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Sketches of Some Interesting Canadians Who Served in Foreign Navies

by John M. MacFarlane 2014

Ransford Bucknam

Canadian–born Ransford Bucknam Pasha – Rear–Admiral of the Turkish Navy (Photograph from U.S. Library of Congress LC–DIG–ggbain–17695)

Ransford D. Bucknam pursued the strangest naval career of any Canadian serving in a foreign navy. He is frequently claimed in the popular press as an American but he was born in Canada and became a naturalized US citizen. He was born in Nova Scotia. He served in the Turkish Navy. He resigned in 1914, refusing to serve against the UK. After the Sultan was ousted Bucknam did not get on well with the young Turks, so he retired to civil life, forming the Ottoman Anglo-American Company, of New York, representing great American firms for locomotives, ships, electric power and traction and military supplies. With the outbreak of the Italian war he aided the Ottoman government by successful expeditions of blockade running to the Tripolitan coast. A young Canadian seaman, Ransford D. Bucknam was part of the Court of Sultan Abdul Hamid. He was Vice-Admiral of the empire, in command of the Imperial navy and of all naval construction. "Twice already he has saved the life of the Sultan, and present indications are that he will not have long to wait for a third opportunity" (The Globe, April 21, 1909). Bucknam, at one time marine superintendent and navigating officer for the Cramp Shipbuilding Company, of Philadelphia PA USA. He used to be Rans Bucknam until the Sultan of Turkey saw him and took a liking to him; then he became known as Bucknam Bey, and later as Bucknam Pasha, Admiral of the Turkish fleet.

George Douglas He was a Cadet (Merchant Service) with the Castle Line (Liverpool UK) 01/01/1930, Midshipman (Merchant Service) Castle Line (Liverpool UK). He served as Second Mate 1933 and as First Mate 1937. He was a Master Mariner 1939. He served in the Dodwell Line (Liverpool). He served in TSMV Greystroke Castle as Navigation Officer (Dutch East Indies to New York via Durbin) 1939. He served in MV Raby Castle as Chief Executive Officer 1939. After his retirement he was appointed to the College of Fisheries St. John’s Newfoundland on the Faculty of Nautical Science as Instructor/Lecturer 1967–1981. He retired to Victoria BC. More remarkably, after a long and successful career as a naval aviator and officer in the Royal Navy he transferred to the Indian Navy. He was appointed as a Captain RIN (With seniority dated 01/06/1958). He served in NHQ Indian Navy New Delhi as Director Air Staff Division 1959. He served as Captain (D) and Commanding Officer 11th Destroyer Squadron 1960. He served in the Indian National Defence College New Delhi for Staff Course 1961. He was appointed as a Commodore RIN 1962–1966. He was appointed as the Chief of Naval Aviation of the Royal Indian Navy 1962–1966. (He was retired on 01/12/1966.)

Richard Robertson Galpin was a Canadian who served in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. After moving to the United States he became a US citizen. He retired as a Rear–Admiral in the Michigan State National Guard. After his Canadian Naval service he was a Pediatric specialist in Michigan USA. He founded a children’s neuro–education centre.

Liston Burns McIllhagga, was a nationally known Canadian Broadcasting Company radio and TV personality who retired as a Captain in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve as Commanding Officer HMCS Chippawa in Winnipeg Manitoba. He was best known as a TV colour commentator for Royal Tours coverage. Few people, including many of his naval and CBC colleagues, knew of his service in the Royal Indian Navy commanding a motor torpedo boat during the Second World War.

Eugene Wladyslau Miodonski, served as an engineer officer in the Polish Navy from 1938–1947. He served in the Royal Pakistan Navy as an engineer officer from 1950–1955. He transferred to the RCN(R) in 1955. He was appointed as a Lieutenant-Commander RCN(R) (With seniority dated 12/08/1955). He served in HMCS Montcalm, (Transferred to RCN 1955). He was appointed as a Lieutenant–Commander (E) RCN (With seniority dated 12/08/1955). He served in HMCS Cornwallis. He served in HMCS Stadacona. He served in HMCS Star. He served in NHQ. He served in HMCS Bytown on Staff of Assistant Director Fleet Maintenance. (He retired on 12/08/1965.)

Namiesniowsky, Conrad was born in Poland he served in the Polish Navy, the Royal Navy and the RCN(R). The impact of the Second World War was devastating for Poland and the elements of the Polish Navy that were able to escape the Nazi invasion moved to the UK. Namiesniowsky was appointed as a Lieutenant (Polish Navy). He served as Chief of the Polish Navy’s Signal Department. He was appointed as a Lieutenant–Commander (Polish Navy). In 1939 he served in HMS Grom (sunk at Narvik) as First Lieutenant. He served in the Garland (destroyer) (In command). He served in command of a division of Polish Destroyers. (He transferred to the RCN(R)). He was appointed as a Captain RCN(R). In 1954 he served in HMCS Magnificent as Information Officer. (He was released.)

