Patrick Macnamara

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Rear-Admiral SIR Patrick Macnamara, K.B.E., C.B., Royal Navy (11 January, 1886 – 4 April, 1957) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Captain and Staff of Excellent, 1909. Macnamara at back, second from left.

Patrick Macnamara was born on 11 January, 1886, the son of Charles Macnamara. He was educated at Bradfield College, and entered the Royal Navy via the training ship Britannia in January, 1901. He was awarded the King's Medal for his term. As a Midshipman he served in the battleships Majestic and Duncan.

In his examinations for the rank of Lieutenant he took five First Class certificates, and on 21 May, 1907, while serving in the Hibernia, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with seniority dated 30 October, 1906.[1] He was appointed to H.M.S. Excellent on 27 July, 1908, to qualify for gunnery duties, on the course beginning on 24 August.[2]

Great War

On 3 August, 1914, Macnamara was appointed to H.M.S. King Edward VII for War Staff Duties on the staff of Vice-Admiral Edward E. Bradford, Vice-Admiral Commanding the Third Battle Squadron.[3] He was appointed Gunnery Officer of H.M.S. Tiger on 9 March, 1915.[4] On 30 June, 1918, he was promoted to the rank of Commander,[5] and replaced as Gunnery Officer on 31 August, remaining in Tiger as Executive Officer.[6]

Post-War

Macnamara was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1925.[7] On 1 January, 1938, he was appointed a Commander of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.).[8] On 11 July, 1940, he was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, of the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.).[9]

Gunnery

He invented some fire control aids, such as a time-of-flight watch (presumably, as an aid to spotting) around 1909, deployed perhaps by 1911,[10] and was trying to effect a pneumatic plotter so Mark IV Dreyer tables could automatically plot range cuts signaled from multiple sources, although on 6 July 1914 this ambitious design was rejected in favour of the humble Brownrigg Keyboard.[11]

Footnotes

  1. London Gazette: no. 28024. p. 3593. 24 May, 1907.
  2. The Navy List (October, 1908). p. 312.
  3. The Navy List (December, 1914). p. 343.
  4. The Navy List (October, 1915). p. 398q.
  5. The Navy List (December, 1918). p. 122.
  6. The Navy List (December, 1918). p. 920.
  7. London Gazette: no. 33063. p. 4452. 3 July, 1925.
  8. London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34469. p. 7. 1 January, 1938.
  9. London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34893. p. 4243. 11 July, 1940.
  10. Brooks. pp. 56, 63.
  11. Brooks. p. 171.

Bibliography

Service Record


Naval Appointments