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[[File:Horace_Hood.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Honourable Horace L. A. Hood in mourning as a {{CaptRN}}, [[Royal Navy]].]] [[Rear-Admiral (Royal Navy)|Rear-Admiral]] {{HON}} '''Horace Lambert Alexander Hood''', K.C.B., M.V.O., D.S.O., Royal Navy (2 October, 1870 &ndash; 31 May, 1916) was an officer of the [[Royal Navy]] during the [[First World War]]. An officer of undoubted ability, he died leading the {{UK-BCS|3}} in action at the [[Battle of Jutland]]. ==Early Life & Career== Hood was born at 40 South Street, London, on 2 October, 1870, the third of five sons of Francis Wheler Hood, Fourth Viscount Hood (1838–1907), and his wife, Edith (d. 1911), daughter of Arthur W. Ward, of Tunbridge Wells. He was a descendant of Samuel, first Viscount Hood, whose younger brother was Alexander Hood, First Viscount Bridport—names famous in British naval history. He passed into the [[H.M.S. Britannia (Training Ship)|''Britannia'']] first in his term.<ref>Temple Patterson. ''Tyrwhitt of the Harwich Force''. p. 295.</ref> He served in the ''Temeraire'', of the Mediterranean Squadron, from September, 1885 to June, 1886, then in the ''Minotaur'' until January, 1887, when he joined the {{UK-2Calliope}}, and in her was present at Samoa in the hurricane of 16 March, 1889 when she narrowly escaped destruction in the roiling harbour waters. In the examinations for the rank of Lieutenant he set a record of 4,398 out of a possible 4,600 marks, and won the [[Beaufort Testimonial]], the [[Goodenough Medal]], and the [[Ryder Memorial Prize]].<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Tuesday, 27 May, 1913. Issue '''40222''', col F, p. 12.</ref> On 10 June, 1891, he was confirmed in the rank of Sub-Lieutenant, dated 2 October, 1889, and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant dated 8 April, 1890.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/26171/pages/3118 no. 26171. p. 3118.] 12 June, 1891.</ref> He had a year's service in the ''Trafalgar'' (June, 1891 – September, 1892), and then spent three years ashore studying gunnery and acting as a staff officer; he next served successively in the {{UK-1RoyalSovereign}}, {{UK-Wildfire}}, {{UK-SansPareil}}, and {{UK-1Cambrian}}. In June, 1897 he was lent to the Egyptian government for the Nile campaign, where he had his first experience of active service, in command of a river gunboat. For his services in the Sudan, Hood was specially promoted to the rank of {{CommRN}} on 15 November, 1898, aged twenty-eight years, one months, and thirteen days.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27023/pages/6692 no. 27023. p. 6692.] 15 November, 1898.</ref> On the outbreak of the South African War, he was employed for three months on transport duties. After serving as commander (1900–03) of the {{UK-1Ramillies}}, flagship of Lord [[Charles Beresford]], second in command in the Mediterranean. On 1 January, 1903 he was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}},<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27512/pages/3 no. 27512. p. 3.] 2 January, 1903.</ref> and in July was appointed to the {{UK-Hyacinth|f=t}}, flagship of Rear-Admiral [[George Lambart Atkinson-Willes|George L. Atkinson-Willes]] on the [[East Indies Station]]. He led the force sent against the Dervishes at Illig, Somaliland, in April 1904, when 627 officers and men of the {{UK-Hyacinth}}, {{UK-Fox}}, and {{UK-Mohawk}}, with a detachment of 127 men of the Hampshire regiment, dislodged the Dervishes after landing in a heavy surf in the dark. For his services in Somaliland he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) dated 7 September, 1904.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27711/pages/5776 no. 27711. p. 5776.] 6 September, 1904.</ref> In March 1906, Hood assumed command of the {{UK-1Berwick}}. He was appointed as naval attaché at Washington, D.C., on 15 October, 1907, after two committee work at the [[Naval Intelligence Department (Royal Navy)|Naval Intelligence Department]]. On 5 December, 1908, he assumed command of the battleship {{UK-Commonwealth}}, and was superseded on 31 December, 1909.{{CN}} On 19 January, 1910, Hood married Ellen, daughter of the late A. E. Touzalin, President of the Chicago, Burlington and Northern Railroad, and widow of George Nickerson, by whom she had had three children. Their marriage took place in Burlington, Iowa, the home of the bride's uncle.<ref>"Marriages" (Marriages). ''The Times''. Friday, 21 January, 1910. Issue '''39175''', col B, p. 11.</ref><ref>''"Dear Lady"''. pp. 425-426.</ref> They had two sons. On the occasion of King George V's coronation he 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 19 June, 1911.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28505/supplements/4588 (Supplement) no. 28505. p. 4588.] 19 June, 1911.</ref> Hood commanded the [[Royal Naval College, Osborne|Royal Naval College]] at Osborne from October, 1910 to January, 1913. On 22 May he commissioned the dreadnought battleship {{UK-Centurion}} at Devonport, in the knowledge that he would shortly relinquish the command on promotion to flag rank.<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Friday, 23 May, 1913. Issue '''40219''', col G, p. 4.