Jackie Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher

Infobox Military Person
name= The Lord Fisher of Kilverstone
lived= 25 January 1841 – 10 July 1920
placeofbirth= Ceylon
placeofdeath= Kilverstone, Norfolk


caption=Admiral of the Fleet The Lord Fisher (on right) with Churchill, December 1914
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
serviceyears=1853 - 1909
1914 - 1915
rank= Admiral of the Fleet
branch=
branch
commands= Director of Naval Ordnance 1886-91
Admiral Superintendent Portsmouth 1891
Third Sea Lord and Controller 1892-97
C-in-C North America and West Indies Squadron 1897-99
Delegate Hague Peace Conference 1899
C-in-C Mediterranean Fleet 1899-1902
Second Sea Lord 1902-03
C-in-C Portsmouth 1903-04
First Sea Lord 1904-10 and 1914-15 [Dreyer, Frederic C, "The Sea Heritage" p35]
unit=
battles=Crimean War (1856),
Second Opium War (1856-1860),
Anglo-Egyptian War (1882),
First World War
awards= Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Member of the Order of Merit
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Grand Cordon of the Légion d'honneur
Grand Cordon, Order of Osmanieh [ [http://www.admirals.org.uk/admirals/fleet/fisherja.php Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher at www.admirals.org.uk] . Retrieved 2008-09-17.]
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia
laterwork=
Admiral of the Fleet John Arbuthnot "Jackie" Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher of Kilverstone, [ "Baron Fisher of Kilverstone" is exactly how The Times referred to him in their obituary (July 12 1920; pg. 9; Issue 42460; col A)
The London Gazette no. 28317 of 14 December 1909 gives the full title—'the names, style and title of Baron Fisher of Kilverstone in the county of Norfolk.'
Mackay, Ruddock F, "Fisher of Kilverstone" pub OUP, 1973 ISBN 0-19-822409-5
[http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-208665/John-Arbuthnot-Fisher-1st-Baron-Fisher-of-Kilverstone "Encyclopaedia Britannica: John Arbuthnot Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher of Kilverstone (British admiral)"] ] LondonGazette|issue=28317|startpage=9514|date=14 December 1909|accessdate=2008-02-01] GCB, OM, GCVO (25 January 1841 – 10 July 1920) was a British admiral known for his efforts at naval reform. He had a huge influence on the Royal Navy in a career spanning more than 60 years, starting in a navy of wooden sailing ships armed with muzzle-loading cannon and ending in one of battlecruisers, submarines and the first aircraft carriers. The argumentative, energetic, reform-minded Fisher is often considered the second most important figure in British naval history, after Lord Nelson.

Fisher was primarily an innovator, strategist and developer of the navy rather than a seagoing admiral involved in major battles, although in his career he experienced all these things. When appointed first sea lord he removed 150 ships then on active service but which were no longer useful and set about constructing modern replacements, creating a modern fleet prepared to meet Germany during World War I.

He was concerned to improve naval gunnery, in range, accuracy and firing rate, and was an early proponent of the use of the torpedo, which he believed would supersede big guns for use against ships. He supervised the construction of the Dreadnought, the first all big gun battleship, but he also believed that submarines would become increasingly important and urged their development. He introduced Destroyers as a class of ship intended for defence against attack from torpedo boats or submarines. He was involved with the introduction of turbine engines to replace reciprocating designs, and the introduction of oil fueling to replace coal. He introduced daily baked bread on board ships, whereas when he entered the service it was customary to eat hard biscuits, frequently inhabited by weevils. ['Dreadnought' p.402]

Character and appearance

Fisher was short and stocky with a round face. In later years some confusion arose as to his parentage because of his features and a yellow cast to his skin. This was a result of severe illness with dysentery and malaria in middle life, which nearly caused his death. He had a fixed and compelling gaze when addressing someone, which gave little clues as to his feelings, and was energetic, ambitious, enthusiastic and clever. A shipmate described him as 'easily the most interesting midshipman I ever met'. ['Dreadnought' p. 403] When addressing someone he could become carried away with the point he was seeking to make, on one occasion having to be asked by the king to please stop shaking his fist in his face. He was a religious man who attended church regularly when ashore. He was not keen on sport, except that he was a highly proficient dancer, which skill he used to help charm a number of important ladies. His ability to charm all-comers of all social classes made acceptable his sometimes blunt or tactless comments. ['Dreadnought' p.403-404] Throughout his life he suffered from seasickness. ['Dreadnought' p. 410]

