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62-522: Admiral Sir Charles Elliot KCB (15 August 1801 – 9 September 1875) was a British Royal Navy officer, diplomat, and colonial administrator. He became the first Administrator of Hong Kong in 1841 while serving as both Plenipotentiary and Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China. He was a key founder in the establishment of Hong Kong as a British colony. Born in Dresden , Saxony , Elliot joined

124-511: A broad band with three narrower bands. In 2001 the number of stars on the shoulder board was increased to four, reflecting the equivalence to the OF-9 four-star ranks of other countries. Prior to 1864 the Royal Navy was divided into coloured squadrons which determined his career path. The command flags flown by an Admiral changed a number of times during this period, there was no Admiral of

186-654: A career in the Foreign Office . From 1830 to 1833, he was Protector of Slaves in Guiana . In 1834, he went to China as Master Attendant to the staff of Chief Superintendent Lord Napier . He became Plenipotentiary and Chief Superintendent from 1836 to 1841. From 1842 to 1846, Elliot was chargé d'affaires and consul general in the Republic of Texas . He served as Governor of Bermuda (1846–54), Governor of Trinidad (1854–56), and Governor of Saint Helena (1863–70). He

248-643: A member of the Court of Policy from 1830 to 1833. He was brought home to advise the government of administrative problems relating to the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 . In a letter to the Treasury in 1833, Prime Minister Lord Howick wrote: Lord Goderich [Secretary of State for the Colonies] feels himself bound to acknowledge that His Majesty's Government are indebted to him [Elliot], not only for

310-495: A sheet of canvas. The quality of food was very poor. In the 1690s, the surgeon aboard Siam complained that the meat was in an advanced state of putrefaction , the biscuits were weevil-ridden and bitter, and the bread was so hard that it stripped the skin off patients’ mouths. Hospital ships were also used for the treatment of wounded soldiers fighting on land. An early example of this was during an English operation to evacuate English Tangier in 1683. An account of this evacuation

372-575: A ship named Therapia , and the Roman Navy had a ship named Aesculapius , their names indicating that they may have been hospital ships. The earliest British hospital ship may have been the vessel Goodwill , which accompanied a Royal Navy squadron in the Mediterranean in 1608 and was used to house the sick sent aboard from other ships. However this experiment in medical care was short-lived, with Goodwill assigned to other tasks within

434-410: A speed of 297 knots (550 km/h, 341.8 mph). Work was 90% complete on this model, Spasatel , but Soviet military funding ceased and it was never completed. Some hospital ships, such as SS  Hope and Esperanza del Mar , belong to civilian agencies, and do not belong to a navy. Mercy Ships is an international non-governmental charity (or NGO). Hospital ships were covered under

496-402: A surgeon and four surgeon's mates. The standard issue of medical supplies was bandages, soap, needles and bedpans . Patients were offered a bed or rug to rest upon, and given a clean pair of sheets. These early hospital ships were for the care of the sick rather than the wounded, with patients quartered according to their symptoms and infectious cases quarantined from the general population behind

558-544: A year and her complement of convalescents simply left behind at the nearest port. It was not until the mid-seventeenth century that any Royal Navy vessels were formally designated as hospital ships, and then only two throughout the fleet. These were either hired merchant ships or elderly sixth rates , with the internal bulkheads removed to create more room, and additional ports cut through the deck and hull to increase internal ventilation. In addition to their sailing crew, these seventeenth century hospital ships were staffed by

620-473: A zealous and efficient execution of the duties of his office, but for communications of peculiar value and importance sent from the Colony during the last twelve months, and for essential services rendered at a critical period since his arrival in this country ... Elliot has contributed far beyond what the functions of his particular office required of him. In late 1833, Elliot was appointed as Master Attendant to

