John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey
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Admiral of the Fleet John Cronyn Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, GCB, KBE, DSO, DCL (March 7, 1885-January 12, 1971) was a British Royal Navy admiral.
Tovey entered the Royal Navy at age 14. At the start of the First World War, Tovey served on the cruiser Amphion and later commanded the destroyer Onslow during the battle of Jutland for which he was awarded the D.S.O. During the interbellum, Tovey commanded various shore positions until in 1932 he was given command of the battleship HMS Rodney. After his command of Rodney, Tovey was promoted to commodore and then to rear admiral and served as flag officer in the Mediterranean.
When Italy declared war in 1940, Tovey was Vice Admiral Light Forces and Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean station. In November 1940 he was appointed Commander-In-Chief, Home Fleet in the acting rank of Admiral and served in that capacity until 1942. As commander of the Home Fleet he had several clashes with Dudley Pound, the First Sea Lord, and Winston Churchill. His most notable achievement was sinking the German battleship Bismarck. In June 1943, Tovey became Commander-in-Chief, the Nore, with responsibility for controlling the East coast convoys and organizing minesweeping operations. A couple of months later he was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet. He retired from active employment in 1946, although as Admiral of the Fleet he remained on the active list for life.
In 1946, Tovey (who signed himself Jack rather than John) was ennobled as Baron Tovey, of Langton Matravers, a title which became extinct on his death.
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