Difference between revisions of "Gerald William Vivian"

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Captain Gerald William Vivian, C.M.G. (11 June, 1869 – 14 August, 1921) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Vivian was born on 11 June, 1869, the second son of Sir Arthur Pendarves Vivian and Lady Augusta Emily.

Career

On 21 September, 1886 Vivian was appointed Midshipman in the steel corvette HMS Canada. He was confirmed in the rank of Sub-Lieutenant on 28 November, 1890. Subsequently he was appointed to the battleship HMS Dreadnought on 24 November, 1890. Promoted to Lieutenant he was reappointed to Dreadnought on 2 April, 1892. On 18 April, 1893 Vivian was appointed to the screw sloop Wanderer. On 31 October he was then appointed to the battleship HMS Alexandra. On 16 January, 1894 he was appointed to the training ship HMS Minotaur. Vivian was on the 22 February, 1895 appointed to the cruiser Crescent. He was then given command of the torpedo boat destroyer Decoy in the Devonport flotilla of destroyers. 21 March, 1902 he was appointed 1st Lieutenant of the cruiser Amphitrite. The on 3 April he was transferred to the battleship Vengeance as "1st". On 30 June, 1904 Vivian was promoted to the rank of Commander and subsequently reappointed to Vengeance. On 10 July, 1906 he was appointed executive officer of the Irresistable.

North America

From 1 April, 1910 he was then given his first independent command, that of the steel screw sloop Shearwater on the West Coast of America Station, where the only British presence would be marked by his ship and the sloop Algerine upon 6,000 miles of coast-line. Based at the former British Naval Dockyard at Esquimalt, he was called upon to make calls at multiple ports and show the flag. At the same time as he was appointed to command, unrest in the Central American state of Mexico began to grow in the run-up to democratic elections which would end the rule of President Porfirio Díaz. Candidate Fransisco Madero began an open revolt against the government of Díaz. In Baja California, the coastal area of Western Mexico where Shearwater coaled when cruising, there were numerous British holdings which could be threatened by rebels and not protected by the Federal Mexican troops. On 8 April, 1911 Shearwater anchored off the small settlement of San Quintín to take aboard freshwater. Three days later, Vivian received a written request for protection from a representative of a British company and an American storekeeper, as an attack by a large rebel force was believed to be imminent.

On 31 June, 1912, Vivian was promoted to the rank of Captain, but he continued to cruise the American west coast in his lower rank, until relieved of command. On 18 February, 1913, he given command of the light cruiser Hermes which was serving as sea-going tender to the Naval Wing of the Royal Flying Corps. His executive officer was Francis Rowland Scarlett. He then decided to take up flying, and qualified as a pilot on 31 March at the Central Flying School, Upavon. He commissioned the Hermes at Chatham on 8 May, which was then worked up and prepared to be the headquarters of the naval air service as well as what was in effect the world's first aircraft carrier (fitted to carry seaplanes), until it was decided that Sheerness would serve as the headquarters of the service. Vivian was ordered to pay Hermes off on 23 December, 1913 and give the crew Christmas leave. The following day he assumed command of the light cruiser Sirius, which he commissioned at Chatham on 27 January, 1914.

War Service

After multiple sea-going comands, Vivian was appointed Commodore of the Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham on 11 August, 1920.

Interested in cricket (he was a member of the M.C.C.), shooting and fishing, Vivian died at the age of 52 in 1921.

Commands

• HMS Decoy
• HMS Shearwater
• HMS Hermes
• HMS Sirius
• HMS Europa
• HMS Patia
• HMS Liverpool
• HMS Roxburgh
• HMS Glorious