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William Whitworth (Royal Navy officer)

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This article is about the admiral. For the mathematician and priest, see William Allen Whitworth.

Sir William Whitworth
Vice-Admiral Whitworth, the Second Sea Lord, coming ashore after inspecting HMS Vanessa at the port of Liverpool
Born29 June 1884
Died25 October 1973 (1973-10-26) (aged 89)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch Royal Navy
Years of service1899–1946
RankAdmiral
CommandsHMS Stuart
HMS Rodney
HMS Warspite
Rosyth
Battles / warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order

Admiral Sir William Jock Whitworth KCB DSO (29 June 1884 – 25 October 1973) was a senior Royal Navy officer who went on to be Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel.

Whitworth joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1899.[1] He served in World War I and then became Commanding Officer at the Physical and Recreational Training School in Portsmouth in 1926.[1] He was given command of HMS Stuart and the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1928.[1]

In 1933 he was appointed Captain of the Fleet to the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet and in 1936 he took command of the battleship HMS Rodney.[1] He was made Naval Secretary in 1937.[1]

He served in World War II and commanded the Battle Cruiser Squadron in 1939.[1] He became heavily involved in the Norwegian Campaign[2] and in 1940, with his flag flying in the battleship HMS Warspite, he led the Royal Navy to victory at the second Battle of Narvik off Norway.[1] In Summer 1940 he returned to the Battle Cruiser Squadron.[2] He was made Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel in 1941 and Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth in 1944.[1] He retired in 1946.[1]

Family

Whitworth's wife, daughter and daughter's fiance in March 1945

In 1910 he married Marguerite MacLean.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Whitworth, William". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Biography of Admiral Sir William Jock Whitworth HMS Hood Association
Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Whitworth.
Military offices
Preceded by Naval Secretary
1937–1939 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander, Battlecruiser Squadron
1939–1940 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander, Battlecruiser Squadron
1940–1941 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Second Sea Lord
1941–1944 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth
June 1944 – July 1946 		Succeeded by
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