Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral (Royal Navy)

Rear Admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It is immediately superior to Commodore and is subordinate to Vice Admiral. It is a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7....

 (Benjamin) Brian Perowne CB

Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...

 (born 24 July 1947) is a former Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 officer who ended his naval career as Chief of Fleet Support

Fourth Sea Lord

The Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Supplies was formerly one of the Naval Lords and members of the Board of Admiralty which controlled the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.-History:...

.

Early life

The son of Rear-Admiral Benjamin Cubitt Perowne CB

Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...

, by his marriage to Phyllis Marjorie Peel, Perowne was educated at Gresham's School

Gresham's School

Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...

, Holt

Holt, Norfolk

Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...

, and at the Britannia Royal Naval College

Britannia Royal Naval College

Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...

, Dartmouth.

Naval career

Perowne joined the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 in 1965 and passed the RN Staff College in 1977. He served on HM Yacht Britannia from 1980–82 and commanded HMS Alacrity

HMS Alacrity

Nine ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Alacrity: was an 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop launched in 1806 and captured by the French in 1811. was a 10-gun Cherokee class brig-sloop launched in 1818 and sold in 1835. was a wooden screw sloop launched in 1856 and sold in 1864. was the former...

 in 1982–1983, before an appointment to the British Naval Staff in Washington D. C., 1986–88. His second command, in 1988–1989, was HMS Brazen

HMS Brazen

There have been a number of Royal Navy ships called HMS Brazen was the French privateer L´Invincible General Bonaparte, taken in 1798; Brazen was wrecked in January 1800 near Newhaven. was a sixth rate 28-gun sloop, launched in 1808 and brokenp in 1848. was the lead ship of the Brazen class...

, and after that he served as Assistant Director (Strategic Systems), then as Chief Naval Signals Officer at the Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....

. He was Commodore to the Clyde and Naval Base Commander, 1994 to 1996, Director General of Fleet Support (Ops and Plans) from 1996, Chief Executive

Chief executive officer

A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

 at the Naval Bases and Supply Agency in 1999 and Chief of Fleet Support

Fourth Sea Lord

The Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Supplies was formerly one of the Naval Lords and members of the Board of Admiralty which controlled the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.-History:...

 in April 2000. He dealt with the crisis involving oil leaking from HMS Royal Oak in Scapa Flow

Scapa Flow

right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...

 in October 2000 before he retired in 2001.

In retirement he became Chief Executive

Chief executive officer

A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

of Hft (formerly The Home Farm Trust), a charity for people with learning disabilities, and Treasurer of The Voluntary Organisation Disability Group.