Life of Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon, K.C.B.
1897, this copy owned by Admiral Gerald Walter Russell (1850–1928)
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
Third edition. Hardback, bound in blue cloth with gilt titling to spine and gilt decoration to upper board. 23 × 14.5cm, xvi, 402pp + ads.
This copy was given to Admiral Gerald Walter Russell (1850–1928) by his father Andrew Hamilton Russell, with the father's inscription dated July 29th 1897. G W Russell has signed his name above that. Russell served in the Navy from being cadet in 1864 through to Captain-Superintendent of Pembroke Dockyard (1902–1904), retiring as Admiral in 1912. His father was a British Army officer who served on the legislative council in New Zealand and was Minister of Native Affairs.
A biography of Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon (1832–1893) a distinguished figure in the British Royal Navy during the late Victorian era. He was known as a brilliant tactician and a formidable commander, though his career is most often defined by the catastrophic collision that claimed his life. He served during the Crimean War, serving both afloat and with the Naval Brigade on shore at Sevastopol. On June 22, 1893, during manoeuvres off Tripoli, Tryon ordered the two columns of his fleet to turn inward toward each other to reverse course. The distance between the columns was only 1,200 yards, while the combined turning circle of the ships required at least 1,600 yards. Despite the visible danger, the order was executed. The flagship HMS Victoria was rammed by HMS Camperdown and sank within 13 minutes. Tryon remained on the bridge as the ship went down; his reported final words were, "It is all my fault."
Condition
A good plus reading copy. The frontispiece is neatly detached and the blue cloth is a bit marked and rubbed to the corners and spine ends but the book remaining in strong readable condition.
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Price
£30.00
