William Speke
Commander (retired) William Speke (3 November, 1874 – 1 March, 1922) was an officer in the Royal Navy.
Life & Career
Speke was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 October, 1896.
Speke was in command of the destroyer Viper when she ran aground on rocks was subsequently lost while participating in annual manoeuvres on 3 August, 1901. A Court Martial found that he had not kept an accurate record of courses and had failed to take suitable precautions in the fog. His navigating sub-lieutenant, Alan James Mackenzie-Grieve was found guilty of inserting courses into the ship's log after the fact.[1]
Speke was noted as being a very steady officer, with some knowledge of French.
Speke was retired as unfit on 31 July, 1902.
Speke was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 1 October, 1904.
Speke was promoted to the rank of Commander on 3 November, 1914.
Speke died in Simons Town.
See Also
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by ? |
Captain of H.M.S. Viper ? – 3 Aug, 1901 |
Succeeded by ? |
Footnotes
- ↑ Hepper. British Warship Losses in the Ironclad Era: 1860-1919. p. 16.
