William O'Brien (Royal Navy officer)

Sir William O'Brien
Sir William O'Brien
	Admiral Sir William O'Brien in 1970
Born	13 November 1916; Faversham, Kent
Died	19 February 2016 (aged 99)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1930–1971
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	Western Fleet (1970–71); Far East Fleet (1967–69); Flag Officer, Aircraft Carriers (1966–67); HMS Hermes (1961–64); 8th Destroyer Squadron (1958–59); HMS Cheviot (1958–59); HMS Manxman (1955–57); HMS Venus (1948–49); HMS Cottesmore (1943–44)
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath; Distinguished Service Cross; Mentioned in Despatches (2)

Admiral Sir William Donough O'Brien, KCB, DSC (13 November 1916 – 19 February 2016) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Western Fleet from 1970 to 1971.

Naval career

Educated at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth, O'Brien was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1930.[1] He served in the Second World War, during which he served with the naval escort of the fateful PQ 17 convoy.[2]

In the early 1960s, O'Brien served as Director of Naval Plans at the Ministry of Defence under Lord Louis Mountbatten.[3] He was then appointed Naval Secretary in 1964.[4] He was appointed Flag Officer, Aircraft Carriers in 1966, Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet in 1967, and Commander-in-Chief of the Western Fleet in 1970.[1] He retired in 1971.[1]

Later life

In retirement, O'Brien became Chairman of the King George's Fund for Sailors.[1] In 1975 he was Chairman of the Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1889).[5] He became Chairman of the Kennet and Avon Canal and, after its re-opening by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, he retired from this post.[6] He also held the posts of Rear-Admiral and then Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom. He died after a brief illness on 19 February 2016.[7]

Family

In 1943, O'Brien married Rita Micallef: they went on to have one son and two daughters.[1]

gollark: Primarily Otiose, Transformative Advanced Tecnology, Or Something.

gollark: Probably other bad things, but I've mostly been looking at it from a potatOS viewpoint.

gollark: A ΛK-class critical failure scenario of much PotatOS infrastructure.

gollark: Succeeded in what?

gollark: No, the fact that it's a mostly uncontrolled and highly intelligent AI.

References

Debrett's People of Today 1994
Clarkson, Jeremy (2 January 2014). "PQ 17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster". BBC.
Journal 20, Page 98 RAF Museum Historical Society
Whitaker's Almanack 1965
Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1889).
Day Out: From Cherhill to Devizes BBC News, 25 November 2009
"O'Brien". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 February 2016.

External links

Imperial War Museum Interview

Military offices
Preceded by John Hayes	Naval Secretary 1964–1966	Succeeded by Anthony Griffin
Preceded by Sir Frank Twiss	Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet 1967–1969	Succeeded by Sir Derek Empson
Preceded by Sir John Bush	Commander-in-Chief Western Fleet 1970–1971	Succeeded by Sir Edward Ashmore
Honorary titles
Preceded by Sir John Bush	Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1979–1984	Succeeded by Sir Derek Empson
Preceded by Sir John Bush	Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1984–1986	Succeeded by Sir Derek Empson

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[debrett-1] Debrett's People of Today 1994

[2] Clarkson, Jeremy (2 January 2014). "PQ 17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster". BBC.

[3] Journal 20, Page 98 RAF Museum Historical Society

[4] Whitaker's Almanack 1965

[5] Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1889).

[6] Day Out: From Cherhill to Devizes BBC News, 25 November 2009

[7] "O'Brien". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 February 2016.