Fisher's aim was 'efficiency of the fleet and its instant readiness for war', which won him support amongst a certain kind of officer. He believed in advancement for ability, rather than simply for time served in the navy, which made enemies amongst those passed over. Thus he tended to divide the navy between those who approved of his innovations and those who did not. As he became older and more senior he also became more autocratic and commented, 'Anyone who opposes me, I crush'. He believed that nations fought wars for material gain, thus if the navy could be maintained with sufficient strength that no one could think to benefit from engaging it, there would be no war, 'On the British fleet rests the British Empire'. He also believed that the risk of catastrophe in a sea battle was much greater than on land: a war could be lost or won in a day at sea, with no hope of replacing lost ships, but an army could be rebuilt much faster. During the arms race which broke out between Germany and Britain to built ever larger navies, the German Kaiser commented 'I admire Fisher, I say nothing against him. If I was in his place I should do all that he has done and I should do all that I know he has in mind to do'. In 1911 Fisher predicted that war with Germany would break out October 1914, following the anticipated completion date of work on the Kiel Canal to allow the passage of battleships. In the event the work was completed in July, and war commenced August 1914. Although Fisher was forced to retire, his preferred choice, Sir John Jellicoe commanded the British fleet in its major engagement against Germany at The Battle of Jutland ['Dreadnought' p.404-407]

Childhood and personal life

Fisher was born on 25 January 1841, the eldest of eleven children, at Rambodde in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). His father, Captain William Fisher, a British Army officer in the 78th Highlanders was aide-de-camp to the governor."The Times", 12 July 1920, page 9] Fisher commented, 'My mother was a most magnificent and handsome, extremely young woman...My father was 6 feet 2 inches.., also especially handsome.. Why I am ugly is one of those puzzles of physiology which are beyond finding out'. [Dreadnought p.408, quoting FGDN, Vol II p.424 ] William Fisher resigned his commission the year John was born and became a coffee planter.Morris p 12] The business failed and he became Inspector general of police, but his income was insufficient to support his growing family. John was sent to England to live with his maternal grandfather, Charles Lambe, in New Bond Street, London. His grandfather also had lost money and the family survived by renting out rooms in their home. John's brother Philip also entered the navy, becoming a lieutenant before drowning in a storm, while a second brother Frederick William Fisher became a British admiral. ['Dreadnought' p.408]

William Fisher was killed in a riding accident when John was 15. John's relationship with his mother Sophie never recovered from their separation. He never met her again, though he continued to send her an allowance until her death. ['Dreadnought' p. 409]

Fisher married Frances Katharine Josepha Broughton, the daughter of Rev. Thomas Delves Broughton and Frances Corkran, on 4 April 1866 while stationed at Portsmouth.Bacon, Vol 1, pp 34-35.] Kitty's two brothers were both naval officers, and she believed Jack would rise through the ranks. They remained married until Frances died in July 1918. They had a son, Cecil Vavasseur (1868-1955), and three daughters, Beatrix (1867-1930), Dorothy (1873-1962) and Pamela (1876-1949), who all married naval officers. ['Dreadnought' p. 409, p. 415]

Early career (1854-1869)

Fisher's father ultimately aided his entry into the navy, via his godmother Lady Horton, widow of the governor of Ceylon to whom William Fisher had been ADC. She prevailed upon a neighbour, Admiral Sir Wiliam Parker, to recommend John as a naval cadet. He formally entered the Royal Navy on 12 July 1854, aged 13, on board Nelson's flagship, HMS "Victory", at Portsmouth. The entry examination consisted of writing out the Lord's Prayer and jumping naked over a chair. ['Dreadnought' p.409] There was then no formal college so the following day, he was posted as a cadet to HMS "Calcutta", an old ship of the line. She was built of wood, in 1831, with 84 smooth-bore muzzle-loading guns arranged on two gun decks, and relied entirely on sail for propulsion.Mackay, pp 7-12] She had a crew of 700, and discipline was strictly enforced by the "hard-bitten Captain Stopford". Fisher fainted when he witnessed eight men flogged on his first day.

"Calcutta" participated in the blockade of Russian ports in the Gulf of Finland during the Crimean War, entitling Fisher to the Baltic medal, before returning to Britain a few months later. The crew were paid off on 1 March 1856.

