Derek Empson

Admiral Sir Leslie Derek Empson, GBE, KCB (29 October 1918 – 20 September 1997) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy who served as Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command from 1974 to 1975.

Sir Derek Empson
Born(1918-10-29)29 October 1918
Sleaford, England[1]
Died20 September 1997(1997-09-20) (aged 78)
Hampshire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1940–1976
RankAdmiral
Commands heldNaval Home Command (1974–75)
Far East Fleet (1969–71)
Flag Officer, Aircraft Carriers (1967–68)
Carrier Strike Group Two (1967–68)
HMS Eagle (1963–65)
HMS Falcon (1952–54)
767 Naval Air Squadron (1946–48)
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Educated at Eastbourne College,[2] Empson joined the Royal Navy at HMS St Vincent as a pilot 1940.[3] He served in the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War.[3]

Empson was appointed Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord in 1957 and then became commanding officer of HMS Eagle in 1963.[3] He went on to be Flag Officer, Aircraft Carriers in 1967 and then Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Operations and Air) in 1968.[3] He was made Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet in 1969, was promoted to vice admiral on 21 April 1970,[4] and became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel in 1971.[3] After promotion to full admiral on 1 August 1972,[5] he became Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command and Flag Officer Portsmouth Area in 1974.[3] He retired in 1975.[3]

Later life

In retirement, Empson worked as a consultant for EMI.[6] He also held the posts of Rear-Admiral and then Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom.[7]

References
  1. Who's who in the World, Issues 1976–1977
  2. Eastbourne College
  3. Sir Leslie Derek Empson Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  4. "No. 45083". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 April 1970. p. 4465.
  5. "No. 45745". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 August 1972. p. 9433.
  6. Asia / Pacific Conference Report Billboard, 17 March 1979
  7. "No. 50721". The London Gazette. 18 November 1986. p. 14834.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.