Michael Livesay
Encyclopedia
Admiral
Sir Michael Howard Livesay KCB
(5 April 1936 – 6 October 2003) was a senior Royal Navy
officer who went on to be Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel
.
and Royal Naval College Dartmouth
, Livesay was commissioned into the Royal Navy
in 1957. He was made Commanding Officer
of the minesweeper
HMS Hubberston in 1966 and of the frigate
HMS Plymouth
in 1970. He went on to be Captain, Fishery Protection and Mine Counter Measures, based in Scotland in 1975 and the first Commander of the aircraft carrier
HMS Invincible
in 1979.
He was Director of Naval Warfare at the Ministry of Defence
during the Falklands War
during which he developed the "Rules of Engagement" and then, in 1984, went on to be Flag Officer Sea Training
. He was appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Staff in 1986 and Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland
in 1989. His final posting was as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel
in 1991; he retired in 1993.
In retirement he became Chairman of the Northern Lighthouse Board
and a Non-Executive Director of Scottish Nuclear
. He lived at Auchterarder
in Perthshire
.
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
Sir Michael Howard Livesay KCB
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...
(5 April 1936 – 6 October 2003) was a senior 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 Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command , commonly just known as the Second Sea Lord , is one of the most senior admirals of the British Royal Navy , and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were...
.
Naval career
Educated at Acklam Hall Grammar SchoolMiddlesbrough College
Middlesbrough College, located on one campus at Middlehaven, Middlesbrough, England, in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, is the largest college in the Tees Valley.-Admissions:...
and Royal Naval College Dartmouth
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
, Livesay was commissioned into 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 1957. He was made Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
HMS Hubberston in 1966 and 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 Plymouth
HMS Plymouth (F126)
HMS Plymouth is a Rothesay class frigate, which served in the United Kingdom Royal Navy from 1959 to 1988. She was named after the English city of Plymouth...
in 1970. He went on to be Captain, Fishery Protection and Mine Counter Measures, based in Scotland in 1975 and the first Commander of the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
HMS Invincible
HMS Invincible (R05)
HMS Invincible was a British light aircraft carrier, the lead ship of three in her class in the Royal Navy. She was launched on 3 May 1977 and is the seventh ship to carry the name. She saw action in the Falklands War when she was deployed with , she took over as flagship of the British fleet when...
in 1979.
He was Director of Naval Warfare at the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
during the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
during which he developed the "Rules of Engagement" and then, in 1984, went on to be Flag Officer Sea Training
Flag Officer Sea Training
Flag Officer Sea Training is a Royal Navy training organisation responsible for ensuring that Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels are fit to join the operational fleet. FOST certifies crews and vessels as being sufficiently prepared for any eventuality through rigorous exercises and...
. He was appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Staff in 1986 and Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland
Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland
The Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland is a senior post in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It is based at HM Naval Base Clyde and the holder of the post is the Royal Navy’s senior officer in Scotland with representational duties everywhere north of the M4. The...
in 1989. His final posting was as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command , commonly just known as the Second Sea Lord , is one of the most senior admirals of the British Royal Navy , and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were...
in 1991; he retired in 1993.
In retirement he became Chairman of the Northern Lighthouse Board
Northern Lighthouse Board
The Northern Lighthouse Board is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas.-History:...
and a Non-Executive Director of Scottish Nuclear
Scottish Nuclear
Scottish Nuclear was formed as a precursor to the privatization of the Electricity Supply Industry in Scotland on 1 April 1990. It consisted of the nuclear assets of the South of Scotland Electricity Board...
. He lived at Auchterarder
Auchterarder
Auchterarder is a small town located north of the Ochil Hills in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and home to the famous Gleneagles Hotel. The 1.5 mile long High Street of Auchterarder gave the town its popular name of "Lang Toon"....
in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
.