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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Sir Anthony Griffin
| honorific_suffix =
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = 24 November 1920
| death_date = {{death-date and age|16 October 1996|24 November 1920}}
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial =
| birth_place = [[Peshawar]], [[British India]]
| death_place =
| placeofburial_coordinates = 
| nickname =
| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| branch = {{navy|United Kingdom}}
| serviceyears = 1934 – 1975
| rank = [[Admiral (United Kingdom)|Admiral]]
| unit =
| commands = {{HMS|Woodbridge Haven}}<br>[[HMS Ark Royal (R09)|HMS ''Ark Royal'']]<br>[[Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth|Flag Officer, Plymouth]]
| battles = [[World War II]]
| awards = [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
| relations = Admiral Sir [[Tom Phillips (Royal Navy officer)|Tom Phillips]] (uncle)
| laterwork = Businessman
}}
[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] '''Sir Anthony Templer Frederick Griffith Griffin''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB}} (24 November 1920 – 16 October 1996) was a [[Royal Navy]] officer who went on to be [[Third Sea Lord|Controller of the Navy]] (1971–1975) and chairman of [[British Shipbuilders]] (1977–1980).<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=Admiral Sir Anthony Griffin|date=22 October 1996|work=The Times|issue=65715|page=21}}</ref>

==Naval career==

=== Early years (1934–1939) ===
Griffin joined the [[Royal Navy]] in 1934, serving as a cadet at [[Britannia Royal Naval College|Dartmouth Royal Naval College]].<ref name="inde" /><ref name="lh">[http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/GRIFFIN.shtml Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives]</ref> He was posted in 1939 to {{HMS|Gloucester|62|6}}, the flagship of the East Indies squadron.<ref name=":0" />

=== Second World War (1939–1945) ===
Griffin began his [[World War II|Second World War]] service in HMS ''Gloucester'' patrolling off [[Madagascar]] guarding against German [[Deutschland-class cruiser|pocket-battleships]]. The ''Gloucester'' then moved to the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], where it took part in the first action with the [[Italian Navy]] in July 1940 off [[Calabria]].<ref name=":0" /> After returning to Britain to attend courses, Griffin sailed for Cape Town aboard [[SS Britannia (1925)|SS ''Britannia'']] when she was sunk by the German [[Commerce raiding|commerce raider]] [[German auxiliary cruiser Thor|''Thor'']]. Giffin's [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat]] sailed for the [[Cape Verde|Cape Verde Islands]], when they were rescued by SS ''Raranga'' and taken to [[Montevideo]], [[Uruguay]]. From there he made his way to [[Gibraltar]] and was assigned to {{HMS|Fury|H76|6}}.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="inde">[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-admiral-sir-anthony-griffin-1359602.html Obituary: Admiral Sir Anthony Griffin] The Independent, 22 October 1996</ref>

With ''Fury'', Griffin served in the Mediterranean as part of [[Force H]] and as an escort to [[Convoy PQ 17]] to the [[Soviet Union]]. Returning to the Mediterranean, Griffin sailed as part of [[Operation Pedestal]] to supply [[Siege of Malta (World War II)|Malta]] in August 1942. The following month the ship then once again joined the [[Arctic convoys of World War II|Arctic Convoys]], escorting [[Convoy PQ 18]].<ref name=":0" /> Following promotion to [[lieutenant]] and being [[mentioned in dispatches]], Griffin was made second-in-command of the new destroyer {{HMS|Talybont|L18|6}}. With ''Talybont'', Griffin served in the [[Western Approaches]].<ref name=":0" /> Qualifying as a [[navigator]], he was briefly in the [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Implacable|R86|6}} off the coast of [[Norway]], where they launched her attacks on the [[German battleship Tirpitz|''Tirpitz'']].<ref name=":0" /> From there Griffin went to the [[Far East]] to serve in the [[escort carrier]] {{HMS|Empress|D42|6}}. There he was once again mentioned in dispatches.<ref name=":0" />

