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Admiral Sir Alban Thomas Buckley Curteis KCB CVO DSO (13 January 1887 – 27 November 1961) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Senior British Naval Officer, Western Atlantic.
Sir Alban Curteis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 January 1887 |
| Died | 27 November 1961 (aged 74) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1902 – 1944 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | HMS Verity HMS Despatch HMS Nelson 2nd Cruiser Squadron 2nd Battle Squadron Senior British Naval Officer, Western Atlantic |
| Battles / wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Distinguished Service Order |
Curteis was educated at New Beacon School in Sevenoaks, followed by HMS Britannia, Dartmouth.[1]
Curteis joined the Royal Navy in 1902 and served in World War I.[2] He was appointed Commanding Officer of HMS Verity in 1922 and Flag Captain commanding HMS Despatch and Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief of the America and West Indies Station in 1928.[3] He was appointed Flag Captain commanding HMS Nelson and Captain of the Fleet to the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet in 1931 before becoming Captain of the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in 1933.[3] He became Captain of the Fleet for the Home Fleet in 1935 and went on to be Commander of the Royal Naval Barracks at Devonport in 1938.[3]
He served in World War II as Commander of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron from 1940 and then as Commander of the 2nd Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command of the Home Fleet from 1941.[2] In June 1942 he led Operation Harpoon, a mission to re-supply Malta which was becoming very short of food and medical supplies; the plan was to despatch a naval convoy from Alexandria but in the event the convoy came under Italian naval attack and suffered heavy losses.[4] He was made Senior British Naval Officer, Western Atlantic in 1942 and retired in 1944.[2]
In 1915 he married Helen Morrall; they had one son and one daughter. In 1941 he married Freda Morrall.[3]
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