Simon Newcomb was a Canadian–born Rear–Admiral who served in the United States Navy. In 1861 he was appointed as Professor of Mathematics at the United States Navy and assigned to duty at the Naval Observtory in Washington. He was appointed, late in life, as a Rear–Admiral USN. He served as Professor of Mathematics in the U.S. Navy and retired as Rear-Admiral. He also was appointed as Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at the John Hopkins University. He served as the editor of the American Journal of Mathematics and was the first president of the American Astronomical Society. He received the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Copley Medal of the Royal Society, as well as the Schubert Prize of the Imperial Academy of Sciences of Russia. He wrote over 540 books and papers. His most important work was in developing tables of astronomical constants. His tables of data concerning the movements of the Sun, Mercury, Uranus, and Neptune played a big part in the development of a universal system of astronomical standards. He was assigned to duty at the United States naval observatory in Washington. There he negotiated the contract for the 26 inch equatorial telescope authorized by congress, supervised its construction, and planned the tower and dome in which it is mounted. In 1871 he was appointed secretary of the commission that was created by congress for the purposes of observing the transit of Venus on 9 December, 1874, which organized the expeditions that were sent out by the United States government. He visited the Saskatchewan region in 1860 to observe an eclipse of the sun, and in 1870–1871 was sent to Gibraltar for a similar purpose, and in 1882 he observed the transit of Venus at the Cape of Good Hope. Meanwhile in 1877 he became senior professor of mathematics in the United States Navy, with the relative rank of captain, and since that time has been in charge of the office of the "American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac". A large corps of civilian assistants in Washington and elsewhere, as well as officers of the navy who are detailed to that office, work under his direction. In addition to these duties, in 1884 he became professor of mathematics and astronomy in Johns Hopkins, where he has charge of the graduate students in astronomy. Professor Newcomb has been intimately associated with the equipment of the Lick observatory of California, and examined the glass of the great telescope and its mounting before its acceptance by the trustees. His ancestors had settled in Canada in 1761. The son of a school teacher he grew up in several villages in the Maritimes. In 1852 he moved to the United States and graduated from Harvard University (Lawrence Scientific School) with a BSc. in Mathematics. In 1854–1856 was engaged as a teacher in Maryland. He was an astronomer, mathematician and economist. In 1857 he worked as a computer of the U.S. Navy’s Nautical Almanac Office in Washington DC. He received Honorary Degrees from seventeen of the world’s best universities. He wrote "The Reminiscences of an Astronomer" in 1903. In Wallace Nova Scotia there is a monument to his memory. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC. His stone in section 1 of the Cemetery reads "Profesor of Mathematics, United States Navy, 1835–1909. The heavens declare this glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork."

William Sowden Sims was a Canadian who retired as an Admiral in the United States Navy. Sims’ Canadian family emigrated to the United States in 1872. In 1929 Sims received an LL.D. from Bates College. Columbia University conferred the honorary degree of doctor of laws upon Rear Admiral Sims on June 2, 1920. Several weeks later, Williams College conferred on him the honorary degree of doctor of laws during its June 21, 1920, commencement exercises. Several U.S. Navy vessels have been named for Sims. Three ships have been named USS Sims, while a transport vessel was named USS Admiral W.S. Sims (AP–127). The United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp panel on February 4, 2010, honoring 4 distinguished sailors. One of the stamps depicted Admiral Sims. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and later wrote a navigation textbook that became widely used. As naval attache to U.S. embassies in Paris and St. Petersburg, he observed the superiority of foreign navies. As inspector of naval target practice (1902–1909), he revolutionized U.S. naval gunnery. He commanded two battleships, USS Minnesota (1909–1911) and USS Nevada (1915–1916), but his most important command was the Atlantic Torpedo Flotilla (1913–1915). In World War I he commanded the U.S. fleet in Europe and helped develop the convoy system to protect Allied ships from German submarine attack. He was president of the Naval War College (1917–1918, 1919–1922). In 1920, he published "The Victory at Sea", an account of his wartime service, which won the Pulitzer Prize.

Canadians Serving as Officers of Flag Rank in the Royal Navy

Before the establishment of the Royal Canadian Navy in 1910 the only path to a naval career for Canadians was through the Royal Navy. A number of Canadians rose to Flag rank.

Officers Serving in Senior Ranks of the Royal French Navy (with Canadian links)

While Canada was a colony of France, Canadian–born officers were recruited into the navy. Some of the senior officers of Canadian origin include:

To quote from this article please cite:

MacFarlane, John M. (2014) Sketches of Some Interesting Canadians Who Served in Foreign Navies. Nauticapedia.ca 2014. http://nauticapedia.ca/Articles/Naval_Characters_Foreign.php

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