born Jan. 25, 1841, Ceylon
died July 10, 1920, London, Eng.
British admiral and first sea lord.
He entered the navy at 13 and saw combat in Crimea, China, and Egypt. Promoted to the Admiralty board in 1892, he became first sea lord in 1904. He reorganized and strengthened the British navy to counter the rapid expansion of the German navy, and his reforms and innovations
including the conception of the battleship
ensured the Royal Navy's dominance in World War I. He retired in 1910; recalled in 1914 by Winston Churchill , he resigned the next year in protest against the {{link=Dardanelles Campaign">Dardanelles Campaign .