Thomas Matthew Charles Symonds

Admiral of the Fleet Thomas Matthew Charles Symonds, (31 October, 1811 – 14 November, 1894) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Symonds was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 5 November, 1832.

Symonds was promoted to the rank of Commander on 21 October, 1837.

Symonds was promoted to the rank of Captain on 22 February, 1841.

Symonds was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 1 November, 1860.

Symonds was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 2 April, 1866.

Symonds was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 14 July, 1871.

Symonds was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet on 15 June, 1879..

Symonds retired in July 1883 and became a passionate critic of the dated nature of many of the Navy's ships.

Symonds wrote a letter to the editor of The Times in November 1893 to stridently refute an over-confident description of the state of gunnery equipment in the Navy as had been offered by the First Lord. The navy's guns were not the "best in the world", but in forty-three vessels, they were "worst in the world" – repurposed old guns taken from other ships, many of these weapons being muzzle-loaders. The result of combat between these ships and enemies with breech-loading weapon, he wrote, would be a disaster.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Bibliography

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Thomas S. Pasley, Bart.	Admiral Superintendent, Devonport Dockyard 1 Dec, 1862	Succeeded by The Hon. James R. Drummond
Preceded by Frederick Warden	Senior Officer in Command, Channel Squadron 1868 – 1870	Succeeded by Hastings R. Yelverton
Preceded by Sir Henry Keppel	Commander in Chief, Plymouth Station 1875 – 1878	Succeeded by Sir Arthur Farquhar