On 2 March 1856, Fisher was posted to HMS "Agamemnon", and was sent to Constantinople (now Istanbul) to join her.Mackay, pp 7-12] He arrived on 19 May, just as the war was ending. After a tour around the Dardanelles picking up troops and baggage, "Agamemnon" returned to England where the crew were paid off.

Promotion to midshipman came on 12 July 1856 and Fisher joined a 21-gun steam corvette, HMS "Highflyer", part of the China Station. He was to spend the next five years in Chinese waters, seeing action in the Second Opium War, 1856-1860. The "Highflyer's" captain, Captain Shadwell, was an expert on naval astronomy (subsequently being appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1861) and he taught Fisher much about navigation with spectacular later results.Mackay pp 13-28] When Shadwell was replaced as captain following an injury in action, he gave Fisher a pair of studs engraved with his family motto 'Loyal au Mort', which Fisher was to use for the rest of his life. ['Dreadnought' p. 412 ]

Fisher passed his board for sub-lieutenant (the rank was called Mate at the time) on his nineteenth birthday, 25 January 1860. He was transferred three months later to the steam frigate HMS "Chesapeake" as an acting lieutenant. Shortly afterwards, Fisher had his first brief command: taking the yacht of the China Squadron's admiral - the paddle-gunboat HMS "Coromandel" - from Hong Kong to Canton (nowadays Guangzhou), a voyage of four days.

He was transferred, on 12 June 1860 to the paddle-sloop HMS "Furious" where he saw sufficient action to add the Taku and Canton clasps to his China service medal. "Furious" left Hong Kong and the China Station in March 1861 and, after a leisurely voyage home, paid off in Portsmouth on 30 August. Captain Oliver Jones of the Furious was entirely different to Shadwell: Fisher wrote there was a mutiny on board within his first fortnight, that Jones terrorised his crew and disobeyed orders given to him. Nonetheless, by the end of the tour he also was impressed by Fisher. ['Dreadnought' p.412-413]

That November, Fisher sat his lieutenant's examination and passed with flying colours.Mackay pp 29-X] He received top grades in seamanship and gunnery, and achieved the highest score ever - 963/1000 - for navigation. For this, he was awarded the Beaufort Testimonial, an annual prize of books and instruments but, in the meantime, he had to wait around, unpaid, until his appointment came through officially. He was one of the last Royal Navy officers to receive basic training entirely at sea.

From January 1862 to March 1863, Fisher returned to the payroll at the navy's principal gunnery school aboard HMS "Excellent", a three-decker moored in Portsmouth harbour. During this time, "Excellent" was evaluating the performance of the "revolutionary" Armstrong breech-loading guns against the traditional Whitworth muzzle-loading type. During free afternoons Fisher would walk the downs, shouting to practice his command voice. He spent 15 of the next 25 years in four tours of duty at Portsmouth concerned with development of gunnery and torpedoes. ['Dreadnought' p.413]

In March 1863, Fisher was appointed Gunnery Lieutenant to HMS "Warrior", the first all-iron sea-going armoured battleship and the most powerful ship in the fleet. Built in 1859, she marked the beginning of the end of the Age of Sail and, coincidentally, was armed with both Armstrong breechloading and Whitworth muzzle-loading guns. Fisher noted he was popular amongst his brother officers because he frequently stayed on board when others went ashore and could take duty for them. ['Dreadnought' p. 414, citing 'Memories' p. 149 ]

Fisher returned to "Excellent" in 1864 as a gunnery instructor, where he remained until 1869. Towards the end of his posting he became interested in torpedoes, which were invented during the 1860s, and championed their cause as a relatively simple weapon capable of sinking a battleship. His expertise with torpedoes led to his being invited to Germany in June 1869 for the founding ceremony of a new naval base at Wilhelmshaven, where he met king William I of Prussia (soon to become German emperor), Bismarck and Moltke. ['Dreadnought' p. 414-415] Perhaps inspired by the visit, he started preparing a paper on the design, construction and management of electrical torpedoes, the cutting edge technology of the time.

Commander (1869-1876)

On 2 August 1869, "at the early age of twenty-eight", Fisher was promoted to commander.Mackay pp 56-X] [LondonGazette|issue=23523|startpage=4366|date=6 August 1869|accessdate=2008-02-01] On 8 November, he was posted as second-in-command of HMS "Donegal", serving under Captain Hewett, a Crimean War Victoria Cross holder.Mackay pp 70-X] "Donegal" was a Conqueror-class ship of the line, with auxiliary screw propulsion. She plied between Portsmouth and Hong Kong, taking out relief crews and bringing home the crews they replaced. During this time he completed his torpedoes treatise ["A Treatise on Electricity and the Construction and Management of Electrical and Mechanical Torpedoes", Griffin & Co., Portsmouth (1871).]