682-725: The Atlanta , a Portuguese fort fired a 13-gun salute. Historian George Endacott wrote, "Elliot's policy of conciliation, leniency, and moderate war aims was unpopular all round, and aroused some resentment among the naval and military officers of the expedition." Responding to the accusation that "It has been particularly objected to me that I have cared too much for the Chinese", Elliot wrote to Foreign Secretary Lord Aberdeen on 25 June 1842: But I submit that it has been caring more for lasting British honour and substantial British interests, to protect friendly and helpful people, and to return

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744-635: The British Red Cross supplied a steel-hulled ship, equipped with modern surgery equipment including chloroform and other anaesthetics , and carbolic acid for antisepsis . Similar vessels accompanied the 1882 British invasion of Egypt and aided American personnel during the 1898 Spanish–American War . During a smallpox outbreak in London in 1883, the Metropolitan Asylum Board (MAB) chartered and later purchased from

806-647: The Cinchona plant on mountainous parts of the island. A gardener was sent from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , and Cinchona plantations soon sprang up near Diana's Peak . In the retired list, he was promoted to rear-admiral on 2 May 1855, vice-admiral on 15 January 1862, and admiral on 12 September 1865. In Sir Henry Taylor 's play, Edwin the Fair (1842), the character Earl Athulf was based on Elliot. Taylor also mentioned Elliot in his poem, "Heroism in

868-746: The Crimean War in the 1850s. The only military hospital available to the British forces fighting on the Crimean Peninsula was at Scutari near the Bosphorus . During the Siege of Sevastopol almost 15,000 wounded troops were transported there from the port at Balaklava by a squadron of converted hospital ships. The first ships to be equipped with genuine medical facilities were the steamships HMS Melbourne and HMS Mauritius , staffed by

930-721: The Hague Convention X of 1907 . Articles of the Hague Convention X specified the provisions for a hospital ship: According to the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea , a hospital ship violating legal restrictions must be duly warned and given a reasonable time limit to comply. If a hospital ship persists in violating restrictions, a belligerent is legally entitled to capture it or take other means to enforce compliance. A non-complying hospital ship may only be fired on under

992-759: The Mediterranean Station . In July 1816, he became a midshipman on board HMS Minden , in which he served in the bombardment of Algiers against Barbary pirates in August 1816. He then served in the East Indies Station for four years under Sir Richard King . In 1820, he joined the cutter Starling under Lieutenant-Commander John Reeve in the Home Station , and HMS Queen Charlotte under James Whitshed . In 1821, Elliot joined HMS  Iphigenia under Sir Robert Mends in

1054-515: The Royal Hamadryad Seamen's Hospital . Other redundant warships were used as hospitals for convicts and prisoners of war. The Royal Navy institutionalised the use of hospital ships during the first half of the nineteenth century. Hospital ships were generally superior in their standard of service and sanitation to the medical provision available at the time for convalescent soldiers. The modern hospital ship began to emerge during

1116-500: The Soviet hospital ship  Armenia in 1941, and AHS  Centaur in 1943. While any ship can be designated and marked as a hospital ship, many ships are permanently dedicated to that function. It is common for naval ships, especially large ships such as aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships to have on-board hospitals. However, they are only one small part of the vessel's overall capability, and are used primarily for

1178-663: The Thames to Scotland. This was part of an effort by Edward   I to establish a permanent official staff, even if a permanent naval force was not yet considered necessary. Leybourne's immediate purview was subsequently divided into the roles of Admiral of the West and Admiral of the South while Botetourt's became the Admiral of the North ; the first and last merged as the Admiral of

1240-862: The West Africa Squadron . On 11 June 1822, he became a lieutenant while serving in HMS Myrmidon under Captain Henry John Leeke . He again served in the Iphigenia on 19 June, and in HMS ; Hussar under Captain George Harris in the West Indies Station . There, he was appointed to the schooners Union on 19 June 1825 and Renegade on 30 August. On 1 January 1826, he was nominated acting-commander of

1302-557: The 18th century, the original nine ranks began to be filled by more than one man per rank, although the rank of admiral of the red was always filled by only one man and was known as Admiral of the Fleet . After the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 the rank of admiral of the red was introduced. The number of officers holding each rank steadily increased throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1769 there were 29 admirals of various grades; by

