Vincent Barkly Molteno
| Vincent Barkly Molteno | |
|---|---|
Vice Admiral Molteno on retirement
|
|
| Born |
30 April 1872 Cape Town, Cape Colony |
| Died | 12 November 1952 (aged 80) Surrey, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1885-1921 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Warrior, HMS Revenge, HMS Antrim, HMS King George V, HMS Shannon, HMS Minotaur, HMS Bellerophon |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
| Awards |
Order of St. Anna Commander of the Order of the Bath |
Vice Admiral Vincent Barkly Molteno CB (30 April 1872 – 12 November 1952) was a Royal Navy officer during World War I.
He fought and distinguished himself in the Battle of Jutland in April 1916, commanding from the armoured cruiser HMS Warrior. He was subsequently awarded the Russian Order of St. Anna for bravery, and made Commander of the Order of Bath and Aide-de-camp to the King.
Molteno was born in Cape Town, then part of the Cape Colony, into a large family of Italian origin. He was the son of Sir John Charles Molteno, who at the time was Prime Minister of the Cape, and many of his held positions of influence in business and government. Vincent Molteno had little interest in business though. His father died when he was 14 years old, and he left the colony to enter the Royal Navy as a cadet.
Soon after joining the Navy, he was discovered to be a lethally accurate shot, was selected for special training, and quickly distinguished as a gun specialist. In 1893 he was sent to take part in the Vitu Expedition to Zanzibar as a lieutenant to crush the slave trade, and was awarded the General African Medal. His extraordinary effectiveness on this mission was repeatedly reported in despatches, and led to his being promoted to Commander.
He commanded several warships in World War I, including HMS Revenge, Antrim, King George V, Shannon, Minotaur, and Bellerophon. It was from Revenge (also after she was renamed HMS Redoubtable) that he successfully led the bombardment of German bases along the Flanders coast. He also served as Flag-Captain of the 2nd Battle Squadron and the 3rd Cruiser Squadron.
...
Wikipedia