In May 1870, he transferred, again as second in command, to HMS "Ocean", flagship of the China Station. It was whilst he was on "Ocean" that he wrote an eight page memoir: "Naval Tactics", which Captain J.G. Goodenough had printed for private circulation. [Fisher, J. "Naval Tactics", written 30 March 1871 on board "Ocean" at Hong Kong, printed for private circulation.] He installed a system of electrical firing so that all guns could be fired simultaneously, making "Ocean" the first vessel to be so equipped. Fisher noted in his letters that he greatly missed his wife, but also missed his work on torpedoes and the access to important people possible with a posting in England. ['Dreadnought p. 416 citing mackay p. 75]

In 1872, he returned to England to the gunnery school "Excellent", this time as head of torpedo and mine training, during which time he split the Torpedo Branch off from "Excellent", forming a separate establishment for it called HMS "Vernon". He was promoted to captain on 30 October 1874, aged thirty-three [Mackay p 120] [LondonGazette|issue=24147|startpage=5200|date=3 November 1874|accessdate=2008-02-01] in time to be its first commander. HMS "Vernon" consisted of the hulk of Symonds' famous 1832 50-gun sailing frigate, and the hulk of the 26-gun steam frigate "Ariadne" provided accommodation. "Vesuvius", a torpedo boat of 245 tons, was "Vernon's" experimental tender for the conduct of torpedo trials. [ [http://www.mcdoa.org.uk/History_of_HMS_Vernon.htm History of HMS "Vernon"] ] They were moored in Portsmouth harbour. In 1876 he served on the admiralty torpedo committee.

Captain R.N. (1876-1883)

Fisher's first command was a temporary three-month one, taking HMS "Pallas" in the Mediterranean.

* Sep 1876-Mar 1877 On half-pay with his family.
* 30 January 1877-1 March 1877 Commanding HMS "Hercules".
* 2 March 1877-4 June 1878 HMS "Bellerophon" Flag-Captain to the Admiral of the North-west Coast of America squadron.
* 7 June 1878-21 August 1878 HMS "Hercules" Flag captain to a special squadron under Admiral Cooper Key operating in the Channel.
* 22 August 1878-12 September 1878 temporary service as Flag Captain to Cooper Key in HMS "Valorous".
* 12 September 1878-1 January 1879 on leave.
* 9 January 1879-24 July 1879 HMS "Pallas" Captain, serving in the Mediterranean Command, including an official visit to Istanbul where Fisher dined with the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He then returned to the UK.
* Jul 1879-Sep 1879. Leave on half-pay. He visited the Continent with his family.
* 25 September 1879-29 Jan 1881 HMS "Northampton" Flag captain to the North American squadron.
* 30 January 1881-4 July 1881 HMS "Duke of Wellington".

HMS Inflexible

Fisher was considered sufficiently able, with recommendations following all of his postings, to be appointed captain of the newly completed battleship HMS "Inflexible" in January 1881. Inflexible had the largest guns and thickest armour of any ship in the navy, but still carried masts and sails and had slow, muzzle loading guns. She had been seven years under construction and had many innovations built into her, including electric lighting and torpedo tubes, but with such a tortuous layout that crew became lost. The sails were never used for propulsion, but because a ships performance was partly judged on the speed with which a ship could set sails, Fisher was obliged to drill the crew in their use.

In spring 1881 "Inflexible" was part of the Mediterranean Fleet and was assigned for protection of Queen Victoria during a visit to Menton on the Riviera. This was intended as a reminder of British naval prowess to the French, but allowed Fisher to meet Victoria and her grandson, Prince Henry of Prussia who later became admiral of the German navy. Victoria was impressed by Fisher: support from the royal family was to be important for his career, particularly when his innovations drew criticism.