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1364-729: The Admiralty two ships, HMS  Atlas and HMS  Endymion , and a paddle-steamer, PS  Castalia , which were moored in the Thames at Long Reach , near Dartford , and remained in service until 1903. Hospital ships were used by both sides in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905.The sighting by the Japanese of the Russian hospital ship Orel , illuminated in accordance with regulations for hospital ships, led to

1426-606: The British Royal Navy had 77 such ships in service. During the Gallipoli Campaign , hospital ships were used to evacuate wounded personnel to Egypt , Malta or England. Canada operated hospital ships in both world wars. In World War I these included SS Letitia (I) and HMHS  Llandovery Castle which was deliberately sunk by a German U-boat with great loss of life, despite the hospital ship's clearly marked status. In World War II, Canada operated

1488-415: The Fleet rather than Algernon Frederick Rous de Horsey , who as senior active admiral nearing the age limit would customarily have received the promotion; John Baird became an Admiral; James Erskine a vice-admiral; and Harry Rawson a rear-admiral. Ironically, all these younger men would die at least a decade before de Horsey. In the time before squadron distinctions were removed or age limits instituted,

1550-662: The Medical Staff Corps and providing services to the British expedition to China in 1860 . The ships provided relatively spacious accommodation for the patients, and were equipped with an operating theatre. Another early hospital ship was USS  Red Rover in the 1860s, which aided the wounded soldiers of both sides during the American Civil War . During the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) ,

1612-500: The NATO rank code OF-9 , outranked only by the rank of admiral of the fleet . Royal Navy officers holding the ranks of rear admiral , vice admiral and admiral of the fleet are sometimes considered generically to be admirals. The rank of admiral is currently the highest rank to which a serving officer in the Royal Navy can be promoted, admiral of the fleet being in abeyance except for honorary promotions of retired officers and members of

1674-565: The North and West in 1364; and from 1408–1414 they were all reunited as the High Admiral of England, Ireland, and Aquitaine , the forerunner to the present Lord High Admiral . (During this process, the short-lived post of Admiral of the Narrow Seas was used in 1412 and 1413. It was subsequently revived from 1523 to 1688.) The first royal commission as Admiral to a naval officer was granted in 1303 to Gervase Alard . By 1344, it

1736-884: The Red rank until that post was introduced in 1805 prior to this the highest rank an admiral could attain to was Admiral of the White who then flew the Cross of St George . The next promotion step up from that was to Admiral of the Fleet. [REDACTED] Media related to Admirals of the United Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons Hospital ship The Second Geneva Convention of 1949 prohibits military attacks on hospital ships that meet specified requirements, though belligerent forces have right of inspection and may take patients, but not staff, as prisoners of war . Hospital ships possibly existed in ancient times. The Athenian Navy had

1798-542: The Royal Navy in 1815 and served as a midshipman in the bombardment of Algiers against Barbary pirates the following year. After serving in the East Indies Station for four years, he joined the Home Station in 1820. He joined the West Africa Squadron and became a lieutenant in 1822. After serving in the West Indies Station , he was promoted to captain in 1828. He met Clara Windsor in Haiti and they married in 1828. After retiring from active naval service, Elliot followed

1860-694: The Shade" (1845). Elliot was made a Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath in 1856. He died in retirement at Withycombe Raleigh, Exmouth , Devon, England, on 9 September 1875. He is buried in the churchyard of St John in the Wilderness, Exmouth. The weathered headstone inscription to his grave reads in worn lead lettering: "To the memory of / Adm Sir Charles Elliot KCB / Born 15th August 1801 / Died 9th September 1875 / The souls of

