John de Robeck

Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Michael de Robeck, 1st Baronet, (10 June 1862 – 20 January 1928) was an officer in the Royal Navy. In the early years of the 20th century he served as Admiral of Patrols, commanding four flotillas of destroyers.

De Robeck commanded the allied naval force in the Dardanelles during the First World War. His campaign to force the straits, launched on 18 March 1915, was nearly successful, as the Turkish land-based artillery almost ran out of ammunition. However, mines laid in the straits led to the loss of three allied battleships. The subsequent ground campaign, like the naval campaign, was ultimately a failure and the ground troops had to be taken off the Gallipoli peninsula by de Robeck on the night of 8 January 1916. He went on to become Commander of the 3rd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet and then Commander of the 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet.

After the war de Robeck became Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet and British High Commissioner to Turkey, and then Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet.

Naval career

Early career

Born the son of John Henry Edward Fock, 4th Baron de Robeck (a member of the Swedish nobility) and Zoë Sophia Charlotte Fock (née Burton), de Robeck joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in the training ship HMS Britannia on 15 July 1875. Promoted to midshipman on 27 July 1878, he joined the frigate in the Channel Squadron in July 1878 and then transferred to the training ship at Portsmouth in April 1882. Promoted to sub-lieutenant on 27 July 1882, he joined the gunnery school HMS Excellent in August 1882 before transferring to the gunboat on the China Station in August 1883. he transferred to the battleship , flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, China in early 1886, to the brig in March 1887 and to the battleship , flagship of the Channel Squadron, in November 1887. became commanding officer of the destroyer at Chatham in July 1897, next the destroyer at Chatham in July 1898 and then the destroyer at Chatham in June 1899. de Robeck was in July 1902 appointed in command of , depot ship at Portsmouth. He temporarily commissioned for short while during summer 1902, waiting for Warrior to be ready from an extensive refit. He became commanding officer of the armoured cruiser in the Mediterranean Fleet in August 1906, commanding officer of the battleship in the Channel Fleet in January 1908 and then inspecting officer of boys' training establishments in January 1910. he became Admiral of Patrols, commanding four flotillas of destroyers, in April 1912.

De Robeck became second-in-command, under Admiral Sackville Carden, of the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron (the Allied naval forces in the Dardanelles), with his flag in the battleship , in February 1915. De Robeck, seeing no sense in losing more ships, then abandoned the whole naval operation. The initial landings failed to achieve their objectives, and the Allies made a further unsuccessful attempt, in August 1915, at Suvla Bay. he had to organize the evacuation of Hamilton's troops off the Gallipoli peninsula on the night of 8 January 1916.

After the war

thumb|right|De Robeck (left) with [[Abdullah I of Jordan|Emir Abdullah of Jordan (centre) in , flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, in 1921]]

Appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George on 1 January 1919, de Robeck became Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet and British High Commissioner to Turkey, with his flag in the battleship , in July 1919. and promoted to full admiral on 24 March 1920. Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1921, he went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet in August 1922 before retiring in August 1924. and died at his home in London on 20 January 1928.

John de Robeck

Naval career

Early career

After the war

References

Sources

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