Basil Edward Reinold
Captain (retired) Basil Edward Reinold, D.S.O. (28 August, 1882 – ) was an especially gift torpedo officer in the Royal Navy. In the years before the war, he served as torpedo officer in a variety of cruisers and dreadnoughts, but he became increasingly involved in the Royal Navy's wireless telegraphy effort.
Life & Career
Born the son of a civil engineer working in Bombay, India, Reinold gained eight months time on passing out of Britannia. He received his first appointment, the Channel Squadron's first class protected cruiser Diadem on 15 January, 1899. It would last one year's time exactly. In January, 1902, Captain Percy Scott of first class protected cruiser Terrible, Reinold's second ship, evaluated his young Sub-Lieutenant as "a brilliant officer all round." Reinold's early examination scores support this assessment.[1]
Reinold was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 April, 1903. On 20 July, he was appointed to the destroyer Banshee, borne on the books of Orion. On 1 March, 1904, he was appointed to the Irresistible.[2]
On 15 March 1905, Reinold was sent to torpedo training school H.M.S. Vernon to qualify in torpedoes. He accomplished this by July, receiving a first class certificate with a commendable 193 of 200 marks in the examination. The following month, he acted as an Interpreter during a French fleet visit.[3]
On 25 April, 1906 he was granted two months time to convalesce from appendicitis. He was found fit again on 18 August and he was re-appointed to H.M.S. Vernon, to be considered available for a sea appointment. This came on 1 October, 1906 when he was appointed to Centurion as her Lieutenant (T). On 30 April, 1907, he moved over to the armoured cruiser Essex as her torpedo officer. After four months, he returned to Vernon for a torpedo course.[4]
Reinold was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 15 April, 1911 while at Vernon being instructed in Wireless Telegraphy. He left when he was appointed to Hercules as her torpedo officer on 10 April, 1912. At the end of July, 1912 Reinold was appointed to Hercules, additional, for W/T duties in the First Battle Squadron.[5]
While in Vernon or Hercules or Collingwood, Reinold developed a system to permit a rangefinder, gyrocompass receiver and Forbes speed indicator to further automate the process of using a James Calculator to determine Torpedo Deflection.[6]
On 10 July 1913, Reinold was made Acting Flag Commander by Vice-Admiral commanding First Battle Squadron, filling a temporary vacancy.
On 22 June, 1914, Reinold moved his squadron wireless work into Marlborough and was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1914, being evaluated by a Vice-Admiral as "exceptional" and an "extremely brilliant offr." who "should be specially promoted young." Accordingly, his time in Marlborough was brief, as on 8 July Reinold was sent to the Director of Naval Ordnance's Department, and on 1 August he was made Assistant to the D.N.O..[7]
Great War
On 20 February, 1917, Reinold was appointed in command of the Acheron Class destroyer Ariel. On 22 April Ariel collided with Lennox, and Reinold received the Admiralty's displeasure for having left the bridge in the hands of an inexperienced officer on watch. He moved to command Hind when she and Ariel changed bases in July, 1917.[8]
Reinold was appointed in command of the destroyer Plucky on 28 December, 1918.[9]
Post-War
On 11 March, 1919, Reinold was granted six months unpaid leave to attend to private affairs. He left command of Skate that month. He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 26 July, 1919, to be promoted to Captain on his forty-fifth birthday. Reinold was duly promoted to the rank of Captain on 28 August, 1927.[10]
See Also
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by Frank A. Rothera |
Captain of H.M.S. Hind Jul, 1917[11] – 1918[Inference] |
Succeeded by Charlie F. Bush |
| Preceded by Frederick R. M. Johnson |
Captain of H.M.S. Lochinvar 27 Dec, 1917[12] |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by Patrick W. R. Weir |
Captain of H.M.S. Plucky 28 Dec, 1918[13] – 30 Apr, 1919[Inference][14] |
Succeeded by Joseph H. L. Yorke |
Footnotes
- ↑ Reinold Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/7. f. 410.
- ↑ Reinold Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/7. f. 410.
- ↑ Reinold Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/7. f. 410.
- ↑ Reinold Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/7. f. 410.
- ↑ Reinold Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/7. f. 410.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1912. p. 27.
- ↑ Reinold Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/7. f. 410.
- ↑ Reinold Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/7. f. 410.
- ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 868.
- ↑ Reinold Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/7. f. 410.
- ↑ The Navy List. (November, 1917). p. 394k.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1919). p. 834.
- ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 868.
- ↑ The Navy List. (June, 1919). p. 868.
