Complex sentence: In 1881 he was a seaman on HMS Wolverine, by 1891 he was a lieutenant on HMS Belleisle, and by 1896 he was 1st Lieutenant on the armoured cruiser HMS Narcissus.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1881 he was a seaman on HMS Wolverine, and by 1891 he was a lieutenant on HMS Belleisle. In 1896 he was 1st Lieutenant on the armoured cruiser HMS Narcissus.