Charles James Collins
Commander Charles James Collins, (22 November, 1869 – 12 August, 1908) served in the Royal Navy.
Life & Career
The son of Henry Collins of Reading.
Collins was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 April, 1892. He would survive the sinking of the flagship H.M.S. Victoria in the Mediterranean the following year.
On 9 December, 1903, Collins was appointed to join the armoured cruiser Berwick as first officer. In 1904, Captain Dare noted under the column "whether temperate habits" that Collins was "fairly so" and wondered whether health issues weren't the larger reason for his doubts over Collins. First Sea Lord Sir Walter Kerr, citing private inform personally recorded, "This report has come as a great surprise to me seeing that Comr Collins has always been highly recommended." Collins's appointment as first officer ended when he was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1904, though he remained with the ship until being appointed to Indus II on 1 October.
Collins eventually was appointed in command of H.M.S. Indus, from 15 March 1905 to the end of the year. A series of destroyer commands around Britain commenced, and included a collision c. April 1907 between his destroyer H.M.S. Colne and Falcon for which he was found to be primarily at fault.
Collins was sent to hospital on 11 October 1907 and returned to command Boyne until 15 June 1908.
Collins had received an appointment to command Argonaut dated 18 August, 1908 but he died on 12 August at Folkestone after a two day illness, aged 39.[1][2]
See Also
Bibliography
- Obituary. Commander Collins, R.N. The Times (London, England), Friday, August 14, 1908, Issue 38725, p.11.
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by New Command |
Captain of H.M.S. Salmon 14 Jan, 1896[3] – 4 Jun, 1896 |
Succeeded by John F. E. Green |
| Preceded by Henry C. A. Baynes |
Captain of H.M.S. Dreadnought 20 Aug, 1902 – 27 Sep, 1902 |
Succeeded by Harry L. d'E. Skipwith |
| Preceded by Arthur W. E. Prothero |
Captain of H.M.S. Indus 15 Mar, 1905[4] – 31 Dec, 1905 |
Succeeded by Edwin H. Edwards |
| Preceded by Edwin H. Edwards |
Captain of H.M.S. Nith 1 Jan, 1906 – 1 Apr, 1906 |
Succeeded by Wilmot S. Nicholson |
| Preceded by Douglas W. O'B. Forsyth |
Captain of H.M.S. Swordfish 1 Apr, 1906 – 28 May, 1906 |
Succeeded by Joseph A. Shuter |
| Preceded by Francis G. St. John |
Captain of H.M.S. Colne 28 May, 1906[5] – Sep, 1907 |
Succeeded by Ernest E. Parker |
| Preceded by Ernest E. Parker |
Captain of H.M.S. Boyne Sep, 1907 – 15 Jun, 1908 |
Succeeded by Harold V. Dundas |
Footnotes
