Cyril Samuel Townsend

Admiral Cyril Samuel Townsend, C.B., Royal Navy, Retired (28 June, 1875 – 31 March, 1849) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Townsend was born the son of Rear Admiral S. P. Townsend of Fareham.

Townsend was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 14 January, 1896.

He was lent for command of a torpedo boat in the manoeuvres of 1899, but its number is not recorded.

In October, 1904, he was qualified as an acting interpreter in French. On 1 February, 1905 he was appointed as Lieutenant (G) and (I) in Euryalus on the Australia Station, but official appointments as an interpreter would be infrequent for him. On 30 October, 1905 he married May Elizabeth (maiden name illegible) at Sydney, in New South Wales. He was presently superseded in Euryalus on 23 January, 1906 and returned to England for a temporary gunnery appointment at Excellent and then a role as gunnery officer in Cressy, dated from 13 March, 1906.

Townsend was promoted to the rank of Commander while serving in Cressy on 31 December, 1906. He was superseded in her on 8 January, 1907 work in the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth, where he again drew upon his French skills as an acting interpreter. An appointment in Duncan spanned from 14 January, 1908 to 8 August, 1910.

He took a Signal Course from 22 August, 1910 and then attended the Royal Navy War College from 12 September through 23 December 1910, where he placed fourth out of nine commanders in order of merit.

The first half of 1911 found him in King Edward VII. On 24 July, however, he was appointed to Hercules to serve as Flag Commander to Vice-Admiral Callaghan, who had just transferred his flag to that ship.

From 15 December, 1911, to 5 January, 1912, he served as member of a Conference on Gunnery held at the Admiralty, representing the Vice-Admiral Commanding, Second Division, Home Fleet.

He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 31 December, 1913.

He took command of the Royal Navy War College, Devonport on 19 December, 1913.

The Great War

On 4 July, 1915 Townsend was diagnosed with enteric fever and admitted to Malta Hospital. As was often the case, the illness was protracted. He was brought back to England, arriving on 9 September aboard the Braemar Castle and admitted the following day to Plymouth Hospital to convalesce. He was resurveyed and found fit for service on 11 October, 1915.

In November 1915, he was appointed to command the destroyer Active, but this was cancelled in favour of command of the light cruiser Constance of the Fourth Light Cruiser Squadron. He serving on Constance through the Battle of Jutland where 4 L.C.S. supported the Grand Fleet. Townsend's role was enlaged on 5 January, 1918 to include being second-in-command of the Fourth Light Cruiser Squadron. He would remain in this appointment through the surrender of the German fleet.

Post-War

Townsend was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 19 July, 1924.

Townsend was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 24 May, 1929 and was placed on the Retired List the following day.

Townsend was advanced to the rank of Admiral on the Retired List on 1 September, 1933.

See Also

• Service Records
• Fourth L.C.S. (Royal Navy) at the Battle of Jutland

Naval Appointments
Preceded by James R. P. Hawksley	Captain of H.M.S. Active Nov, 1915	Succeeded by Percy Withers
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Constance Dec, 1915	Succeeded by Edward C. Kennedy
Preceded by Charles W. Keighly-Peach	Captain of Chatham Gunnery School Jan, 1919	Succeeded by Wellwood G. C. Maxwell
Preceded by Harold D. Briggs	Captain of H.M.S. Resolution May, 1921	Succeeded by John E. T. Harper