Cecil Vivian Usborne

Vice-Admiral Cecil Vivian Usborne, C.B., C.M.G., Royal Navy (17 May, 1880 – 31 January, 1951) was an officer of the Royal Navy. A distinguished gunnery officer, he mixed gunnery appointments with active service afloat, before becoming Director of Naval Intelligence in 1930. His career was brought to a premature end as a result of the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931.

Early Life & Career

At Britannia, Usborne won prizes in Seamanship, Signalling, and French. In the final examination in Mathematics, Seamanship, and other subjects, he obtained 2,199 marks out of 2,500, coming fourth in his term.

Usborne was awarded the Ryder Memorial Prize for 1899 for placing highest in the examination in French at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

He was also awarded the Goodenough Medal for 1900 for being the Sub-Lieutenant who achieved the highest gunnery examination while also achieving a first-class certificate in seamanship.

Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 January, 1900, Usborne was appointed to Excellent on 30 September, 1902 to qualify in gunnery. His first stint as a gunnery officer was in the Hood from 3 January, 1905 to 24 June, 1905 when he was sent to New Zealand. He remained in New Zealand until she paid off on 17 June, 1907. He then went to France for one month to study the language.

He was appointed to Excellent as a Lieutenant (G) on 2 September, 1907, and to President, additional, for duty with the Inspector of Target Practice, dated 1 September. He was appointed gunnery officer of the new dreadnought battleship Bellerophon on 20 February, 1909. Before leaving Bellerophon, Usborne's gunners tied for first with Dreadnought's at a prize firing, scoring 18 hits out of 40 rounds fired at long range.

He was thanked for his service in developing a deflection calculator for 12-in guns about this time, though it was decided that it would not be adopted for service.

On 16 February, 1911, Usborne was appointed to President, additional, for the Naval Ordnance Department as Assistant to D.N.O. He was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1912. As an Assistant to D.N.O., from December, 1911, Usborne was responsible for:

1. Fire control and communications.
2. Range-finders and plotting.
3. Sights.
4. Calibration.
5. Ballistic questions and range tables.
6. Alterations and additions, including estimates.
7. Attends gun trials.

On 1 September, 1913, Usborne left the Naval Ordnance Department and was appointed Commander (Second-in-Command) of the dreadnought battleship Colossus.

Usborne was noted for contributing several important inventions, including a fall of shot indicator helpful in keeping spotters from confusing other ships' shotfall for their own, and accelerating gear to help make gun sights with non-uniform range dials compatible with F.T.P. range and deflection receivers. He was also helpful, by his own competitive invention, in honing Lieutenant Charles D. Burney's work on the paravane.

Great War

Usborne was appointed in command of the minelayer Latona on 18 September, 1916. He was reappointed to her on 1 February, 1917, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June. After spells as Senior Naval Officer at Salonika and Corfu, in 1918-1919 he commanded the Naval Brigade on the river Danube. In the King's Birthday Honours of 3 June, 1918, Usborne was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (C.M.G.).

Post-War

On 15 January, 1919, Usborne was appointed Assistant Director of Naval Ordnance.

He commanded Malaya in 1927 and 1928.

Usborne was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V on 5 April, 1928, vice Campbell.

In the King's Birthday Honours of 3 June, 1930, Usborne was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.).

Invergordon & Retirement

At a meeting of the Sea Lords of the Board of Admiralty on 1 January, 1932, in the wake of the Invergordon Mutiny, it was minuted that:

The Sea Lords decided that Rear Admiral Usborne was not to have an extension of his appointment as D.N.I.

Usborne was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 3 January, 1933, vice Hallett, and was placed on the Retired List on 4 January.

World War II

Usborne was appointed as Naval Adviser to First Sea Lord on the U-Boat Question on 19 November, 1941. On 12 December, 1942 he was made Naval Assistant to A.C.N.S., serving in the rank of Rear-Admiral. He was discharged from this post on 1 December, 1944.

Retirement

The British Broadcasting Corporation journalist John Simpson made the preposterous assertion that Usborne "had spent all his adult life in the Navy, and had probably never spoken to a journalist." Given that as D.N.I. Usborne was responsible for naval public affairs Simpson's claim is remarkably ignorant.

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• "Vice-Adml. Usborne" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 1 February, 1951. Issue 51914, col E, p. 8.
• Usborne, Vice-Admiral C. V., C.B., C.M.G. (Cheap Edition, 1938). Blast and Counterblast: A Naval Impression of the War. London: John Murray.

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/142.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/125.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/90.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/45.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Wilmot S. Nicholson	Captain of H.M. T.B. 77 3 Jul, 1900 – 1 Oct, 1900	Succeeded by Victor H. Gascoigne
Preceded by Forster D. Arnold-Forster	Captain of H.M.S. Latona 18 Sep, 1916 – 5 Oct, 1918	Succeeded by Arthur F. Powell
Preceded by Joseph C. W. Henley	Assistant Director of Naval Ordnance 15 Jan, 1919 – 25 May, 1921	Succeeded by Julian F. C. Patterson
Preceded by Otto H. Hawke-Genn	Captain of H.M.S. Dragon 15 Jun, 1921 – 15 Aug, 1922	Succeeded by Bernard W. M. Fairbairn
Preceded by Hubert E. Dannreuther	Vice-President of the Chemical Warfare Committee 6 Aug, 1923 – 1 Jan, 1925	Succeeded by Wilfred F. French
Preceded by Edward A. Astley-Rushton	Captain of H.M.S. Malaya 28 Feb, 1927 – 15 Nov, 1927	Succeeded by Nicholas E. Archdale
Preceded by Francis A. Marten	Captain of H.M.S. Resolution 15 Nov, 1927 – May, 1928	Succeeded by Roger L'E. M. Rede
Preceded by Barry E. Domvile	Director of Naval Intelligence 15 Aug, 1930 – 15 Aug, 1932	Succeeded by Gerald C. Dickens