John Ommanney Hopkins
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir John Ommanney Hopkins GCB
(13 July 1834 – 29 September 1916) was a Royal Navy
officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet
.
in 1848. Promoted to Captain
in 1867, he commanded successively HMS Liverpool
, HMS Narcissus, HMS Royal Adelaide and HMS Temeraire
. He became Commander of HMS Excellent, the Gunnery School at Portsmouth
, in 1880. In 1881 he became Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty and in 1883 he was made Captain-superintendent of Sheerness
Dockyard and then Director of Heavy Ordnance. He went on to be Admiral-superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard in 1886 and Junior Naval Lord and then Third Naval Lord and Controller of the Navy
in 1888.
He had the distinction in 1893 of parading his brigade of Royal Marines
in New York
in the first display of British military force in that City since the American Revolutionary War
.
Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1891 Hopkins was appointed Commander-in-Chief, North American and West Indies Station later that year before being made Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet
in 1897 during which tour he hosted a visit to Malta
by the Kaisar Wilhelm II. He was a supporter of improvements in gunnery and at this time experimented with a new type of salvo
firing. He retired as a full admiral in 1899.
In 1903 he served on the Royal Commission
responsible for examining the conduct of the Second Boer War
. Hopkins predicted the threat from Zeppelin
s as the threat of World War I
approached and lobbied for investment in aerial defence. He died in 1916.
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...
(13 July 1834 – 29 September 1916) 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, Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean 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...
.
Naval career
Hopkins joined the Royal NavyRoyal 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 1848. Promoted to Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
in 1867, he commanded successively HMS Liverpool
HMS Liverpool (1860)
HMS Liverpool was a fourth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was ordered on 31 March 1855, but building did not commence until 14 November 1859 and she was launched at Devonport Dockyard on 30 October 1860, in the same year that the famous iron-hulled Warrior was launched.During her first...
, HMS Narcissus, HMS Royal Adelaide and HMS Temeraire
HMS Temeraire (1876)
HMS Temeraire was an ironclad battleship of the Victorian Royal Navy which was unique in that she carried her main armament partly in the traditional broadside battery, and partly in barbettes on the upper deck.-Design and construction:...
. He became Commander of HMS Excellent, the Gunnery School at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, in 1880. In 1881 he became Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty and in 1883 he was made Captain-superintendent of Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
Dockyard and then Director of Heavy Ordnance. He went on to be Admiral-superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard in 1886 and Junior Naval Lord and then Third Naval Lord and Controller of the Navy
Third Sea Lord
The Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy...
in 1888.
He had the distinction in 1893 of parading his brigade of Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the first display of British military force in that City since the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1891 Hopkins was appointed Commander-in-Chief, North American and West Indies Station later that year before being made Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean 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...
in 1897 during which tour he hosted a visit to 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...
by the Kaisar Wilhelm II. He was a supporter of improvements in gunnery and at this time experimented with a new type of salvo
Salvo
A salvo is the simultaneous discharge of artillery or firearms including the firing of guns either to hit a target or to perform a salute.Troops armed with muzzleloaders required time in which to refill their arms with gun powder and shot...
firing. He retired as a full admiral in 1899.
In 1903 he served on the Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
responsible for examining the conduct of 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...
. Hopkins predicted the threat from Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
s as the threat of 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...
approached and lobbied for investment in aerial defence. He died in 1916.