</ref> Ironically, a few days earlier he had acted as prosecutor at the Court-Martial of his predecessor in command of the ''Centurion'', Captain [[Guy Reginald Archer Gaunt|Guy R. A. Gaunt]], over a collision between the ship with the {{UK-Majestic}} in 1912.<ref>"The Centurion Collision" (News). ''The Times''. Tuesday, 20 May, 1913. Issue '''40216''', col B, p. 10.</ref> Hood was promoted to the rank of {{RearRN}} on 17 May, vice [[Charles Henry Coke|Coke]],<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28722/pages/3753 no. 28722. p. 3753.] 27 May, 1913.</ref> and hoisted his flag on board the [[H.M.S. Centurion (1911)|''Centurion'']] for three months. In June, 1914 he became naval secretary to the [[First Lord of the Admiralty]], [[Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill|Winston Churchill]]. ==Great War== [[File:Rear-Admiral Horace Hood.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Hood as a Rear-Admiral.<br><small>Image: In the collection of Simon Harley.</small>]] In October, 1914 Hood was placed in command of a small naval force assisting the British and Belgian armies in stemming the German advance towards the channel ports, [[The Dover Patrol]]. He was mentioned in despatches by Field Marshal Sir John French, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29072/supplements/1647 (Supplement) no. 29072. p. 1647.] 16 February, 1915.</ref> On 27 May, 1915 he took command of the {{UK-BCS|3}} of the [[Grand Fleet]], with his flag in the {{UK-Invincible}}.<ref name=Record>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} p. 114.</ref> ===Jutland=== On 30 May, 1916 Hood's squadron sailed with the main body of the fleet from [[Scapa Flow]], and on the 31st, during the preliminaries of the [[Battle of Jutland]], was stationed twenty-five miles ahead of the battle fleet. When news arrived at 3.40 pm that Vice-Admiral [[David Richard Beatty, First Earl Beatty|Beatty]]'s Battle Cruiser Fleet was engaged, Hood was detached to the east-south-eastward at full speed to support. Two hours later he came into action in support of the light cruiser ''Chester'', which, hard pressed by [[Konteradmiral (Kaiserliche Marine)|Konterdmiral]] [[Friedrich Bödicker]]'s second scouting group (light cruisers), was retiring under heavy fire to the westward. Hood, hearing the gunfire to the north-west, turned towards it. His appearance surprised Boedicker, who, abandoning chase of the ''Chester'', gave his commander-in-chief, [[Admiral (Kaiserliche Marine)|Admiral]] [[Reinhard Karl Friedrich von Scheer|Scheer]], information by wireless that the British main body was to the north-eastward. At the same time, [[Vizeadmiral (Kaiserliche Marine)|Vizeadmiral]] [[Franz Ritter von Hipper|Hipper]], with the German battle cruisers, believing himself headed by the whole British fleet, turned south-west to rejoin his own battleships. This was a decisive moment in the battle, and it has been said that by his intervention "Hood was the magician that pulled off the trick" that prevented the near destruction of the British fleet. Hood found Beatty's squadron, and turned to form the vanguard of the Battlecruiser Fleet. Within a few minutes he was closely engaged with Hipper's battle cruisers, now coming up again from the southward. After about ten minutes of battle, in which the flagship had been hit several times, Hood called to ''Invincible's'' gunnery officer ([[Hubert Dannreuther]]): "Your fire is very good. Keep at it as quickly as you can; every shot is telling". Five minutes later (18.34) a shell from {{DE-Derfflinger}} burst in ''Invincible's'' "Q" turret. The flash went down to the magazine, which immediately exploded, and the ship, breaking in half, sank in a cloud of smoke, leaving her bow and stern standing out of the water to mark where she lay. Hood, and all his ship's company save six, perished. After the battle Beatty told the [[Second Sea Lord]], [[Frederick Tower Hamilton|Sir Frederick T. Hamilton]], "You should have seen him bring his squadron into action[,] it would have done your heart good, no one could have died a more glorious death."<ref>Hamilton diary entry for 7 June, 1916. National Maritime Museum. HTN/106.</ref> ==Aftermath== On 15 September he was posthumously appointed an Additional Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.).<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29751/supplements/9070 (Supplement) no. 29751. p. 9070.] 15 September, 1916.</ref> Lady Hood died at Sandwich on 1 October, 1950.<ref>"Deaths" (Deaths). ''The Times''. Tuesday, 3 October, 1950. Issue '''51812''', col B, p. 1.</ref> ==See Also== {{WP|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Lambert_Alexander_Hood}} ==Bibliography== {{refbegin}} *{{MarderFDSFIII}} *Turner, Frederick Jackson; Hooper, Alice Forbes Perkins (1970). ed. Billington, Ray Allen. ''"Dear Lady": the letters of Frederick Jackson Turner and Alice Forbes Perkins Hooper, 1910-1932''. San Marino, CA: Huntington Library. {{refend}} ==Papers== {{refbegin}} *[http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD/GBR/0014/HOOD Papers in the possession of Churchill Archives Centre, University of Cambridge.] {{refend}} ==Service Records== {{refbegin}} *{{TNA|ADM 196/88.|D8115384}} *{{TNA|ADM 196/43.