Louis Wentworth Pakington Chetwynd
Captain (retired) THE HONOURABLE Louis Wentworth Pakington Chetwynd, (15 December, 1866 – 18 April, 1914) served in the Royal Navy. A navigator, his lasting contribution was the invention of the Chetwynd Compass, whose superlative qualities apparently extended earlier ideas from Captain Ettrick William Creak.
Life & Career
The son of Captain The Hon. Henry Weyland Chetwynd was born in St. Germaine, France.
Chetwynd was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 April, 1890.
On 9 May 1894 he was appointed to the third class protected cruiser Ringarooma on the Australian Station.
On 10 December, 1894 he was Court Martialed for having by negligence or by default suffering Ringarooma to be stranded. He was sentenced to be severely reprimanded and was dismissed his ship. He returned home in H.M.S. Crescent. This was really his only known serious error – his service record is fairly positive.
On 9 March, 1895 he was appointed to Rainbow for navigation duties.
After completing his last-ever seagoing appointment, fourteen months as navigator in the battleship H.M.S. Ramillies, on 1 October 1900 he was permitted to undertake six months study at the Royal Naval College and at Kew, in preparation for being appointed as Assistant Superintendant of Compasses, which followed on 1 April, 1901.
Promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1901, he was re-appointed as Assistant Superintendant, which post he held until he was appointed Superintendent of Compasses on 1 October, 1904.
CHetwynd was placed on the Retired List at his own request after five years' shore employment on 18 October, 1905.
Chetwynd was promoted to the rank of Captain on the Retired List dated 7 December, 1910. In that year, he was awarded £2,700 in consideration of the use of the compass and compass gear he had patented.
He continued to work as Superintendent of Compasses until 15 December, 1912.
See Also
Bibliography
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by Cyril E. Tower |
Captain of H.M. T.B. 47 1 May, 1890[1] – 2 Jun, 1890 |
Succeeded by ? |
Footnotes
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Wednesday, Apr 23, 1890; pg. 10; Issue 32993.
