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William O'Brien (Royal Navy officer)
Royal Navy Admiral (1916-2016) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Admiral Sir William Donough O'Brien, KCB, DSC (13 November 1916 – 19 February 2016) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Western Fleet from 1970 to 1971.
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Naval career
Educated at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth, O'Brien was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1930.[1] He served in the Second World War, during which he served with the naval escort of the fateful PQ 17 convoy.[2] He was promoted to captain on 30 June 1955.[3]
In the early 1960s, O'Brien served as Director of Naval Plans at the Ministry of Defence under Lord Louis Mountbatten.[4] He was then appointed Naval Secretary in 1964.[5] He was appointed Flag Officer, Aircraft Carriers in 1966, Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet in 1967, and Commander-in-Chief of the Western Fleet in 1970.[1] He retired in 1971.[1]
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Later life
In retirement, O'Brien became Chairman of the King George's Fund for Sailors.[1] In 1975 he was Chairman of the Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1889).[6] He became Chairman of the Kennet and Avon Canal and, after its re-opening by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, he retired from this post.[7] He also held the posts of Rear-Admiral and then Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom. He died after a brief illness on 19 February 2016, aged 99.[8]
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Family
In 1943, O'Brien married Rita Micallef: they went on to have one son and two daughters.[1]
References
External links
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