James Fergusson (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir James Andrew Fergusson KCB
KCMG
(16 April 1871 – 13 April 1942) was a Royal Navy
officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, America and West Indies Station.
and Lady Edith Christian Ramsay, Napier joined the Royal Navy
in 1887. He served in the Second Boer War
during which he was mentioned in despatches and wounded. He also served in World War I
commanding the battleship
s HMS Benbow
and HMS Thunderer
and seeing action at the Battle of Jutland
in 1916. He went on to be Commander of Patrols at Malta
and then Commander of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron in which capacity he was present at the surrender
of the German Fleet.
After the War he became Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff and then Assistant-Chief of the Naval Staff. He became Commander of the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron in 1920 and went on to be Commander-in-Chief, America and West Indies Station in 1924.
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...
KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(16 April 1871 – 13 April 1942) 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, America and West Indies Station.
Naval career
Born the son of Sir James Fergusson, 6th BaronetSir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet
Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet GCSI, PC was a British soldier, Conservative politician and colonial administrator.-Background and education:...
and Lady Edith Christian Ramsay, Napier 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 1887. He served in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
during which he was mentioned in despatches and wounded. He also served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
commanding the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s HMS Benbow
HMS Benbow (1913)
HMS Benbow was an Iron Duke-class battleship of the Royal Navy, the third ship of the class and the third ship to be named in honour of Admiral John Benbow....
and HMS Thunderer
HMS Thunderer (1911)
HMS Thunderer was the third Orion class battleship built for the Royal Navy and was the last vessel to be constructed by Thames Iron Works. She was the last and largest warship ever built on the River Thames, and after her completion her builders declared bankruptcy.By a margin of £1000, she was...
and seeing action at the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
in 1916. He went on to be Commander of Patrols at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and then Commander of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron in which capacity he was present at the surrender
Surrender (military)
Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
of the German Fleet.
After the War he became Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff and then Assistant-Chief of the Naval Staff. He became Commander of the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron in 1920 and went on to be Commander-in-Chief, America and West Indies Station in 1924.