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Robert Don Oliver

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Royal Navy Vice Admiral (1895–1980)

Vice-Admiral
Robert Oliver
CB CBE DSC DL
Born17 March 1895
Died6 October 1980
Service / branch Royal Navy
Years of service–1948
RankVice admiral
CommandsHMS Iron Duke
HMS Devonshire
HMS Excellent
HMS Swiftsure
Battles / warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Cross

Robert Don Oliver (17 March 1895 – 6 October 1980) was a Royal Navy officer who was appointed Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff.

Naval career

Oliver served in World War I taking part in the Battle of the Falkland Islands in 1914, fighting at Gallipoli in 1915 and then undertaking mine-laying off the German and Belgian coast. Promoted to captain, he was given command of HMS Iron Duke in 1939.

He also served in World War II and was commanding HMS Devonshire, a heavy cruiser, on 21 November 1941, when he was informed that codebreakers had determined that German U-boats were going to be surfacing near him, to refuel from a merchant raider, the Hilfskreuzer (cruiser) Atlantis. Using the intelligence, Devonshire sunk Atlantis. He later commanded the gunnery school HMS Excellent and then the cruiser HMS Swiftsure.

After the War he was appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Weapons) and then Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff in 1946. His last appointment, in 1947, was as Flag Officer commanding the 5th Cruiser Squadron, before he retired on 26 September 1948, and was promoted to vice-admiral on the same day.

In retirement he became Deputy Lieutenant of Roxburghshire.

Family

In 1928 he married Torfrida Lois Acantha Huddart; there were no children. Following the death of his first wife, he married Mrs M.J. Glendinning van der Velde in 1965.

References

  1. National Maritime Museum
  2. ^ Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  3. HMS Devonshire at www.uboat.net
  4. Churchill Society
  5. "No. 38461". The London Gazette. 19 November 1948. p. 6076.
  6. ^ Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945
Military offices
VacantTitle last held bySir Tom Phillips Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff
1946–1947 		VacantTitle next held bySir Edward Evans-Lombe
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