Thomas Hastings (admiral)
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Thomas Hastings, KCB
DL
(1790–1870) was a British artist
, innovator, instructor
, and distinguished officer of the Royal Navy
. He was renowned as an expert gunner, and some believe him to be the first officer to take a truly scientific approach to gunnery
.
He was born on July 3, 1790, the fourth son (and seventh child) of Rev. James Hastings (later Rector of Martley
, Worcestershire
) and Elizabeth (née Paget). He was brother to Sir Charles Hastings
(founder of the British Medical Association
). Another brother, Francis Decimus Hastings, also served in the Royal Navy and reached the rank of Rear-Admiral.
While a lieutenant
in 1812, he painted Storm at Sea. On April 29, 1812, Hastings participated in an attack led by Captain Ussher on French
privateers of Málaga
, in which he performed admirably, commanding twenty men in the attack.
In 1814, as a first lieutenant of the "Undaunted", he escorted Napoleon
into his exile on Elba
and was one of three officers responsible for the arrangements for the arrival of Napoleon. From November 14, 1828 until July 22, 1830, he commanded HMS Ferret in the Mediterranean with the rank of commander
. He was then promoted captain
.
On April 13, 1832, Captain Hastings took command of the sixth-rate training ship HMS Excellent
. As far back as 1817 General Sir Howard Douglas had submitted plans to remedy the obvious definciencies of British naval gunnery. Nothing was done until 1830 when Commander George Smith was appointed to "superintend the practice of Sea Gunnery" on board that ship at Portsmouth. The gunnery school was put on a permanent basis by Captain Thomas Hastings (known at the time as "Old Sting").
He became noted for his training methods, although some in the admiralty disapproved of his emphasis on science, and found his reports on gunnery confusing, as they had little knowledge of science themselves. From a life of Sir John Barrow, the Secretary to the Admiralty through most of the first half of the 19th. century, an interesting account appears; two years after Hastings' appointment to "Excellent", Sir John Briggs, Reader to the Board, happened to show the examination paper to an Admiral on the Board.
"Do you know, it is very strange, but I do not understand all this. Pray, Sir, what is the meaning of 'impact'?" "I rather think that it means the force of the blow", replied Briggs. The Admiral turned to another Naval Lord, Sir John Beresford, and asked him: "What in the name of good fortune is meant by 'initial velocity'?" "I'll be hanged if I know", answered Sir John, "but I suppose it is some of Tom Hastings' scientific bosh; I'll tell you what I think we had better do - we'll go at once to Lord de Grey (Thomas Robinson, 2nd. Earl de Grey, First Lord) and get that "Excellent" paid off."
However, the First Lord replied: "I am afraid, my dear Beresford, I cannot sanction it, for you have no idea how damned scientific that House of Commons has become."
He was knighted in 1839. The first diving
training in the Royal Navy
occurred in 1844 under Hastings' watch.
He left command of "Excellent" on August 28, 1845, after his appointment as Storekeeper of the Ordnance
on July 25, 1845. He held that post until it was abolished with the dissolution of the Board of Ordnance
in 1855. On September 27, 1855 he was promoted rear admiral
, and on October 4, 1862 vice admiral
. On April 2, 1866, he retired from the navy with the rank of admiral
. He died on January 3, 1870 at his home in London.
His brother, Francis Hastings
, born 1796 entered the Royal Navy at the age of twelve. He was obliged to relinquish active service because of his wounds, hardships and length of service. In 1859 he was elevated to the rank of Rear Admiral, and to Vice Admiral in 1865. He died in 1869 at the age of seventy-three.
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...
DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(1790–1870) was a British artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, innovator, instructor
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, and distinguished officer of 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...
. He was renowned as an expert gunner, and some believe him to be the first officer to take a truly scientific approach to gunnery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
.
He was born on July 3, 1790, the fourth son (and seventh child) of Rev. James Hastings (later Rector of Martley
Martley
Martley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills district of the English county of Worcestershire. It is approximately nine miles north-west of Worcester. The population of the village is approximately 1200 people...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
) and Elizabeth (née Paget). He was brother to Sir Charles Hastings
Sir Charles Hastings
Sir Charles Hastings was a medical surgeon and a founder of the British Medical Association, the BMA, originally Provincial Medical and Surgical Association on July 19, 1832....
