Voting Station

George Tryon

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Military Personnel

The Resume

    (January 4, 1832-June 22, 1893)
    Born in Bulwick Park, England, United Kingdom
    British admiral
    Commander of the Australian Station (1884-87)
    Superintendent of Reserves (1888-91)
    Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet (1891-93)
    Drowned when his flagship HMS Victoria collided with HMS Camperdown during fleet manoeuvres

Why he might be annoying:

    He ran unsuccessfully for Parliament (1887).
    He was brusque with subordinates and rarely explained his intentions to them.
    The collision between the Victoria and Camperdown was a direct result of the orders he had given.
    When the captain of the Camperdown hesitated to acknowledge the orders, Tryon sent a semaphore message asking 'What are you waiting for?'
    He failed to realize the extent of the damage to the Victoria and ordered that rescue boats launched by other ships in the fleet be turned back.
    Thirteen minutes after the collision, Victoria capsized, taking half the crew with her (358 crewmen died, 357 were rescued).

Why he might not be annoying:

    As a midshipman, he served under Admiral William Robert Mends who declared, 'A better young officer never existed -- ever full of energy and zeal.'
    Part of the reason he kept subordinates in the dark about his intentions was to train them to handle unpredictable situations.
    Before the fleet manoeuvres, he sent the ship captains a memo noting, 'When the literal obedience to any order, however given, would entail a collision with a friend paramount orders direct that the danger is to be avoided.'
    He went down with the ship.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 16 Votes: 56.25% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 12 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 56.25% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 10 Votes: 90.0% Annoying