Astley Dundas Cooper Cooper-Key

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Captain Astley Dundas Cooper Cooper-Key, D.S.O., R.N., Retired (30 December, 1883 – 18 April, 1951) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Cooper-Key was born in London and gained four months time on passing out of Britannia. He was sent to join Mars in January, 1900 and at the end of October, transferred to Glory in the Mediterranean. Cooper-Key left her and arrived back in England on 8 May 1903 to join the Royal Naval College on 26 May.[1]

Cooper-Key was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 31 December, 1905.[2]

Cooper-Key was appointed Lieutenant & Commander of the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 87 in October, 1912.[3] He lost a torpedo from the vessel in October 1913 due to "indifferent handling" of his T.B..[4]

He was appointed in command of the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 81 on 16 December, 1913[5] and placed in command of the Portland Flotilla. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 31 December, 1913. Cooper-Key remained in command of T.B. 81 until 16 March, 1916, but not to his complete satisfaction, as he applied for command of an "H" class destroyer on 12 July, 1915.[6]

In March, 1916, it was reported that Cooper-Key had been in command of the Portland Flotilla and that he had shown great zeal and ability. He would be awarded a D.S.O. for his conduct in this appointment. Beginning that same month, Cooper-Key passed briefly through command of three destroyers before being appointed to commission the new Opportune and to move to the Unity on transfer, which occurred around June, 1916.[7]

Cooper-Key left Opportune when he was appointed in command of Thruster and then destroyer Matchless in March, 1917. He grounded Matchless at some point in 1918 and was mentioned in despatches for his role in blocking operations at Ostend on 9-10 May, 1918.[8]

Post-War

Cooper-Key was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1918 and commenced a decade of peacetime naval work typical of wartime destroyer commanders, attending courses and overseeing a variety of ships. He received the Belgian Croix de Guerre in 1921.[9]

Cooper-Key was placed on the Retired List at his own request with the rank of Captain on 24 July, 1930.[10]

Cooper-Key attended a Sea Transport Officers' Course in 1934.

World War II

In August 1938, he was called up to be District Sea Transport Officer, Glasgow, as he had by this point taken two S.T.O. courses. In mid-1940, he undertook the same post at Aberdeen. Two years later, he moved to Leith. He served through the end of the war, being reverted to the Retired List on 13 January, 1946. Cooper-Key died of lung cancer about five years later.[11]

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Wilfred N. Custance 		Captain of H.M. T.B. 58
3 Jan, 1905[12][13] – 4 Apr, 1905[14] 		Succeeded by
Cecil H. B. Gowan
Preceded by
George C. Spiller 		Captain of H.M. T.B. 87
Oct, 1912[15][16] – 16 Dec, 1913[17] 		Succeeded by
George N. Gilbertson
Preceded by
Stephen Phillimore 		Captain of H.M. T.B. 81
16 Dec, 1913[18][19] – 16 Mar, 1916[20] 		Succeeded by
Martin J. C. de Meric
Preceded by
New Command 		Captain of H.M.S. Nomad
23 Mar, 1916[21] – late Mar, 1916[22] 		Succeeded by
Paul Whitfield
Preceded by
John I. Hallett 		Captain of H.M.S. Tigress
c. 1 Apr, 1916[23] – 24 Apr, 1916[24] 		Succeeded by
Joseph H. L. Yorke
Preceded by
Arthur Henniker-Heaton 		Captain of H.M.S. Lyra
24 Apr, 1916[25] – 6 Jun, 1916[26] 		Succeeded by
Thomas H. G. Barton
Preceded by
Arthur M. Lecky 		Captain of H.M.S. Unity
Jun, 1916[27] – 14 Mar, 1917[28] 		Succeeded by
Frederic C. Bradley
Preceded by
New Command 		Captain of H.M.S. Thruster
14 Mar, 1917[29] – Mar, 1917[30] 		Succeeded by
George L. D. Gibbs
Preceded by
George L. D. Gibbs 		Captain of H.M.S. Matchless
Mar, 1917[31][32] – 25 Feb, 1919[33] 		Succeeded by
Godfrey R. Chambers
Preceded by
Godfrey R. Chambers 		Captain of H.M.S. Termagant
25 Feb, 1919[34][35] – 12 Apr, 1919[36] 		Succeeded by
Alfred E. Evans
Preceded by
George B. Hartford 		Captain of H.M.S. Marne
16 Apr, 1919[37][38] – 15 Aug, 1919[39] 		Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
Harry L. Boyle 		Captain of H.M.S. Adventure
15 Aug, 1919[40][41] – Nov, 1919[42] 		Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
Robert G. Hamond 		Captain of H.M.S. Malcolm
13 Dec, 1919[43][44] – Jan, 1920[45][Inference] 		Succeeded by
Claud F. Allsup
Preceded by
Percy Pitts 		Captain of H.M.S. Dartmouth
30 Jan, 1923[46][47] – 7 Nov, 1923[48] 		Succeeded by
John E. Cameron
Preceded by
Edward McC. W. Lawrie 		Captain of H.M.S. Witherington
1 Jan, 1924[49][50] – 15 Jan, 1926[51] 		Succeeded by
Edye K. Boddam-Whetham
Preceded by
Norman M. C. Thurstan 		Captain of H.M.S. Dartmouth
1 Jan, 1927[52][53] – 22 Jul, 1927[54] 		Succeeded by
Gerard A. Wells
Preceded by
Gerard A. Wells 		Captain of H.M.S. Weymouth
1 Apr, 1927[55] 		Succeeded by
?

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  2. ↑ The Navy List. (March, 1913). p. 17.
  3. ↑ The Navy List. (March, 1913). p. 401.
  4. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  5. ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 401a.
  6. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  7. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  8. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  9. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  10. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  11. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  12. ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Saturday, December 24, 1904, Issue 37586, p.4.
  13. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  14. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  15. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  16. ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1913). p. 401a.
  17. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  18. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  19. ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 401.
  20. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  21. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  22. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  23. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  24. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  25. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  26. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  27. ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1916). p. 398u.
  28. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  29. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  30. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  31. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  32. ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 844.
  33. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  34. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  35. ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 844.
  36. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  37. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  38. ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 844.
  39. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  40. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  41. ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 844.
  42. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  43. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  44. ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 844.
  45. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  46. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  47. ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 844.
  48. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  49. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  50. ↑ The Navy List. (July, 1924). p. 290.
  51. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  52. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  53. ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 844.
  54. ↑ Cooper-Key Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/29. f. 15.
  55. ↑ The Navy List. (July, 1927). p. 288.

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