Charles James Collins

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Commander Charles James Collins, (22 November, 1869 – 12 August, 1908) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

The son of Henry Collins of Reading.

Collins was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 April, 1892. He would survive the sinking of the flagship H.M.S. Victoria in the Mediterranean the following year.

On 9 December, 1903, Collins was appointed to join the armoured cruiser Berwick as first officer. In 1904, Captain Dare noted under the column "whether temperate habits" that Collins was "fairly so" and wondered whether health issues weren't the larger reason for his doubts over Collins. First Sea Lord Sir Walter Kerr, citing private inform personally recorded, "This report has come as a great surprise to me seeing that Comr Collins has always been highly recommended." Collins's appointment as first officer ended when he was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1904, though he remained with the ship until being appointed to Indus II on 1 October.

Collins eventually was appointed in command of H.M.S. Indus, from 15 March 1905 to the end of the year. A series of destroyer commands around Britain commenced, and included a collision c. April 1907 between his destroyer H.M.S. Colne and Falcon for which he was found to be primarily at fault.

Collins was sent to hospital on 11 October 1907 and returned to command Boyne until 15 June 1908.

Collins had received an appointment to command Argonaut dated 18 August, 1908 but he died on 12 August at Folkestone after a two day illness, aged 39.[1][2]

See Also

Bibliography

  • Obituary. Commander Collins, R.N. The Times (London, England), Friday, August 14, 1908, Issue 38725, p.11.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Salmon
14 Jan, 1896[3] – 4 Jun, 1896
Succeeded by
John F. E. Green
Preceded by
Henry C. A. Baynes
Captain of H.M.S. Dreadnought
20 Aug, 1902 – 27 Sep, 1902
Succeeded by
Harry L. d'E. Skipwith
Preceded by
Arthur W. E. Prothero
Captain of H.M.S. Indus
15 Mar, 1905[4] – 31 Dec, 1905
Succeeded by
Edwin H. Edwards
Preceded by
Edwin H. Edwards
Captain of H.M.S. Nith
1 Jan, 1906 – 1 Apr, 1906
Succeeded by
Wilmot S. Nicholson
Preceded by
Sidney J. Meyrick
Captain of H.M.S. Swordfish
1 Apr, 1906 – 28 May, 1906
Succeeded by
Joseph A. Shuter
Preceded by
Francis G. St. John
Captain of H.M.S. Colne
28 May, 1906[5] – Sep, 1907
Succeeded by
Ernest E. Parker
Preceded by
Ernest E. Parker
Captain of H.M.S. Boyne
Sep, 1907 – 15 Jun, 1908
Succeeded by
Harold V. Dundas

Footnotes

  1. Obituary.
  2. "Deaths." The Times (London, England), Friday, August 14, 1908, Issue 38725, p.1.
  3. The Navy List. (March, 1896). p. 260.
  4. The Navy List. (November, 1905). p. 332.
  5. The Navy List. (March, 1907). p. 294.