"Inflexible" took part in the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War, bombarding the port of Alexandria as part of Admiral Seymour's fleet. Fisher was placed in charge of a landing party which was quartered in the Khedive's palace. Lacking means of reconnaissance he devised a plan to armour a train with iron plates, machine gun and cannon. This became celebrated and widely reported by correspondents, so that its inventor, Fisher, came to the attention of the public for the first time as a hero. Shore duty had the unfortunate effect that Fisher became seriously ill with dysentery and malaria. He refused to take sick leave, but eventually was ordered home by Lord Northbrook who commented, 'the admiralty could build another "Inflexible", but not another Fisher'. ['Dreadnought' p.420-422 ]

During this time he became a close friend of the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. He was appointed a Companion of the Bath (CB) in 1882. [LondonGazette|issue=25138|startpage=3794|date=15 August 1882|accessdate=2008-02-01]

Home Postings

From Jan-Apr 1883 Fisher was on half pay recovering from his illness. In January he was invited to visit Osbourne House for a fortnight by Queen Victoria, concerned about the charming Captain Fisher. Fisher, having entered the navy penniless and unknown, was delighted. ['Dreadnought' p.423]

In April 1883 Fisher had recovered sufficiently to return to duty and was appointed commander of HMS "Excellent". He did not return to sea for fifteen years. He remained with "Excellent" for two years until June 1885, where he gained a following of officers concerned with the poor offensive capabilities of the fleet, including John Jellicoe and Percy Scott. For the next 15 months he had no naval command and still suffered the effects of his illness. He took to visiting Marienbad, which was famous amongst notable society for its restoring climate, and visited regularly in future years. ['Dreadnought' p.424-426]

From Jun-Jul 1885 Fisher served a short posting to HMS "Minotaur" in the baltic under Admiral Hornby, following the Panjdeh Incident, which led to fear of war with Russia. He returned to "Excellent" until November 1885.

From November 1886 to 1890, he was Director of Naval Ordnance, responsible for weapons and munitions. He was responsible for the development of quick firing guns to be used against the growing threat from torpedo boats, and particularly claimed responsibility for removing wooden boarding pikes from navy ships. The navy did not have responsibility for manufacture and supply of weapons and ammunition, which was in the hands of the War Office. Fisher began a long campaign to return this responsibility to the admiralty, but did not finally succeed until he later became First Sea Lord. He was appointed Aide-de-Camp to the Queen in 1887, [LondonGazette|issue=25713|startpage=3368|date=21 June 1887|accessdate=2008-02-01] and promoted Rear-Admiral in August 1890. [LondonGazette|issue=26076|startpage=4282|date=5 August 1890|accessdate=2008-02-01]

Admiral (1890-1902)

Fisher was Admiral Superintendent of the dockyard at Portsmouth for a few months from May 1891–February 1892, where he concerned himself with improving the speed of operations. His next appointment was Third Sea Lord, [LondonGazette|issue=26253|startpage=543|date=2 February 1892|accessdate=2008-02-01] [LondonGazette|issue=26290|startpage=3071|date=24 May 1892|accessdate=2008-02-01] [LondonGazette|issue=26320|startpage=4889|date=26 August 1892|accessdate=2008-02-01] [LondonGazette|issue=26455|startpage=6144|date=3 November 1893|accessdate=2008-02-01] [LondonGazette|issue=26642|startpage=3877|date=9 July 1895|accessdate=2008-02-01] the naval officer with overall responsibility for provision of ships and equipment. He presided over the development of torpedo boat destroyers (later called destroyers), for countering torpedo boats. Torpedo boats had become a major threat as they were cheap but able to sink the largest battleships, and France had built large numbers of them. Torpedo boat destroyers were small, fast warships equipped with the then novel water-tube boilers and quick-firing small-calibre guns.

Fisher was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1894 as a Knight Commander of the Bath, [LondonGazette|issue=26516|startpage=3115|date=26 May 1894|accessdate=2008-02-01] promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1896, [LondonGazette|issue=26740|startpage=2988|date=19 May 1896|accessdate=2008-02-01] and put in charge of the North Atlantic and West Indies station in 1897. In 1898 the Fashoda Crisis brought the threat of war with France, to which Fisher responded with plans to raid the French West Indies including Devil's Island prison, and return the infamous Alfred Dreyfus to France to foment trouble within the French army. It was Fisher's policy to conduct all manoeuvres at full speed while training the fleet, and to expect the best from his crews. He would socialise with junior officers so that they were not afraid to approach him with ideas, or disagree with him when the occasion demanded. [' Dreadnought' p. 429]

