John Wilson (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral
John Crawford Wilson (1834 - 4 July 1885) was a Royal Navy
officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station
.
in the Royal Navy
in 1855. Promoted to captain
in 1865, he was given command of HMS Narcissus and then HMS Thunderer
. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station
in 1878. In 1879, in response to the murders of white men, Wilson led a punitive expedition against the natives in the New Hebrides
. He reached the rank of rear admiral in 1881.
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....
John Crawford Wilson (1834 - 4 July 1885) was a 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 went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station
Australia Station
The Australia Station was the British—and later Australian—naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent.-History:In the early years following the establishment of the colony of New South Wales, ships based in Australian waters came under the control of the East Indies...
.
Early life
Wilson was born in 1834 to James Wilson and Margret Wilson (née Crawford). He was the tenth of 12 children.Naval career
Wilson was appointed a lieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 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 1855. Promoted to captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
in 1865, he was given command of HMS Narcissus and then HMS Thunderer
HMS Thunderer (1872)
HMS Thunderer was a British Royal Navy Devastation-class battleship.Thunder was an ironclad turret ship designed by Edward James Reed with revolving turrets, launched in 1872...
. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station
Australia Station
The Australia Station was the British—and later Australian—naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent.-History:In the early years following the establishment of the colony of New South Wales, ships based in Australian waters came under the control of the East Indies...
in 1878. In 1879, in response to the murders of white men, Wilson led a punitive expedition against the natives in the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
. He reached the rank of rear admiral in 1881.