Francis Bridgeman (Royal Navy officer)

Sir Francis Bridgeman
Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman
Born	7 December 1848 Babworth, Nottinghamshire
Died	17 February 1929(1929-02-17) (aged 80) Nassau, The Bahamas
Buried at	St Michael and All Angels Church, Copgrove
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1862–1913
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	First Sea Lord Home Fleet HMS Drake HMS Ramillies
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

Admiral Sir Francis Charles Bridgeman Bridgeman GCB, GCVO (7 December 1848 – 17 February 1929) was a Royal Navy officer. As a captain he commanded a battleship and then an armoured cruiser and then, after serving as second-in-command of three different fleets, he twice undertook tours as Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet with a stint as Second Sea Lord in between those tours. He became First Sea Lord in November 1911 but clashed with First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill on technical issues as well as matters relating to a perceived overriding of naval traditions by Churchill: this led to Bridgeman's resignation just a year later.

Born the son of Reverend William Bridgeman Simpson and Lady Frances Laura Wentworth FitzWilliam (herself daughter of the 5th Earl Fitzwilliam), Francis Bridgeman Simpson joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in the training ship HMS Britannia in 1862. He was posted to the sloop HMS Blanche on the Australia Station in 1868 and, having been promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1869 and to lieutenant on 8 April 1873, he specialised in gunnery. He was posted to the corvette HMS Encounter on the China Station as gunnery officer in 1874 and then to the battleship HMS Temeraire in the Mediterranean Fleet also as gunnery officer. Promoted to commander on 30 June 1884, he joined the battleship HMS Triumph on the Pacific Station in 1885 and then went to the gunnery training ship HMS Excellent in 1888.