Thomas Symonds (Royal Navy officer)
| Sir Thomas Symonds | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 July 1813 |
| Died | 14 November 1894 (aged 81) Sunny Hill, Higher Warberry, Torquay |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | 1825–1883 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands held |
HMS Rover HMS Spartan HMS Arethusa Channel Fleet Plymouth Command |
| Battles/wars | Crimean War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Matthew Charles Symonds, GCB (15 July 1813 – 14 November 1894) was a Royal Navy officer. He was commanding officer of HMS Arethusa which participated in the bombardment of Sevastopol during the Crimean War.
Symonds became Admiral Superintendent at Devonport Dockyard and then Commander-in-Chief, Channel Squadron. In that capacity he invented the scalene triangle naval formation, replacing the older isosceles triangle naval formation, and earned himself a reputation as a tactician. He also carried out an investigation into the design of the turret ships HMS Monarch and HMS Captain and concluded that the turret ships were "formidable" and would, by superior armament, destroy any opposing broadside ships. He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth.
Symonds led an active retirement, writing letters and pamphlets to The Times arguing in favour of changes to ship design and a stronger navy. He also wrote an open letter to the British press regarding the naval armour tests by the United States Navy at Annapolis arguing that the compound-armour used in the design of the British Trafalgar-class battleships was defective. He then issued a nine-column, eleven-point statement as a Christmas supplement to all the service papers entitled "The Truly Perilous State of Great Britain Should War Occur between France and Ourselves".
Born the son of Rear Admiral William Symonds and Elizabeth Saunders Symonds (née Luscombe), Symonds joined the Royal Navy on 25 April 1825. After passing his examinations, he was promoted to lieutenant on 5 November 1832. He was appointed to the sixth-rate HMS Vestal at Portsmouth in April 1833 and then transferred to the fourth-rate HMS Endymion in the Mediterranean Fleet in September 1833. He transferred again to the first-rate HMS Britannia in July 1834 and to the sixth-rate HMS Rattlesnake on the East Indies Station in December 1834.
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