Louis Henry Keppel Hamilton DSO, RN

Born  31 Dec 1890
Died  27 Jun 1957(66)


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Ranks

30 Jun 1911 S.Lt.
30 Jun 1913 Lt.
30 Jun 1921 Lt.Cdr.
31 Dec 1926 Cdr.
31 Dec 1932 Capt.
15 Jan 1941 Rear-Admiral
31 Dec 1943 Vice-Admiral
16 May 1947 Admiral

Retired: 26 Sep 1948


Decorations

24 Sep 1915 DSO
26 Sep 1940 Bar to DSO
6 Jan 1942 Mentioned in Despatches (MID)
1 Jan 1943 CB
1 Jan 1944 Mentioned in Despatches (MID)
8 Jun 1944 KCB

Warship Commands listed for Louis Henry Keppel Hamilton, RN


ShipRankTypeFromTo
HMS Delhi (D 74)Capt.Light cruiser24 Aug 193916 Dec 1939
HMS Aurora (12)Capt.Light cruiser22 Jan 19401 Oct 1940
HMS Prince of Wales (53)Capt.Battleship5 Oct 194015 Feb 1941

Career information

We currently have no career / biographical information on this officer.

Events related to this officer

Light cruiser HMS Delhi (D 74)


25 Oct 1939 (position 64.00, -11.40)
The German merchant Rheingold (5055 GRT) is intercepted and captured south-east of Iceland in position 64°00'N, 11°40W by the British light cruiser HMS Delhi (Capt L.H.K. Hamilton, DSO, RN).

12 Nov 1939 (position 63.09, -11.38)
The German merchant Mecklenburg (7892 GRT, built 1921) is intercepted east off Iceland in position 63°09'N, 11°38'W by the British light cruiser HMS Delhi (Capt L.H.K. Hamilton, DSO, RN). However before the German ship can be captured she is scuttled by her crew.


Light cruiser HMS Aurora (12)


8 Jul 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
During the night of 8/9 July 1940, HMS Aurora (Capt. L.H.K. Hamilton, DSO, RN), reinforced the destroyers on patrol 'U'. These were still HMS Kashmir (Cdr. H.A. King, RN) and HMS Kelvin (Cdr. J.H. Allison, DSO, RN).

HMS Aurora departed Immingham around 2200A/8 and returned around 1100A/9. (1)

10 Jul 1940
Around 2000A/10, the light cruiser HMS Aurora (Capt. L.H.K. Hamilton, DSO, RN) and the destroyers HMS Intrepid (Cdr. R.G. Gordon, RN) and HMS Icarus (Lt.Cdr. C.D. Maud, DSC, RN) departed Immingham for patrol 'U'.

At 0513A/11, HMS Aurora was attacked by a single German aircraft which dropped seven bombs which missed and fell on the starboard quarter. Around 0555A/11, she was attacked again but the aircraft dropped no bombs.

They returned to Immingham around 0900A/11. (1)

3 Aug 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1920A/3, HMS Aurora (Capt. L.H.K. Hamilton, DSO, RN) departed Immingham to join and HMS Javelin (Cdr. A.F. Pugsley, RN) and HMS Jaguar (Lt.Cdr. J.F.W. Hine, RN) on patrol 'U' for the night.

HMS Aurora returned to the Humber around 0610C/4. (2)


Battleship HMS Prince of Wales (53)


19 Jan 1941
HMS Prince of Wales (Rear Admiral L.H.K. Hamilton, DSO and Bar, RN) was commissioned at Birkenhead with a reduced complement. (3)

28 Jan 1941
HMS Prince of Wales (Rear Admiral L.H.K. Hamilton, DSO and Bar, RN) departed Liverpool for Rosyth. She was escorted by the destroyers HMS Highlander (Cdr. S. Boucher, RN), HMS Hesperus (Cdr. D.G.F.W. MacIntyre, RN) and HMS Havelock (Cdr. E.H. Thomas, RN).

At 1825 hours the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Curacoa (Capt. C.C. Hughes-Hallett, RN) also joined.

At 0850/29 the destroyer HMS Jackal (Cdr. C.L. Firth, MVO, RN) joined until 1253 hours when she departed the screen.

Shortly before 1600/29 light cruiser HMS Nigeria (Capt. J.G.L. Dundas, RN) and the destroyers HMS Inglefield (Capt. P. Todd, DSO, RN), HMS Maori (Cdr. H.T. Armstrong, DSC, RN) and HMAS Nizam (Lt.Cdr M.J. Clark, RAN) joined coming from Scapa Flow. HMS Hesperus and HMS Havelock were then detached. (3)

30 Jan 1941
At 1645 hours, HMS Prince of Wales (Rear Admiral L.H.K. Hamilton, DSO and Bar, RN), entered no.1 dock at the Rosyth Dockyard for further outfitting. (3)

Sources

  1. ADM 53/111499 + ADM 199/375 + ADM 199/379
  2. ADM 53/111500 + ADM 199/375
  3. ADM 53/114884

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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