Lachlan Donald Ian MacKinnon

Vice-Admiral Lachlan Donald Ian MacKinnon, C.B., C.V.O., Royal Navy (2 December, 1882 – 11 October, 1948) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the First World War.

Life & Career

The son of Reverend Donald MacKinnon was born in Speldhurst, Tunbridge.

MacKinnon passed out of Britannia in December, 1897 ranked fifteenth of the sixty-four cadets who passed out, with 1664 marks.

From early 1898 through April 1903, MacKinnon served in Prince George, Dido, and the destroyer Syren. He then had a four-year stint in the battleship Russell, in which he was promoted to Lieutenant on 31 December 1903. In 1904, he was swept up in a scandal of "irregularities" of gun room accounts in the ship involving an Assistant Purser Homer Baird. MacKinnon was caught in the blame-o-sphere, but the penalty was merely to suffer the Admiralty's displeasure. In December 1905, Captain Jerram evaluated MacKinnon as an "excellent officer" and recommended the lieutenant for Gunnery.

He remained in Russell until being sent to H.M.S. Excellent to qualify in gunnery on 17 August, 1907.

He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 31 December, 1911. He was sent back to his old ship Prince George for the Annual Manoeuvres of 1912. After August of that year, he was involved in a series of shore-based positions until being appointed to the battlecruiser Indomitable of the First Battle Cruiser Squadron as gunnery officer on 5 April, 1913. This was a plumb appointment, indeed.

MacKinnon served as gunnery officer in Indomitable from 1914 to 1916, and as Lieutenant Commander (G), directed her fire at the Battle of Jutland, writing the ship's gunnery report of the action. He was commended for his service at Jutland, and promoted to Commander, dated 30 June, 1916.

MacKinnon was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1923.

MacKinnon was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 3 March, 1935.

MacKinnon was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 30 November, 1938.

MacKinnon was placed on the Retired List on 11 January, 1939. He was admitted to Northern Hospital, Liverpool, suffering from pneumonia on 20 October 1940, and was discharged on 11 November.

See Also

• H.M.S. Indomitable at the Battle of Jutland
• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• "Vice-Admiral L. D. I. MacKinnon" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 14 October, 1948. Issue 51202, col D, p. 6.

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/142.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/126.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/91.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/47

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Colin A. M. Sarel	Captain of H.M.S. Assistance 18 Aug, 1924 – May, 1926	Succeeded by Albert J. Robertson
Preceded by Bertram H. Ramsay	Captain of H.M.S. Danae 28 Jan, 1927 – Apr, 1928	Succeeded by William B. Mackenzie
Preceded by ?	Deputy Director of Training and Staff Duties 24 Dec, 1928 – 1 Aug, 1930	Succeeded by William F. Wake-Walker
Preceded by Stephen D. Tillard	Captain of the Fleet, Mediterranean Fleet 1 Aug, 1930 – 18 Aug, 1932	Succeeded by St. Aubyn B. Wake
Preceded by Amyot J. Mitchell	Captain of H.M.S. Warspite 10 Aug, 1932 – 16 Jan, 1934	Succeeded by Arthur G. Talbot