This essay is about Admiral Fisher from ww1. We had to write a biography on an influencial figure from that time

Essay by gihsHigh School, 10th gradeA, November 2003

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Admiral Fisher

1841-1920

Fisher entered the Navy at age of 13. He was a Midshipman in the Crimean War and in China which was 1859-60, where he took part in the capture of Canton. He was promoted to Captain in 1874 and he commanded various ships. During the bombardment of Alexandria 1882 he was a key part of it as Commander of the battleship Inflexible.

He held the post of Director of Naval Ordinance and Torpedoes for five years and was appointed to the Admiralty board as Third Sea Lord and Controller of the navy in 1892 where he was responsible for the material efficiency of the fleet. He was knighted in 1894 and became Second Sea lord in 1902 and finally First Sea Lord in 1904.

During his time as First Sea Lord Fisher made changes in the organization of the fleet, the administration of dockyards, ship construction, the development of submarines, the conversion of the navy's ships from the use of coal to that of oil, and weapon development.

To compete with the rapid growing German Navy he reinforced the British naval forces in home waters and scrapped older obsolete ships which released men to full up ships in reserve.

He was also responsible for the creation of the battleship "Dreadnought", the prototype of the all-big-gun ship that revolutionized naval construction and was immediately copied by Germany. When the competition with the German navy became severe Germany built more "Dreadnoughts" than England in one year, he persuaded the British government to begin the construction of eight new battleships. He also created the lightly armoured Invincible-type battle cruisers, which carried heavy armaments but relied on speed for their protection. However in the war these proved to be outclassed by the heavily armoured German battle cruisers.

He retired in January...