=== Postwar service (1945–1971) ===
The 1950s saw Griffin promoted to [[commander]] in 1951 and [[captain]] in 1956. His varied postwar career took him from navigator in {{HMS|Anson|79|6}}, service in aircraft carriers, [[radar]] [[research and development]] before taking command of the support ship {{HMS|Woodbridge Haven}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205121669|title=HMS Woodbridge Haven|publisher= Imperial War Museum|access-date=1 March 2021}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> In 1964 he was given command of the [[aircraft carrier]] [[HMS Ark Royal (R09)|HMS ''Ark Royal'']], and in 1966 he took over as [[Naval Secretary]] and promoted to [[Rear admiral (Royal Navy)|rear-admiral]].<ref name="lh" /><ref name=":0" /> He was made [[Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Warfare)]] later in 1966, [[Flag Officer Second in Command Far East Fleet]] in 1968 and [[Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth|Flag Officer, Plymouth]] and admiral superintendent at [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport]] in 1969.<ref name="lh" />

At one stage he was required to combine his roles of [[HMNB Devonport|Admiral Superintendent]] of Plymouth dockyard with his [[flag officer]] position, doing one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Of this period he noted, "Sometimes I would write to myself. I was often quite rude to myself, too."<ref name=":0" /> He went on to be [[Controller of the Navy (Royal Navy)|Controller of the Navy]] in 1971 before retiring in 1975.<ref name="lh" /> Griffin was appointed [[Order of the Bath|Knight Commander of the Bath]] in 1971 followed by the [[Grand Cross|Knight Grand Cross]] upon his retirement.<ref name=":0" />

== Post-naval career ==
In retirement he served as [[chairman]] of [[British Shipbuilders]] from 1977 to 1980.<ref name="inde" /> His period in charge of the [[Nationalization|nationalised]] shipbuilding company saw the lowest rate of [[Strike action|industrial disputes]] on record. The in coming [[First Thatcher ministry|Conservative Government]] [[Privatization|privatised]] the company.<ref name=":0" /> From there Griffin went on to become chair of the [[Maritime Foundation|British Maritime League]] from 1982 to 1987, spent 10 years as vice-chairman of Wellington College and from 1981 to 1984 was president of the [[Royal Institution of Naval Architects]].<ref name=":0" /> At the age of 68 he was awarded the [[Royal Humane Society]] award for bravery after diving into the [[River Thames]] to save a drowning man. The man perished despite Griffin's efforts to save him.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Bravery award – Admiral Sir Anthony Griffin|date=17 October 1989|work=The Times}}</ref>

==Family==
In 1943, he married Rosemary Hickling; they had two sons and one daughter.<ref name=inde/> Lady Griffin died on 2 February 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/187238/griffin |title=Griffin|work=The Telegraph|location=UK|accessdate=8 February 2015}}</ref> His uncle, Admiral [[Tom Phillips (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Tom Phillips]], was killed when {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|6}} was sunk in 1941.<ref name=":0" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box|title=[[Naval Secretary]]|before=[[William O'Brien (Royal Navy officer)|William O’Brien]]|after=[[Gervaise Cooke]]|years=January 1966–March 1966}}
|-
{{succession box|title=[[Flag Officer, Plymouth]]|before=[[John Roxburgh (Royal Navy officer)|Sir John Roxburgh]]|after=[[Rae McKaig|Sir Rae McKaig]]|years=1969–1970}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Michael Pollock|Sir Michael Pollock]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Third Sea Lord|Controller of the Navy]]|years=1971–1975}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Richard Clayton (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Richard Clayton]]}}
|-
{{s-hon}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Derek Empson|Sir Derek Empson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom]] |years=November 1986–October 1988}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Anthony Morton|Sir Anthony Morton]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Derek Empson|Sir Derek Empson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom]] |years=October 1988–November 1988}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Anthony Morton|Sir Anthony Morton]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Anthony}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:Royal Navy admirals]]
[[Category:Royal Navy officers of World War II]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:People educated at Stubbington House School]]
[[Category:British people in colonial India]]
[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]

Anthony Griffin (Royal Navy officer) - Revision history

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