Director of Naval Construction (Royal Navy)
The Director of Naval Construction (often shortened to D.N.C.) was the principal officer responsible to the Board of Admiralty for the design and construction of the warships of the Royal Navy.
History
The official in charge of ship design was called the Assistant Surveyor until 1858, when he became First Assistant Surveyor and his salary increased from £800 per year to £900.[1] In 1860 the Surveyor of the Navy became Controller of the Navy and his First Assistant became Chief Naval Architect or Chief Constructor of the Navy until being renamed Director of Naval Construction in 1875.[2]
From 1883 onwards he was also head of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, the naval architects who staffed his department.
In October, 1911, the Admiralty announced that Sir Philip Watts would be succeeded by Sir William E. Smith, the Superintendent of Construction Accounts and Contract Work.[3] A day later Winston Churchill became First Lord of the Admiralty. In June, 1912, a month after Watts should have retired, Churchill told the House of Commons: "I have decided not to proceed further with the appointment of Sir William Smith, whose services are more usefully employed as Superintendent of Contract Work than as Director of Naval Construction."[4]
With the retirement of Sir Victor Shepheard in 1958 the position was replaced with that of Director-General, Ships. D.N.C.'s modern equivalent is Director Ships in the Defence Equipment and Support organisation of the Ministry of Defence.
Directors
- Isaac Watts, 1850 – 1863 (as Assistant Surveyor)
- Edward J. Reed, 1863[Citation needed] – 1870 (as Chief Constructor of the Navy)
- Sir Nathaniel Barnaby, 1872 – 1885[5] (as Chief Constructor of the Navy)
- Sir William H. White, 1885[Citation needed] – 1902
- Colonel Sir Philip Watts, 1902[Citation needed] – 1912
- Sir Eustace H. W. T. d'Eyncourt, 1912[Citation needed] – 1924
- Sir William J. Berry, 1924[Citation needed] – 1930
- Sir Arthur W. Johns, January, 1930[Citation needed] – 1936
- Sir Stanley V. Goodall, 1936[Citation needed] – 21 January, 1944[6]
- Sir Charles S. Lillicrap, 22 January, 1944[7] – 30 September, 1951[8]
- Sir Victor G. Shepheard, 1 October, 1951[9] – 30 September, 1958[10]
Assistant Directors
- Sir Arthur W. Johns, November, 1920
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ The Orders in Council for the Regulation of the Naval Service. II. p. 12.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Friday, March 19, 1875, Issue 28267, p.5.
- ↑ "New Director of Naval Construction." The Times. 23 October, 1911. p. 8.
- ↑ Hansard. HC Deb 18 June 1912 vol 39 cc1480-1.
- ↑ "Death of Sir N. Barnaby." The Times (London, England), Wednesday, 16 June, 1915, Issue 40882, p. 11.
- ↑ Brown. A Century of Naval Construction. p. 179.
- ↑ Brown. A Century of Naval Construction. p. 179.
- ↑ "New Director of Naval Construction." The Times (London, England), Saturday, 30 June, 1951, Issue 52041, p. 6.
- ↑ "New Director of Naval Construction." The Times (London, England), Saturday, 30 June, 1951, Issue 52041, p. 6.
- ↑ "51 Years' Service at the Admiralty." The Times (London, England), Monday, 29 September, 1958, Issue 54268, p. 12.
Bibliography
- The Orders in Council for the Regulation of the Naval Service. Vol. II. London: For Her Majesty's Stationary Office. 1864.
- Brown, D. K. (1984). A Century of Naval Construction: The History of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, 1883-1983. London: Conway Maritime Press Ltd. ISBN 085177282X.
