Admiral, Sir Maurice James Mansergh

Fifth Sea Lord Oct 1949 - Oct 1951

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The Fifth Sea Lord was formerly one of the Naval Lords and members of the Board of Admiralty that controlled the Royal Navy.

During World War I, it was one of four additional Sea Lords created during the war to manage the Navy. It was abolished after the war.

In 1938, the post was reestablished and was the Chief of Naval Air Services, responsible for preparation and management of all of the Royal Navy's aircraft and air personnel.

The post was abolished as a result of various reorganisations of the Navy since 1945[citation needed]

The modern equivalent of the Chief of Naval Air Services is titled Rear Admiral: Fleet Air Arm, and is a dual-hatted post (held by a Navy official in conjunction with another unrelated post).

List of Fifth Sea Lords

Godfrey Paine 1917

lapsed

The Hon. Sir Alexander Ramsay 1938–1939

Sir Guy Royle 1939–1941

Lumley Lyster 1941–1942

vacant

Denis Boyd 1943–1945

Sir Thomas Troubridge 1945–1946

Sir Philip Vian 1946–1948

Sir George Creasy 1948–1949

Maurice Mansergh 1949–1951

Name

MANSERGH, Sir Maurice (James) (1896-1966), Admiral

Service biography

Midshipman, HMS ZEALANDIA 1914; World War I 1914-1918; specialised in navigation 1921; RN Staff College 1933; on staff of Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean 1934-1935; Executive Officer, HMS RODNEY 1936-1937; Imperial Defence College 1938; Director of Trade Div, Admiralty 1939-1941; World War II 1939-1945; Deputy Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Trade) 1941; commanding HMS GAMBIA 1941-1943; Deputy Chief of Staff and subsequently Chief of Staff to Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief, Normandy invasion expeditionary force 1943-1945; Cdre commanding 15 Cruiser Sqn 1945-1946; Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty 1946-1948; commanding 3 Aircraft Carrier Sqn 1948-1949; Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, Fifth Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Air) 1949-1951; Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth 1951-1953; retired 1954

Papers

NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM,LONDON: The papers of V Adm Kenneth Gilbert Balmain Dewar include 17 letters from Mansergh 1950-1966; SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: The papers of AF Louis (Francis Albert Victor Nicholas) Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma include personal correspondence 1946-1948 (ref: MB1/E102);)

[Sir] Maurice James Mansergh

B 14.10.1896 Brentford, Middlesex

D 29.09.1966 London

entered RN 15.09.1909

Capt. 1937

Adm. 1953 (retd 1954)

KCB, 1952 (CB 1945); CBE 1941

Chief of Staff, ANCXF

I have a very interesting photo album of my Dad's. There is one photo of him greeting the Shah of Persia (now Iran) coming on board ship, and some interesting shots of his visit to Cape Town just after the Foreshore had been reclaimed form the sea ! ! circa 1947 or 8.

Rosemary

Admiral Sir Maurice James Mansergh KCB CBE (1896–1966) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Mansergh joined the Royal Navy in 1914 at the start of World War I. He served on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet from 1934 and then became Executive Officer on the battleship HMS Rodney from 1936. In 1939 he became Director of the Trade Division at the Admiralty where his main role was the protection of shipping. He served in World War II as Deputy Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Trade) and then, from 1941, as Captain of the cruiser HMS Gambia. He was made Deputy Chief of Staff and subsequently Chief of Staff to the Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief for the Normandy Invasion Expeditionary Force in 1943. After the War he became Commodore commanding 15th Cruiser Squadron and then, from 1946, he became Naval Secretary. He was appointed Commander of the 3rd Aircraft Carrier Squadron in 1948 and Fifth Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Air) in 1949. His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth in 1951. He retired in 1954.

On 15 May 1942, HMS Hecla (F 20) (Capt E.F.B. Law, RN) struck a mine laid by Doggerbank off Capetown. The explosion hit amidships, put the steering gear out of action and caused a big leak. The ship was towed by HMS Gambia (48) (Capt M.J. Mansergh, RN) to Simonstown, where she was repaired for 18 weeks. 24 crew members were lost.