1922-685: The United Kingdom, Elliot campaigned against annexation by the United States. However, the Texans voted for annexation and he was recalled to England. Elliot served as Governor of Bermuda from 1846 to 1854. He supported the implementation of the mark system by penal reformer Alexander Maconochie in the Bermuda hulks . He later served as Governor of Trinidad from 1854 to 1856 and Governor of Saint Helena from 1863 to 1870. In St. Helena, Elliot supported botanist Joseph Hooker 's plan to culture

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1984-535: The United States and were not equipped or staffed to handle large numbers of direct battle casualties. Three of the Navy hospital ships, USS  Comfort , USS  Hope , and USS  Mercy , were less elaborately equipped than other Navy hospital ships, medically staffed by Army medical personnel and similar in purpose to the Army model. The last British royal yacht , the post World War II HMY  Britannia ,

2046-735: The cession of Hong Kong Island to the United Kingdom. However, Palmerston recalled Elliot and, accusing him of disobedience and treating his instructions as "waste paper", dismissed him. Henry Pottinger was appointed to replace him as plenipotentiary in May 1841. On 29 July, HMS Phlegeton arrived in Hong Kong with dispatches informing Elliot of the news. Pottinger arrived in Macao on 10 August, and announced two days later that Elliot's arrangements with Hong Kong would remain in place. On 24 August, Elliot left Macao with his family for England. As he embarked on

2108-579: The close of the Napoleonic Wars in 1816 there were 190 admirals in service. Thereafter the number of admirals was reduced and in 1853 there were 79 admirals. Although admirals were promoted according to strict seniority, appointments to command were made at the discretion of the Board of Admiralty . As there were invariably more admirals in service than there were postings, many admirals remained unemployed, especially in peacetime. The organisation of

2170-409: The commission. Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston appointed Elliot to this post, however Elliot continued to use the title of "Chief Superintendent" in his official correspondence. On 16 November 1839, Elliot wrote to Palmerston regarding the opium trade: "No man entertains a deeper detestation of the disgrace and sin of this forced traffic on the coast of China. I have steadily discountenanced it by all

2232-469: The concept of yellow admirals (formally known as granting an officer the position of "Rear-Admiral without distinction of squadron"), being captains promoted to flag rank on the understanding that they would immediately retire on half-pay . This was the navy's first attempt at superannuating older officers. During the Interregnum , the rank of admiral was replaced by that of general at sea . In

2294-503: The concept of an English navy and its supposed admirals and lord high admirals back as far as Alfred the Great , counting several kings as themselves admirals, along with various dukes and earls who commanded fleets at prominent engagements such as Hubert de Burgh off Sandwich in 1217 . Other lists begin their count at King Henry   III 's appointment of Sir Richard de Lucy on 28 August 1223 or 29 August 1224. A similar commission

2356-540: The confidence of the great trading population of the Southern Provinces, with which it is our chief purpose to cultivate more intimate, social and commercial relations. On 23 August 1842, Elliot arrived in the Republic of Texas , where he was chargé d'affaires and consul general until 1846. He worked for the abolition of slavery, the establishment of free trade, and a peace treaty between Texas and Mexico . Since an independent Texas would be advantageous to

2418-643: The convalescent ship Serapis in Port Royal , Jamaica, where on 14 April, he served in the hospital ship Magnificent . After further employment on board HMS  Bustard and HMS  Harlequin , he was promoted to captain on 28 August 1828. After retiring from active naval service, Elliot followed a career in the Foreign Office . In 1830, the Colonial Office sent Elliot to Demerara in British Guiana to be Protector of Slaves and

2480-515: The creek under quarantine to protect the country from infectious diseases including the plague . From 1821 to 1870, the Seamen's Hospital Society provided HMS Grampus , HMS Dreadnought and HMS Caledonia (later renamed Dreadnought ) as successive hospital ships moored at Deptford in London. In 1866, HMS Hamadryad was moored in Cardiff as a seamen's hospital, replaced in 1905 by

2542-499: The death of James Hawkins-Whitshed resulted in ten men moving up to higher ranks. In 1996, the rank of admiral of the fleet was put in abeyance in peacetime, except for members of the Royal family but was resurrected on an honorary basis in 2014 for the appointment of Lord Boyce . Admirals of the fleet continue to hold their rank on the active list for life. The current ranks are rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral and admiral of

