Thomas Symonds
British admiral
Died when: 81 years 122 days (975 months)Star Sign: Cancer
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Matthew Charles Symonds, GCB (31 October 1811 – 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".
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