He also saw active service in the Second World War, initially as Executive Officer on the battlecruiser . From 1940 he was Deputy Director of Plans at the Admiralty and then, from 1943, returned to sea as Commander of the cruiser HMS "Mauritius", in which capacity he was involved in the Sicily landings, the Normandy landings, and the action at Audierne Bay. From November 1944 to February 1946 he was appointed Director of Torpedoes and Mining.