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2604-480: The decisive naval Battle of Tsushima . Orel was retained as a prize of war by the Japanese after the battle. During World War I and World War II, hospital ships were first used on a massive scale. Many passenger liners were converted for use as hospital ships. RMS  Aquitania and HMHS  Britannic were two famous examples of ships serving in this capacity. By the end of the First World War,

2666-462: The fleet his deputy, the vice admiral , would be in the leading portion or van . Below him was another admiral at the rear of the fleet, called rear admiral . Promotion up the ladder was in accordance with seniority in the rank of post-captain , and rank was held for life, so the only way to be promoted was for the person above on the list to die or resign. In 1747 the Admiralty restored an element of merit selection to this process by introducing

2728-596: The fleet into coloured squadrons was finally abandoned in 1864. The Red Ensign was allocated to the Merchant Navy , the White Ensign became the flag of the Royal Navy, and the Blue Ensign was allocated to the naval reserve and naval auxiliary vessels. The 18th- and 19th-century Royal Navy also maintained a positional rank known as port admiral . A port admiral was typically a veteran captain who served as

2790-417: The fleet, also known as flag ranks because admirals, known as flag officers , are entitled to fly a personal flag . An admiral of the fleet flies a Union Flag at the masthead, while an admiral flies a St George's cross (red cross on white). Vice admirals and rear admirals fly a St George's cross with one or two red discs in the hoist, respectively. The rank of admiral itself is shown in its sleeve lace by

2852-427: The following conditions: In all other circumstances, attacking a hospital ship is a war crime . Modern hospital ships display large Red Crosses or Red Crescents to signify their Geneva Convention protection under the laws of war . Even so, marked vessels have not been completely free from attack. Notable examples of hospital ships deliberately attacked during wartime are HMHS  Llandovery Castle in 1915,

2914-733: The hospital ship RMS  Lady Nelson and SS Letitia (II) . The first purpose-built hospital ship in the U.S. Navy was USS  Relief which was commissioned in 1921. During World War II both the United States Navy and Army operated hospital ships though with different purposes. Naval hospital ships were fully equipped hospitals designed to receive casualties direct from the battlefield and also supplied to provide logistical support to front line medical teams ashore. Army hospital ships were essentially hospital transports intended and equipped to evacuate patients from forward area Army hospitals to rear area hospitals or from those to

2976-614: The lawful means in my power, and at the total sacrifice of my private comfort in the society in which I have lived for some years past." During the First Opium War , he was on board the East India Company steamer Nemesis during most of the battles. In January 1841, he negotiated terms with Chinese Imperial Commissioner Qishan in the Convention of Chuenpi . Elliot declared via a circular , among other terms,

3038-411: The official ranks became admiral of the white and so forth, however each admiral's command flags were different and changed over time. The Royal Navy has had vice and rear admirals regularly appointed to the post since at least the 16th century. When in command of the fleet, the admiral would be in either the lead or the middle portion of the fleet. When the admiral commanded from the middle portion of

3100-441: The righteous are in the hands of God". This is the only known memorial to him anywhere in the world. During Elliot's naval service in the West Indies, he met Clara Genevieve Windsor (1806–1885) in Haiti, where she was born and raised. They married in 1828, and had two daughters and three sons: Elliot's wife accompanied him to Guiana from 1830 to 1833, and to China from 1834 to 1841 as well as to all of his subsequent postings around

3162-502: The royal family. The equivalent rank in the British Army and Royal Marines is general ; and in the Royal Air Force , it is air chief marshal . The title admiral was not used in Europe until the mid-13th century and did not reach England before the end of that century. Similarly, although some royal vessels are attested under King John , the English long depended upon levies of their subjects' vessels for any major naval expeditions. Nonetheless, historians have sometimes extended

