Thomas Symonds (admiral)
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir Thomas Matthew Charles Symonds, GCB
(15 July 1813 – 14 November 1894) was a British naval commander. The second son of William Symonds
, he came from a naval dynasty - his grandfather was Thomas Symonds
, and his elder brother William Cornwallis Symonds
.
, , and (from December 1834) . Rattlesnake was ordered from the Mediterranean to the East Indies
, and there Symonds was made Commander
on 21 October 1837, just before returning home, where he was put in command of the 18 gun sloop
in North America
and West Indies station, being promoted to captain on 22 February 1841. Both these promotions (to captain and to commander) were favours from his fathers' Whig friends in the Admiralty, in return for William's services to them.
From 1846 to 1849 he commanded the 26 gun in the Mediterranean, which was also where he commanded the new 50-gun frigate (commissioned
under his command in England in 1850) from 1852. He was orderd to the Black Sea
in 1854 during the Crimean War
, participating in the bombardment of Fort Constantine, Sevastopol
before being recalled and retired early in 1855. Later in 1855 he was made Commander of the Order of the Bath and member of the order of the Mejidiye (third class).
Symonds was promoted to rear-admiral on 1 November 1860, vice-admiral on 2 April 1866, and admiral on 14 July 1871. In the meantime he led the Channel Fleet
(December 1868-July 1870), where he invented the scalene triangle formation (replacing the older isosceles triangle formation) and thus became of note as a tactician, and became Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 13 March 1867. His final post was from November 1875 to November 1878, as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
, after which he was made an admiral of the fleet
on 15 July 1879, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 23 April the following year.
He led an active retirement, writing letters and pamphlets to The Times
in favour of a stronger navy and changes in ship design. On October 20, 1890, he wrote an open letter to the British press regarding the naval armour tests by the US Navy at Annapolis, and in 1892 made a nine-column, eleven-point statement as a Christmas supplement to all the service papers entitled "The Truly Perilous State of Great Britain Should War Occur between France and Ourselves".
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
Sir Thomas Matthew Charles Symonds, GCB
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...
(15 July 1813 – 14 November 1894) was a British naval commander. The second son of William Symonds
William Symonds
Sir William Symonds FRS was "Surveyor of the Navy" in the Royal Navy from 9 June 1832 to October 1847, and took part in the naval reforms instituted by the Whig First Lord of the Admiralty Sir James Robert George Graham in 1832.-Early life:He was the second son...
, he came from a naval dynasty - his grandfather was Thomas Symonds
Thomas Symonds
Captain Thomas Symonds, R.N. was a British naval captain of the American Revolutionary War.In 1780, in England, he replaced John Luttrell as captain of , and sailed for America with a naval force...
, and his elder brother William Cornwallis Symonds
William Cornwallis Symonds
Captain William Cornwallis Symonds was a British Army officer who was prominent in the early colonisation of New Zealand. He was the eldest son of William Symonds, Surveyor of the Navy....
.
Naval career
Entering the navy on 25 April 1825, he passed his examination for lieutenant in 1831, being given that promotion the following year. As lieutenant he served on , (in the Mediterranean FleetMediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
, , and (from December 1834) . Rattlesnake was ordered from the Mediterranean to the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
, and there Symonds was made Commander
Commander (Royal Navy)
Commander is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It is immediately junior to captain and immediately senior to the rank of lieutenant commander...
on 21 October 1837, just before returning home, where he was put in command of the 18 gun sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and West Indies station, being promoted to captain on 22 February 1841. Both these promotions (to captain and to commander) were favours from his fathers' Whig friends in the Admiralty, in return for William's services to them.
From 1846 to 1849 he commanded the 26 gun in the Mediterranean, which was also where he commanded the new 50-gun frigate (commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
under his command in England in 1850) from 1852. He was orderd to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
in 1854 during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, participating in the bombardment of Fort Constantine, 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....
before being recalled and retired early in 1855. Later in 1855 he was made Commander of the Order of the Bath and member of the order of the Mejidiye (third class).
Symonds was promoted to rear-admiral on 1 November 1860, vice-admiral on 2 April 1866, and admiral on 14 July 1871. In the meantime he led the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
(December 1868-July 1870), where he invented the scalene triangle formation (replacing the older isosceles triangle formation) and thus became of note as a tactician, and became Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 13 March 1867. His final post was from November 1875 to November 1878, as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. In the nineteenth century the holder of the office was known as Commander-in-Chief,...
, after which he was made an admiral of the fleet
Admiral of the Fleet
An admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments...
on 15 July 1879, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 23 April the following year.
He led an active retirement, writing letters and pamphlets to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in favour of a stronger navy and changes in ship design. On October 20, 1890, he wrote an open letter to the British press regarding the naval armour tests by the US Navy at Annapolis, and in 1892 made a nine-column, eleven-point statement as a Christmas supplement to all the service papers entitled "The Truly Perilous State of Great Britain Should War Occur between France and Ourselves".