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]

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]

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

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

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.