Fisher was chosen by Prime Minister Lord Salisbury as British naval delegate to the First Hague Peace Convention in 1899. The peace conference had been called by Russia to agree limits on armaments, but the British position was to reject any proposal which might restrict use of the navy. Fisher's style was to say little in formal meetings, but to lobby determinedly at all informal gatherings. He impressed many by his affability and style, combined with a serious determination to press the British case with everyone he met. The conference ended successfully with limitations only upon dumdum bullets, poison gas and bombings from balloons, and Fisher was rewarded with appointment as chief of the Mediterranean station, " 'the tip-top appointment of the fleet' ". The German delegation summarised Britain's position: English world position depended upon the navy, the navy was sufficiently powerful to overcome any combination of states, and England reserved the right to employ that fleet any way it chose. ['Dreadnought p.429-434]

Mediterranean Fleet

Unlike the North Atlantic station, the Mediterranean was a vital British operational command operating from Malta and Gibraltar. The important shipping route between India and Britain passed through the Suez Canal, and was considered threatened by France. France was concerned with the route north-south to its colonies in Northern Africa. Fisher retained his flagship from the North American Squadron, "Renown", rather than choosing a more powerful but slower traditional battleship, despite criticism from other officers. ['Dreadnought' p.433-434]

His strategy emphasised the importance of striking the first blow, but with an awareness that sunk ships could not easily be replaced, and would replace any officer who could not keep up with the standards he demanded. He gave lectures on naval strategy to which all officers were invited and once again encouraged his officers to bring ideas to him. He offered prizes for essays on tactics and maintained a large tabletop map room with models of all ships in the fleet, where all officers could come to develop tactics. A particular concern was the threat of torpedoes, which Germany had boasted would dispose of the British fleet, and the numerous French torpedo boats. Fisher's innovations were not universally approved, with some senior officers resenting the attention he paid to their juniors, or the pressure he placed on all to improve efficiency. ['Dreadnought p. 435-437]

A program of realistic exercises was adopted including simulated French raids, defensive maneuvers, night attacks and blockades, all carried out at maximum speed. He introduced a gold cup for the ship which performed best at gunnery, and insisted upon shooting at greater range and from battle formations. He found that he too was learning some of the complications and difficulties of controlling a large fleet in complex situations, and immensely enjoyed it. ['Dreadnought p.439-440]

Lord Hankey, then a marine serving under Fisher later commented, " 'It is difficult for anyone who had not lived under the previous regime to realize what a change Fisher brought about in the Mediterranean fleet... Before his arrival, the topics and arguments of the officers messes... were mainly confined to such matters as the cleaning of paint and brasswork... these were forgotten and replaced by incessant controversies on tactics, strategy, gunnery, torpedo warfare, blockade, etc. It was a veritable renaissance and affected every officer in the navy'." ['Dreadnought' p.438] Charles Beresford, later to become a severe critic of Fisher, gave up a plan to return to Britain and enter parliament, because he had " 'learnt more in the last week than in the last forty years'."

Fisher implemented a program of banquets and balls to important dignitaries to improve diplomatic relations. The fleet visited Constantinople where he had three meetings with the sultan and was awarded the Grand Cordon, Order of Osmanieh in November 1900, [LondonGazette|issue=27251|startpage=7819|date=27 November 1900|accessdate=2008-02-01] and promoted to full Admiral in November 1901. [LondonGazette|issue=27373|startpage=7223|date=8 November 1901|accessdate=2008-02-01]

In 1902 he returned to the UK as Second Sea Lord in charge of personnel, and in 1903 became commander in chief of Portsmouth dockyard. As C-in-C, Portsmouth, HMS "Victory" became his flagship. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1902. [LondonGazette|issue=27448|supp=yes|startpage=4189|date=24 June 1902|accessdate=2008-02-01]

First Sea Lord (1904-1910)

On 21 October 1904 (Trafalgar Day), following breakfast with the king-emperor, Edward VII, at Buckingham Palace, Fisher was sworn in as First Sea Lord, in overall operational command of the Royal Navy. [LondonGazette|issue=27994|supp=yes|startpage=963|date=12 February 1907|accessdate=2008-02-01] [LondonGazette|issue=28006|startpage=2001|date=22 March 1907|accessdate=2008-02-01] [LondonGazette|issue=28129|startpage=2937|date=17 April 1908|accessdate=2008-02-01] [LondonGazette|issue=28186|startpage=7467|date=16 October 1908|accessdate=2008-02-01] [LondonGazette|issue=28236|startpage=2321|date=26 March 1909|accessdate=2008-02-01] On the same day he was appointed "First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to His Majesty The King". [LondonGazette|issue=27734|startpage=7263|date=11 November 1904|accessdate=2008-02-01] In June 1905 he was appointed to the Order of Merit (OM), [LondonGazette|issue=27811|supp=yes|startpage=4549|date=27 June 1905|accessdate=2008-02-01] in December he was promoted Admiral of the Fleet. [LondonGazette|issue=27861|startpage=8812|date=8 December 1905|accessdate=2008-02-01]

