeake was a Royal Navy screw-propelled 51-gun frigate launched in 1855, with a crew of 510 men. She saw action during the Second Opium War and there is a memorial to her losses at Southsea, near Portsmouth. She was the flagship of the British China Squadron in 1861.Admiral of the Fleet,...
in 1859 and of HMS Impérieuse
HMS Imperieuse (1852)
HMS Imperieuse was a wooden screw frigate launched in 1852 and sold in 1867.In particular it was used in the Second Opium War. Many received the China Medal afterwards....
in 1861 in both cases as Flag Captain to the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies
East Indies Station
The East Indies Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1865 to 1941.From 1831 to 1865 the East Indies and the China Station were a single command known as the East Indies and China Station...
. In this capacity he took part in the Battle of the Taku Forts
Battle of Taku Forts (1859)
The Second Battle of Taku Forts, in June 1859, was an Anglo-French attack on a series of Chinese forts protecting Taku, China during the Second Opium War...
during the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
.
In 1864 he was made Captain of the ironclad warship
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
HMS Prince Consort
HMS Prince Consort (1862)
HMS Prince Consort was laid down at Pembroke as the 91-gun second rate battleship HMS Triumph, but her name was changed in February 1862 in memory of the recently deceased Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha....
.
He became Admiral-Superintendent at Devonport
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
in 1876 and Commander-in-chief, China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
in 1881. His last post was as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Portsmouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the post.-History:...
in 1886. He retired in 1888.