|D8112200}} {{refend}} <div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}} {{TabNaval}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''New Command'''|'''[[H.M.S. Cygnet (1898)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Cygnet'']]'''<br>28 Nov, 1899<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref> &ndash; 3 Jan, 1900<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Cecil Spencer Hickley|Cecil S. Hickley]]'''}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Douglas Austin Gamble|Douglas A. Gamble]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Hyacinth (1898)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Hyacinth'']]'''<br>21 Jul, 1903<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref> &ndash; 20 Aug, 1905<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Douglas Romilly Lothian Nicholson|Douglas R. L. Nicholson]]'''}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Charles Holcombe Dare|Charles H. Dare]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Berwick (1902)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Berwick'']]'''<br>13 Mar, 1906<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref> &ndash; 12 Aug, 1907<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Lewis Clinton-Baker|Lewis Clinton-Baker]]'''}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Frank Edward Cavendish Ryan|Frank E. C. Ryan]]'''|'''[[Naval Attaché (Royal Navy)|Royal Navy Naval Attaché at Washington, D.C.]]'''<br>16 Aug, 1907<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref> &ndash; 11 Nov, 1908<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Charles FitzGerald Sowerby|Charles F. Sowerby]]'''}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Godfrey Harry Brydges Mundy|Godfrey H. B. Mundy]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Commonwealth (1903)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Commonwealth'']]'''<br>5 Dec, 1908<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref> &ndash; 31 Dec, 1909<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[George Alexander Ballard|George A. Ballard]]'''}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Arthur Henry Christian|Arthur H. Christian]]'''|'''[[Royal Naval College, Osborne|Captain of Royal Naval College, Osborne]]'''<br>5 Oct, 1910<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref> &ndash; 16 Jan, 1913<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Rudolf Walter Bentinck|Rudolf W. Bentinck]]'''}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Guy Reginald Archer Gaunt|Guy R. A. Gaunt]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Centurion (1911)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Centurion'']]'''<br>16 Jan, 1913<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref> &ndash; 10 Aug, 1913<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Michael Culme-Seymour, Fourth Baronet|Michael Culme-Seymour]]'''}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair|Dudley R. S. de Chair]]'''|'''[[Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty|Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty]]'''<br>1 Jun, 1914<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Thursday, 28 May, 1914. Issue '''40535''', col B, p. 12.</ref><ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref> &ndash; 13 Oct, 1914<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Henry Francis Oliver|Henry F. Oliver]]'''}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''New Command'''|'''[[Dover Patrol|Rear-Admiral, Dover Patrol]]'''<br>3 Oct, 1914{{SMNLDec14|p. 6}} &ndash; 13 Apr, 1915<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 114.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Reginald Hugh Spencer Bacon|Sir Reginald H. S. Bacon]]'''<br><small>as '''Vice-Admiral, Dover Patrol'''</small>}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[George Bowes Hutton|George B. Hutton]]'''<br><small>as '''Senior Officer, Cruiser Force E'''</small>|'''[[Eleventh Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)|Rear-Admiral Commanding, Eleventh Cruiser Squadron]]'''<br>13 Apr, 1915<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/88.}} f. 9.</ref> &ndash; 24 May, 1915<ref>Hood Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/88.}} f. 9.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Drury St. Aubyn Wake|Drury St. A. Wake]]'''<br><small>as '''Captain Commanding, Eleventh Cruiser Squadron'''</small>}} {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''New Command'''|'''[[Third Battle Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)|Rear-Admiral Commanding, Third Battle Cruiser Squadron]]'''<br>27 May, 1915{{UKCeased|p. 26ex}} &ndash; 31 May, 1916|Succeeded by<br>'''Command Abolished'''}} {{TabEnd}} </div name=fredbot:appts> ==Footnotes== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hood, Horace}} {{CatPerson|UK|1870|1916}} {{CatBritannia|July, 1883}} [[Category:Winners of the Beaufort Testimonial]] [[Category:Winners of the Ryder Memorial Prize]] [[Category:Winners of the Goodenough Medal]] {{CatGunneryOfficer|UK}} [[Category:Rear-Admirals Commanding, Dover Patrol]] [[Category:Rear-Admirals Commanding, Cruiser Force E]] [[Category:Rear-Admirals Commanding, Third Battle Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)]] {{CatRearAdmiral|UK}} {{CatKilledOnActiveService|UK}}

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