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3224-460: The ship's crew and its amphibious forces (and occasionally for relief missions). A warship with hospital facilities does not have the protected status of a hospital ship. A primary example of the varied military-based hospital services available at sea is found aboard several types of US naval ships; More examples from various other national navies include; [REDACTED] German Navy [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from

3286-471: The shore commander of a British naval port and was in charge of supplying, refitting, and maintaining the ships docked at harbour. The problem of promoting strictly by seniority was well illustrated by the case of Provo Wallis who served (including time being carried on the books while still a child) for 96 years. When he died in 1892 four admirals under him could immediately be promoted. By request of Queen Victoria , John Edmund Commerell became Admiral of

3348-413: The staff of Lord Napier , Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China. His position was involved with British ships and crews operating between Macao and Canton . He was appointed Secretary in October 1834, Third Superintendent in January 1835, and Second Superintendent in April 1835. In 1836, the office of Chief Superintendent was abolished and its duties were transferred to the newly created Chief of

3410-422: The world. After ten years of widowhood, she died on 17 October 1885, aged 80, at The Bury , the home of her husband's nephew Captain (RN retired) Hugh Maximilian Elliot in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. She is buried at the Heath Lane Cemetery, Hemel Hempstead, where a stone cross bears a worn inscription to her memory. Admiral (Royal Navy) Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy , which equates to

3472-423: Was constructed in a way as to be convertible to a hospital ship in wartime. After her decommissioning, Peter Hennessy discovered that her actual role would have been as Queen Elizabeth II 's refuge from nuclear weapons , hiding amidst the lochs of western Scotland. A development of the Lun-class ekranoplan was planned for use as a mobile field hospital for rapid deployment to any ocean or coastal location at

3534-403: Was given to Sir Thomas Moulton in 1264, who held the formal title of Keeper of the Sea and the Sea Ports. On 8 March 1287, Sir William de Leybourne was specifically commissioned as the Admiral of the Seas of England ( Latin : Admirallus Maris Angliae ) and, in 1294, captain of all sailors and mariners of the king's dominions. Sir John de Botetourt served under him as warden at sea from

3596-443: Was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1856. Elliot was born in Dresden , Saxony , on 15 August 1801 to Margaret and Hugh Elliot . He was one of nine children. His uncle was Scottish diplomat Gilbert Elliott, 1st Earl of Minto . He was educated at Reading School in Reading , Berkshire, England. On 26 March 1815, Elliot joined the Royal Navy as a first-class volunteer on board HMS Leviathan , which served in

3658-424: Was only used as a rank at sea for a captain in charge of one or more fleets. In Elizabethan times the fleet grew large enough to be organised into squadrons . The squadron's admiral flew a red ensign , the vice admirals white , and the rear admirals blue on the aft mast of his ship. As the squadrons grew, each was eventually commanded by an admiral (with vice admirals and rear admirals commanding sections) and

3720-452: Was ordered to be converted to a hospital ship to hold wounded French and Spanish prisoners of war. According to Edward Hasted in 1798, two large hospital ships (also called lazarettos ), (which were the surviving hulks of forty-four gun ships) were moored in Halstow Creek in Kent . The creek is an inlet from the River Medway and the River Thames . The crew of these vessels watched over ships coming to England, which were forced to stay in

3782-399: Was slowly increased, with regulations issued in 1703 requiring that each vessel also carry six landsmen to act as surgical assistants, and four washerwomen. A 1705 amendment provided for a further five male nurses , and requisitions from the era suggest the number of sheets per patient was increased from one to two pairs. On 8 December 1798, unfit for service as a warship, HMS  Victory

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3844-414: Was written by Samuel Pepys , an eyewitness. One of the main concerns was the evacuation of sick soldiers "and the many families and their effects to be brought off". The hospital ships Unity and Welcome sailed for England on 18 October 1683, with 114 invalid soldiers and 104 women and children, arriving at The Downs on 14 December 1683. The number of medical personnel aboard Royal Navy hospital ships

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