Rowland Kyrle Cecil Pope

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Commander (retired) Rowland Kyrle Cecil Pope, D.S.O., O.B.E., R.N. (2 March, 1888 – ) was an officer in the Royal Navy. He woudl be one of the early submarine commanders, spending six years in the small and rather hazardous coastal submarines that marked the Royal Navy's first ventures into undersea warfare.

Life & Career

Pope was born in Shropshire the son of Reverend A. Pope.

He entered the Royal Navy when he joined H.M.S. Britannia with the September, 1902 intake term.[1]

Upon emerging with a rather spare 6 weeks seniority, he went to the China Station in the Glory in mid-January, 1904 and remained in her through her migration to the Channel Fleet in October 1905. On 6 November 1906 he was appointed to the battleship Africa.[2]

On 15 August 1908 he was appointed to Mercury for instruction in submarines. He emerged on 1 Febraury 1909 and was appointed to Forth to serve in B 6. Pope was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 31 December, 1909 and remained in B 6 until 24 May 1911 when he received his first submarine command, the rather diminutive A 7. He would spend a half year in her before being appointed in command of the C 35 on 8 November 1911.[3]

Pope was placed in command of B 5 on 1 May, 1912. After ten months in command there, he was appointed in command of C 38 on 4 March, 1913.

Pope was appointed to the battleship Vanguard on 6 February, 1916 and would fight in her at the Battle of Jutland.

Pope was appointed in command of the patrol boat PC 67 on 19 June, 1917.[4] On 5 August, 1917 she would engage a German submarine with PC 60, which the Admiralty at the time judged had damaged or destroyed the enemy submarine. He was mentioned in despatches, gazetted 19 September 1917.[5]

Pope was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 31 December, 1917.

Pope was placed on the Retired List at his own request with the rank of Commander on 2 October, 1929.

World War II

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Roland A. V. Durell
Captain of H.M.S. A 7
24 May, 1911[6] – 8 Nov, 1911[7]
Succeeded by
Henry P. Hughes
Preceded by
James C. Wahab
Captain of H.M.S. C 35
8 Nov, 1911[8] – 1 May, 1912[9]
Succeeded by
Robert H. T. Raikes
Preceded by
Cecil P. Talbot
Captain of H.M.S. B 5
1 May, 1912[10][11] – 4 Mar, 1913
Succeeded by
Thomas Kerr
Preceded by
John R. A. Codrington
Captain of H.M.S. C 38
4 Mar, 1913[12][13] – 13 Mar, 1915
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. V 2
24 Jan, 1915[14] – 6 Feb, 1916[15]
Succeeded by
A. Gordon Hine
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. PC 67
19 Jun, 1917[16] – 26 Feb, 1919
Succeeded by
Cradock W. C. J. Nowell
Preceded by
Aubrey E. D. Moore
Captain of H.M.S. P38
26 Feb, 1919[17] – 2 Sep, 1920
Succeeded by
Frederick A. Richardson
Preceded by
Ernest E. A. Betts
Resident Naval Officer and in Command Naval Depot, Port Said
17 Sep, 1935 – 24 Apr, 1936
Succeeded by
Henry A. Simpson
as Naval Officer in Charge, Port Said

Footnotes

  1. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95. f. 456.
  2. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95. f. 456.
  3. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95. f. 456.
  4. The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 860.
  5. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95. f. 456.
  6. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95. f. 456.
  7. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95. f. 456.
  8. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95
  9. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95
  10. "Naval Appointments." The Times (London, England), 7 May 1912, p. 6.
  11. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95
  12. "Naval Appointments." The Times (London, England), 6 Mar. 1913, p. 10.
  13. The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 377a.
  14. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95
  15. Pope Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/95
  16. The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 860.
  17. The Navy List. (July, 1919). p. 857.