Fisher was brought into the Admiralty to reduce naval budgets, and to reform the navy for modern war. Amidst massive public controversy, he ruthlessly sold off 90 obsolete and small ships and put a further 64 into reserve, describing them as "too weak to fight and too slow to run away", and "a miser's hoard of useless junk". This freed up crews and money to increase the number of large modern ships in home waters.

He was a driving force behind the development of the fast, all-big-gun battleship, and chaired the Committee on Designs which produced the outline design for the first modern battleship, HMS "Dreadnought". His committee also produced a new type of cruiser in a similar style to "Dreadnought" with a high speed achieved at the expense of armour protection. This became the battlecruiser, the first being HMS "Invincible". He also encouraged the introduction of submarines into the Royal Navy, and the conversion from a largely coal fuelled navy to an oil fuelled one. He had a long-running public feud with another admiral, Charles Beresford.

On 7 December 1909, he was created Baron Fisher, of Kilverstone. ["Complete Peerage", XIII, p.105: "cr.", 7 Dec. 1909 BARON FISHER, of Kilverstone, Thetford, co. Norfolk."] LondonGazette|issue=28317|startpage=9514|date=14 December 1909|accessdate=2008-02-01] He took the punning motto "Fear God and dread nought" on his coat of arms as a reference to "Dreadnought".

Before the war (1911-1914)

He retired on 25 January 1911, his 70th birthday. ["The Times", 25 Jan 1911; pg. 8; Issue 39491; col B] [LondonGazette|issue=28460|startpage=695|date=27 January 1911|accessdate=2008-02-01]

In 1912, Fisher was appointed chairman of the "Royal Commission to enquire into Liquid Fuel", with a view to converting the entire fleet to oil. [LondonGazette|issue=28632|startpage=5721|endpage=5722|date=2 August 1912|accessdate=2008-02-01] Classified "Secret", Fisher's Commission reported in on 27 November 1912, with two follow-up reports on 27 February 1913 and 10 February 1914. [Mackay pp 440-441]

Once the First World War broke out in August 1914, Fisher was a 'constant' visitor to Churchill at the Admiralty. [Mackay pp 456-8]

First Sea Lord (1914-1915)

In October 1914, Lord Fisher was recalled as First Sea Lord, after Prince Louis of Battenberg had been forced to resign because of alleged German ties. "The Times" reported that Fisher "was now entering the close of his 74th year but he was never younger or more vigorous". He resigned on 15 May 1915 amidst bitter arguments with the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, over Gallipoli, causing Churchill's resignation too. Lord Fisher was never entirely enthusiastic about the campaign -- going back and forth in his support to the consternation and frustration of members of the cabinet -- and all-in-all preferred an amphibious attack on the German Baltic Sea coastline, even having the shallow draft battlecruisers HMS "Furious", HMS "Glorious" and HMS "Courageous" constructed for the purpose. As the Gallipoli campaign failed, relations with Churchill had become increasingly acrimonious. One of Fisher's last contributions to naval construction was the projected HMS "Incomparable", a mammoth battlecruiser which took the principles of the "Courageous" class another step further; mounting 20-inch guns, but still with minimal armour, "Incomparable" was never approved for construction.

Last years (1915-1920)

Fisher was made chairman of the Government's Board of Invention and Research, serving in that post until the end of the war. In 1917 he was awarded the Japanese Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia. [LondonGazette|issue=30363|supp=yes|startpage=11322|date=30 October 1917|accessdate=2008-02-01] His wife, Frances, died in July 1918. She was cremated and her ashes were interred in [http://www.thetfordteamministry.org.uk/new_page_5.htm St Andrew's churchyard] , adjacent to Kilverstone Hall, on 22 July. ["The Times", 24 Jul 24, 1918; pg. 9; col A] Her casket was draped with Fisher's flag as Admiral of the Fleet and topped by a coronet.

