George V

His Majesty King George V in the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet, 1931.
Photograph: © National Portrait Gallery, London.

HIS MAJESTY George V, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India, K.G., K.T., K.P., G.C.S.I., G.C.M.G., G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., G.B.E., I.S.O., F.R.S., P.C. (3 June, 1865 – 20 January, 1936) was the British monarch from 1910 until his death in 1936. As a young man George V served in the Royal Navy, reaching the rank of Captain before concentrating on his royal duties. He never retired from the Service and reached the rank of Admiral of the Fleet.

Naval Career

Prince George passed "a very satisfactory examⁿ" according to the President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich on 16 May, 1877. He was appointed to the training ship Britannia on 5 June.

He passed out of Britannia with six months' time towards promotion to the rating of Midshipman out of a possible twelve. He received three months for conduct and three for seamanship.

On 25 July, 1879, he was appointed to the armoured cruiser H.M.S. Bacchante of the Detached Squadron. He was rated Midshipman on 8 January, 1880.

Bacchante paid off on 31 August, 1882. On 1 September he was appointed to the depôt ship Duke of Wellington at Portsmouth and "granted leave until further orders."

He was appointed to the screw corvette Canada on the North America and West Indies Station in May, 1883 and would stay in her until mid-1884.

Admiral Sir Sydney R. Fremantle, who served as a midshipman in Canada with Prince George, later recalled:

In the Bacchante he & his brother had been treated as Royalties, in the Canada, he had no privileges, except a small cabin cut off from the gun-room, just wide enough to hold a writing-table & ward-robe. He slept in a hammock, went aloft, etc., like the rest of us.

Prince George passed his seamanship examination on 3 June, 1884, attaining 985 marks out of a possible 1,000. He was appointed Acting Sub-Lieutenant on the same day.

After commanding the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 79 in the Annual Manoeuvres of 1889, on 6 May, 1890, he was appointed in command of the gunboat Thrush on the North America Station. He paid off Thrush on 24 August, 1891.

On 29 June, 1892, he was appointed in command of the cruiser Melampus.

He assumed command of the first class protected cruiser Crescent on 5 June, 1898.

Under the provisions of the Order in Council of 16 July, 1895, the Prince of Wales would have been placed on the Retired List for non-service on 27 August, 1905. An Order in Council was therefore passed exempting him from the non-service regulation.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Stuart Nicholson	Captain of H.M. T.B. 79 18 Jul, 1889 – 6 Sep, 1889	Succeeded by Arthur C. Leveson
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Thrush 6 May, 1890 – 24 Aug, 1891	Succeeded by Arthur J. Loane
Preceded by ?	Captain of H.M.S. Melampus 29 Jun, 1892	Succeeded by Frederick R. Boardman
Preceded by Francis Powell	Captain of H.M.S. Crescent 5 Jun, 1898	Succeeded by Sir Charles J. Graves-Sawle, Bart.

Bibliography

• Exercise book in the possession of the National Maritime Museum. HSR/U/12.
• The Cruise of Her Majesty's Ship "Bacchante": 1879—1882. Two Volumes. London: Macmillan and Co.. 1886.

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/86.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/42.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/20.