(founder of the British Medical Association
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
). Another brother, Francis Decimus Hastings, also served in the Royal Navy and reached the rank of Rear-Admiral.
While a lieutenant
Lieutenant
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 1812, he painted Storm at Sea. On April 29, 1812, Hastings participated in an attack led by Captain Ussher on French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
privateers of Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, in which he performed admirably, commanding twenty men in the attack.
In 1814, as a first lieutenant of the "Undaunted", he escorted Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
into his exile on Elba
Elba
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...
and was one of three officers responsible for the arrangements for the arrival of Napoleon. From November 14, 1828 until July 22, 1830, he commanded HMS Ferret in the Mediterranean with the rank of commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
. He was then promoted captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
.
On April 13, 1832, Captain Hastings took command of the sixth-rate training ship HMS Excellent
HMS Excellent
HMS Excellent is a Royal Navy "stone frigate" sited on Whale Island near Portsmouth in Hampshire.HMS Excellent is itself part of the Maritime Warfare School, with a Headquarters at HMS Collingwood, although a number of lodger units are resident within the site, the principal of which is the...
. As far back as 1817 General Sir Howard Douglas had submitted plans to remedy the obvious definciencies of British naval gunnery. Nothing was done until 1830 when Commander George Smith was appointed to "superintend the practice of Sea Gunnery" on board that ship at Portsmouth. The gunnery school was put on a permanent basis by Captain Thomas Hastings (known at the time as "Old Sting").
He became noted for his training methods, although some in the admiralty disapproved of his emphasis on science, and found his reports on gunnery confusing, as they had little knowledge of science themselves. From a life of Sir John Barrow, the Secretary to the Admiralty through most of the first half of the 19th. century, an interesting account appears; two years after Hastings' appointment to "Excellent", Sir John Briggs, Reader to the Board, happened to show the examination paper to an Admiral on the Board.
"Do you know, it is very strange, but I do not understand all this. Pray, Sir, what is the meaning of 'impact'?" "I rather think that it means the force of the blow", replied Briggs. The Admiral turned to another Naval Lord, Sir John Beresford, and asked him: "What in the name of good fortune is meant by 'initial velocity'?" "I'll be hanged if I know", answered Sir John, "but I suppose it is some of Tom Hastings' scientific bosh; I'll tell you what I think we had better do - we'll go at once to Lord de Grey (Thomas Robinson, 2nd. Earl de Grey, First Lord) and get that "Excellent" paid off."
However, the First Lord replied: "I am afraid, my dear Beresford, I cannot sanction it, for you have no idea how damned scientific that House of Commons has become."
He was knighted in 1839. The first diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
training 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...
occurred in 1844 under Hastings' watch.
He left command of "Excellent" on August 28, 1845, after his appointment as Storekeeper of the Ordnance
Storekeeper of the Ordnance
The Principal Storekeeper of the Ordnance was a subordinate of the Master-General of the Ordnance and a member of the English Board of Ordnance from its constitution in 1597. He was responsible for the care and maintenance of ordnance stores. The office was abolished in 1855.-Storekeepers of the...
on July 25, 1845. He held that post until it was abolished with the dissolution of the Board of Ordnance
Board of Ordnance
The Board of Ordnance was a British government body responsible for the supply of armaments and munitions to the Royal Navy and British Army. It was also responsible for providing artillery trains for armies and maintaining coastal fortresses and, later, management of the artillery and engineer...
in 1855. On September 27, 1855 he was promoted rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
, and on October 4, 1862 vice admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
. On April 2, 1866, he retired from the navy with the rank of admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
. He died on January 3, 1870 at his home in London.
His brother, Francis Hastings
Francis Hastings
Francis Hastings may refer to:* Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon, son of Henry VIII's mistress, Anne Stafford* Sir Francis Hastings , his son, Member of Parliament for Leicestershire and Somerset* Francis Hastings Doyle, d.1888, poet...
, born 1796 entered the Royal Navy at the age of twelve. He was obliged to relinquish active service because of his wounds, hardships and length of service. In 1859 he was elevated to the rank of Rear Admiral, and to Vice Admiral in 1865. He died in 1869 at the age of seventy-three.
External links
- Thomas Hastings R.N. (William Loney RN - Background)
- Why Hastings close (People of MartleyMartleyMartley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills district of the English county of Worcestershire. It is approximately nine miles north-west of Worcester. The population of the village is approximately 1200 people...
)