Fisher died of cancer on 10 July 1920, [LondonGazette|issue=32162|startpage=12341|date=14 December 1920|accessdate=2008-02-01] and he was given a grand national funeral at Westminster Abbey. His coffin was drawn on a gun-carriage through the streets of London to Westminster Abbey by bluejackets, with six admirals as pall-bearers and an escort of Royal Marines, their arms reversed, to the slow beat of muffled drums. [Morris, p 237] That evening, the body was cremated at the Golders Green crematorium. The following day, Fisher's ashes were taken by train to Kilverstone, escorted by a Royal Navy guard of honour, and were placed in the grave of his wife, underneath a chestnut tree, overlooking the figurehead of his first seagoing ship, "Calcutta". [Morris, p 196]

In folklore and popular culture

* Fisher's life is celebrated in the folk song "Old Admirals" by the Scottish singer Al Stewart, and he is expressly referred to in Stewart's earlier song "Manuscript" - "Admiral Lord Fisher is writing to Churchill, calling for more dreadnoughts".

* A reference to Jackie Fisher was hidden as an encrypted message, the Smithy code, by Mr Justice Peter Smith in the April 2006 judgment on the Da Vinci Code plagiarism case. Smith's biography in "Who's Who" stated that he was a "Jackie Fisher fan".

tyles

*1841-1856: John Arbuthnot Fisher
*1856-1860: Midshipman John Arbuthnot Fisher
*1860-1861: Sub-Lieutenant John Arbuthnot Fisher
*1861-1869: Lieutenant John Arbuthnot Fisher
*1869-1876: Commander John Arbuthnot Fisher
*1876-1882: Captain John Arbuthnot Fisher
*1882-1890: Captain John Arbuthnot Fisher, CB
*1890-1894: Rear-Admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher, CB
*1894-1896: Rear-Admiral Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, KCB
*1896-1901: Vice-Admiral Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, KCB
*1901-1902: Admiral Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, KCB
*1902-June 1905: Admiral Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, GCB
*June-December 1905: Admiral Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, GCB, OM
*December 1905-1908: Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, GCB, OM
*1908-1909: Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, GCB, OM, GCVO
*1909-1920: Admiral of the Fleet The Right Honourable the Lord Fisher of Kilverstone, GCB, OM, GCVO

Notes and references

* Bacon, Admiral Sir Reginald Hugh. "The Life of Lord Fisher of Kilverstone VOL 1" New York (1929): Doubleday. Facsimile edition (2007): ISBN 1432593625
* Bacon, Admiral Sir Reginald Hugh. "The Life of Lord Fisher of Kilverstone VOL 2" New York (1929): Doubleday. Facsimile edition (2007): ISBN 143259351X
* Dreyer, Admiral Sir Frederic C, "The Sea Heritage, a Study of Maritime Warfare" pub Museum Press, 1955.
* Mackay, Ruddock F. "Fisher of Kilverstone". London: Oxford University Press, 1973.
* Morris, Jan. "Fisher's Face" London: Viking (1995).
* Massie, Robert K., "." New York: Random House, 1991. ISBN 0394528336
* Arthur Marder. "Fear God and Dread Nought:Correspondence of Admiral of the fleet Lord Fisher", London, Johnathan Cape, 3 vols 1952-59
* Fisher, Lord, Admiral of the fleet "Memories and Records", 2 vols, New York: George H. Doran, 1920
* Fisher's full service record is part of the document piece [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=482839 ADM 196/15] at The National Archives. A full pdf is available (fee may be required) [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7903188&queryType=1&resultcount=8 Documents Online—Image Details—Lord Fisher of Kilverstone, John]

Further reading

* Fisher, John Arbuthnot Fisher, Baron. "Memories, by the Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Fisher." London, New York [etc.] : Hodder and Stoughton, 1919.
* Fisher, John Arbuthnot Fisher, Baron. "Records, by the Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Fisher" London, New York [etc.] : Hodder and Stoughton, 1919.
* Heathcote, T. A. (2002). "The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995". Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0 85052 835 6
* Lambert, Nicholas A. "Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution". Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1999.
* Massie, Robert K. "." Great Britain: Jonathon Cape, 2004.
* Murfett, Malcolm H. "The First Sea Lords from Fisher to Mountbatten". Westport, 1995.
* Sumida, Jon Tetsuro. "In Defence of Naval Supremacy: Finance, Technology, and British Naval Policy 1889-1914." Paperback ed. London and New York: Routledge, 1993.

External links

* [http://www.admirals.org.uk/admirals/fleet/fisherja.php Transcription of Service Record on admirals.org.uk]
* [http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_john_fisher.htm Royal Navy Museum short biography]