James Somerville, English admiral and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset (d. 1949)
Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was a Royal Navy officer. He served in the First World War as fleet wireless officer for the Mediterranean Fleet where he was involved in providing naval support for the Gallipoli Campaign. He also served in the Second World War as commander of the newly formed Force H: after the French armistice with Germany, Winston Churchill gave Somerville and Force H the task of neutralizing the main element of the French battle fleet, then at Mers El Kébir in Algeria. After he had destroyed the French Battle fleet, Somerville played an important role in the pursuit and sinking of the German battleship Bismarck.
Somerville later became Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Fleet. In April 1942 Admiral Chūichi Nagumo's powerful Indian Ocean raid inflicted heavy losses on his fleet. However, in spring 1944, with reinforcements, Somerville was able to go on the offensive in a series of aggressive air strikes in the Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies. He spent the remainder of the war in charge of the British naval delegation in Washington, D.C.
1882Jul, 17
James Somerville
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Events on 1882
- 5Jan
Assassination of James A. Garfield
Charles J. Guiteau is found guilty of assassinating US President James A. Garfield, and is sentenced to death by hanging. - 24Mar
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Robert Koch announces the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis. - 6May
Chinese Exclusion Act
The United States Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act. - 6Jun
Cyclone
More than 100,000 inhabitants of Bombay are killed when a cyclone in the Arabian Sea pushes huge waves into the harbour. - 20Aug
1812 Overture
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture debuts in Moscow, Russia.