Thomas Hastings (Royal Navy officer)

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 31790, the fourth son (and seventh child) of Rev. James Hastings (later Rector of Martley, Worcestershire) and Elizabeth (nee 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 reach 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. 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 31870 at his home in London.

His son, Francis Hastings, also became an admiral, as well as a justice of the peace.

External links

*http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowBiog.php?id=158
*http://www.martley.org.uk/people/hastingsclose.htm