Sydney Fremantle Admiral Sir Sydney Robert Fremantle GCB , MVO ( 16 November 1867 – 29 April 1958 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy , who served during the Victorian era and had risen to the rank of rear - admiral by the outbreak of the First World War . He played a role in developing fleet communications and signalling methods prior to the war , but was hampered in effectively implementing them due to the disruption caused by the conflict . He had an active seagoing career during the war , commanding several of the cruiser squadrons , and later taking command of the British fleet in the Aegean . Promoted to vice - admiral after the end of the war and given command of the First Battle Squadron , Fremantle oversaw the interned German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow , and was away on exercises when the sailors began to scuttle their ships in June 1919 . He attempted to salvage what he could , later accusing the German commander , Vice - Admiral Ludwig von Reuter , of a shameful breach of honour . Fremantle rose to full admiral and commanded the naval base at Portsmouth , retiring in 1928 . He wrote his memoirs , publishing them after the Second World War , and donated many of his papers to institutions before his death in 1958 . Family and early life . Sydney was born into a naval family on 1 January 1867 , the eldest son of Admiral Sir Edmund Robert Fremantle and his wife Barberina Rogers Isaacs . He followed his father into the navy , joining up in 1881 . He rose steadily through the ranks , being promoted to lieutenant in 1887 , commander in 1889 and captain in 1903 . By 1908 he was commanding the armoured cruiser with the Mediterranean Fleet . Prewar service . Fremantle joined the Admiralty in 1910 as the Head of the War Division , and by 1912 he was at Portsmouth , as President of the Signal Committee . While in this role Fremantle was charged with overseeing the overhaul of the existing signal systems and books to incorporate the latest advances made possible through wireless telegraphy . He was promoted to rear - admiral in 1913 , and though his suggestion for a dedicated communications department was overtaken by the outbreak of war , a Signals Division was established at the Admiralty in 1914 , with Fremantle as its head . First World War . Fremantle became second - in - command of the Third Battle Squadron in 1915 , followed by commander of the Ninth Cruiser Squadron in 1916 , and the Second Cruiser Squadron in early 1917 . He was appointed to command the British Aegean Squadron in August 1917 , and in December advocated the resumption of raids on the Turkish coast , a proposal rejected by the Admiralty on the grounds that no significant benefits were anticipated to result . In January the following year Fremantle received a promotion to vice - admiral , and an appointment as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff . As the war drew to a close , Fremantle was one of the officers advocated the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet as a condition for an armistice . In October 1918 he made the case for the Royal Navy , stating that the naval disarmament of Germany was necessary , lest they be tempted into a ' recommencement of warlike operations ' . Fremantle ' s proposals did not find favour with the American planners , who were keen to limit British naval domination . He was mentioned in despatches during the war , and after its end he received number of honours for his services during it , including several international ones . The United States awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal , France made him a Commander of the Légion d ' honneur , while he was also Commander of the Greek Order of the Redeemer , the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun , and the Italian Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus . Postwar . Scapa Flow and the scuttling of the fleet . Fremantle continued in the navy after the end of the war , becoming commander of the First Battle Squadron in May 1919 . A large portion of the German fleet had by this point been placed in internment at the Royal Navy ' s northern base at Scapa Flow , and Fremantle ' s task as commander of the First Battle Squadron was to keep a watchful eye on them . The deadline for the signing of the Treaty of Versailles was by now approaching , and concerns had begun to circulate about the possibility of the disgruntled German sailors scuttling their ships , rather than agreeing to hand them over to the allies as stipulated in the terms of the treaty . Fremantle drew up orders for the ships to be seized on the expiration of the deadline for the signing of the treaty , and had them approved by his superior , Admiral Sir Charles Madden . The deadline meanwhile was extended from 21 June to 7pm on 23 June . Fremantle decided to take his squadron to sea to carry out exercises on 21 June , and return in the afternoon of 23 June to commence procedures for seizing the fleet . Unbeknownst to him , the German commander Vice - Admiral Ludwig von Reuter intended to order the scuttling of the fleet on 21 June , unaware that the deadline had been extended . As Fremantle steamed out of Scapa Flow on the morning of 21 June , Reuter was completing his preparations . The scuttling of the fleet began just before midday , and when the British realised what was happening , a message was immediately despatched to Fremantle , who returned to Scapa Flow at full speed , with his first ships arriving at 2pm , his last at 4pm . Fremantle began the task of limiting the damage ; destroyers towed sinking ships ashore and beached them , while boarding parties attempted to reverse the scuttling , or order the Germans aboard to do so . Those Germans who abandoned ship were picked up , and Reuter was brought aboard Fremantle ' s flagship , , where a brief argument took place between Fremantle and Reuter with the aid of an interpreter . The following day Fremantle assembled Reuter and his officers on the deck of " Revenge " , and through an interpreter informed them of their breaches ' of faith and honour ' , and accusing them of recommencing hostilities by sinking their ships . The prisoners were then led into captivity . Later life . Fremantle received a promotion to full admiral in 1922 , and in 1923 was appointed Commander - in - Chief , Portsmouth , a post he held until 1926 . He retired from the navy in 1928 , having been appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath , and a Member of the Royal Victorian Order . He eventually wrote his memoirs entitled " My Naval Career : 1880 - 1928 " , and published them in 1949 . He had married Lelia Hope Fremantle on 1 December 1896 , and on 1 August 1931 he married for the second time , this time to Geraldine Margaret Cooke - Collis . He had three children by his first wife , one of whom , Edmund Seymour Denis Fremantle , also served in the Navy , receiving the Distinguished Service Order for service in the Second World War and twice being mentioned in despatches . Admiral Sydney Fremantle died on 29 April 1958 at the age of 90 . He donated most of his papers , which are held in the collections of the National Maritime Museum , and Kings College London .