John Mackenzie McQuhae

Captain John Mackenzie McQuhae, C.B., R.N. (8 June, 1847 – 16 July, 1900) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

McQuhae was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 6 February, 1872.

He was appointed in command of the paddle wheel dispatch vessel Salamis on 1 October, 1879.

McQuhae was promoted to the rank of Commander dated 30 June, 1885. On 26 April, 1886, he was appointed to Victor Emanuel, guard ship at Hong Kong. Though his appointment was to be for two years, he was invalided out on 8 June, 1887 with a bladder disease and embarked on S.S. Verona for transport homeward, arriving in England on 30 July, medically unfit to be resurveyed in three months time. He returned to fitness on 21 January, 1888.

On 5 March, 1890, McQuhae was praised for services rendered in assisting the French gunboat Bouvet, which had been stranded at Zanzibar. The French government offered its thanks on the 20th. It may not have hurt that McQuhae spoke French well. Promoted to Captain dated 31 December, 1890, an evaluation from Vice Admiral Fremantle on 31 March, 1891 indicated the Admiral could "only speak in highest terms of this officer."

McQuhae was appointed in command of the armoured cruiser Imperieuse on 1 April, 1892.

McQuhae was appointed in command of the second class battleship Centurion on 14 April, 1894. In July, however, he was chastised for lax handling of confidential materials when it was reported that two copies of the Torpedo Manual in Imperieuse could not be accounted for.

In January, 1896, he was appointed in command of the second class protected cruiser Charybdis.

On the occasion of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee McQuhae was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 22 June, 1897.

On account of his ill health and being over fifty years old, in accordance with the provisions of the Order in Council of 22 February, 1870, McQuhae was placed on the Retired List, at his own request, dated 14 June, 1900.

He died only one month later, on 16 July.

See Also

• Wikipedia

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/39.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/17.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by William H. G. Nowell	Captain of H.M.S. Foxhound 25 Dec, 1880 – 5 Jun, 1885	Succeeded by Stephen H. Thompson
Preceded by ?	Captain of H.M.S. Racoon 4 Jul, 1888 – 28 Aug, 1888	Succeeded by George F. King-Hall
Preceded by Charles T. Turner	Captain of H.M.S. Cossack 1 Jan, 1889	Succeeded by Charles H. Cross
Preceded by Edmund S. Poë	Captain of H.M.S. Imperieuse 1 Mar, 1892 – 14 Apr, 1894	Succeeded by Charles H. Adair
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Centurion 14 Apr, 1894 – 21 Mar, 1895	Succeeded by Spencer H. M. Login
Preceded by Henry Hart Dyke	Captain of H.M.S. Charybdis 14 Jan, 1896 – 19 Dec, 1896	Succeeded by Daniel McN. Riddel
Preceded by William A. D. Acland	Captain of H.M.S. Australia 22 Sep, 1897 – 26 Oct, 1899	Succeeded by Charles H. Adair