Charles Beecham Land

From The Dreadnought Project
Jump to: navigation, search

Commander (retired) Charles Beecham Land, R.N. (1 June, 1884 – 28 March, 1947) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Born in London.

Land was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 July, 1904.

Land was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 15 July, 1912.

Land was appointed in command of the submarine E 5 on 31 August, 1912.[1]

Land was injured in an explosion aboard a submarine in late June, 1913 and went to Haslar Hospital to be treated for shock. He was found fit on 8 September and left E 5 when he was appointed to the battleship Canopus as first officer on 16 September, 1913. He was still in this appointment when he was admitted to Plymouth Hospital on 24 July, 1914 for an ingrown toenail, of all things. He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 25 July 1914.

Almost immediately, the war demanded his return to service, and Land was appointed to Maidstone for submarines, on the books of Adamant dated 5 August. On 31 October 1914 he was appointed to Forth as first officer.

Land was granted the acting rank of Commander on 26 October, 1916.

On 28 April, 1917, Land was appointed to Peveril, A.K.A. Q36, to assume command upon her commissioning as H.M.S. Puma. She was damaged in an attack by UC 65 off Southwest England on 30 March 1917, killing nine of her crew. He was superseded in command on 21 July, 1917 in light that he was unable to cope with the psychological strain of Q-ship work.

The Navy tried a somewhat lighter role for him by placing him in command of a "P" boat on 13 August. This, too, proved too much, and he was sent to Haslar on 1 September, suffering from neurasthenia. He was superseded in his command one week later and eventually found fit for shore service by late October. He was sent to Vernon to work with her Paravane section. Though he was declared fit for active service at the end of January, 1918, it was on the proviso that it be in ships larger than a destroyer. Nonetheless, Land remained at Vernon until he reverted to the Retired List on 15 February, 1919.

Land was promoted to the rank of Commander (retired) in recognition of his wartime service, dated 11 November, 1918.

World War II

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Arthur Rice
Captain of H.M. T.B. 53
14 Jul, 1904[2]
Succeeded by
Aubrey T. Tillard
Preceded by
?
Captain of H.M.S. C 14
1 Apr, 1908[3] – 4 Jan, 1910
Succeeded by
Gilbert E. Venning
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. E 5
15 May, 1913 – 16 Sep, 1913
Succeeded by
Charles S. Benning
Preceded by
Reginald W. Lawrence
Captain of H.M.S. P45
13 Aug, 1917 – 7 Sep, 1917
Succeeded by
Herbert J. Carn-Duff

Footnotes

  1. The Navy List. (July, 1913). p. 301.
  2. "Appointments for the Naval Manoeuvres." The Times (London, England), Saturday, Jul 09, 1904; pg. 12; Issue 37442.
  3. The Navy List. (January, 1910). p. 286.