William Pakenham ( Royal Navy officer ) Admiral Sir William Christopher Pakenham , KCB , KCMG , KCVO ( 10 July 1861 – 28 July 1933 ) was a British observer with the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo - Japanese War ; during World War I he commanded the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland , and from December 1916 was Commander - in - Chief of the Battle Cruiser Fleet . Background . A member of the Pakenham family headed by the Earl of Longford , he was the second son of Rear - Admiral the Honourable Thomas Alexander Pakenham , third son of Thomas Pakenham , 2nd Earl of Longford . His mother was Sophia Frances Sykes , daughter of Sir Tatton Sykes , 4th Baronet . Career . Pakenham entered the navy as a naval cadet in 1874 and served upon the training ship HMS " Britannia " . As part of the Mediterranean Squadron , he served on and he was promoted to midshipman in 1876 . Noted for his swimming ability , he was highly commended for gallantry after jumping into the sea and rescuing a coxswain who had fallen overboard at Larnaca , Cyprus , in August 1878 and some years later endeavoured to save a man who fell from overboard from at Kiel , Germany . Promoted to sub lieutenant in October 1880 , he was transferred to in April 1883 and was promoted to lieutenant in October 1883 . In June 1896 , he was promoted to commander and took up a post with the Naval Intelligence Department from August 1899 to March 1901 . He was appointed to command in March 1901 , and served on the China Station when he was promoted to Captain on 30 June 1903 before he became a Naval Attaché at Tokyo from April 1904 to May 1906 . During his stay in Japan , he was one of several military observers as part of the Anglo - Japanese Alliance , who provided military intelligence and military advice to their Japanese counterparts . During the Russo - Japanese War of 1904 - 1905 , he was an observer at the Battle of Tsushima aboard the battleship on 27 May 1905 . He was awarded the Commander of the Order of the Bath on 24 July 1905 , and on 18 April 1906 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun ( Second Class ) by the Emperor of Japan . While commanding , escorting King Edward VII to Ireland in July 1907 , he was awarded the Member of the Royal Victorian Order . He acted as a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty between 9 December 1911 and December 1913 . He was promoted to Rear Admiral , and in December was appointed to command the 3rd Battlecruiser Squadron . He served as Fourth Sea Lord of the Admiralty between 1911 and 1913 . He served as Naval Aide - de - Camp to King George V between 1912 and 1913 . During the First World War , Pakenham was given command of the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron on 7 March 1915 , and raised his flag aboard the battlecruiser . After " Australia " was taken out of service following a collision , he transferred his flag to : aboard this battlecruiser , he participated in the Battle of Jutland , and was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 31 May 1916 for his actions . Pakenham was appointed Rear Admiral Commanding HM Australian Fleet in September 1916 . After Admiral Sir David Beatty was given the command of the Grand Fleet in succession to Admiral Sir John Jellicoe in November 1916 , he assumed command of the Battle Cruiser Force on 19 June 1917 , and was promoted to Acting Vice Admiral . During the visit of King George V to the Fleet in July 1917 , Pakenham was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order ( KCVO ) . He was also awarded the Order of St . Stanislaus ( Second Class ) and was given a gift from the Emperor Taisho of Japan . After the end of the First World War , Pakenham briefly served as the President of the Royal Naval College , Greenwich from 1919 to 1920 and then as Commander - in - Chief on the North America and West Indies Station from October 1920 with as his flagship . His visit to the west coast of the United States in 1922 was a diplomatic success , and he was appointed admiral in that year ; however , the Raleigh ran aground in fog off the coast of Labrador and was a loss . Pakenham was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in June 1925 , and was awarded Bath King of Arms on 7 February 1930 . Pakenham retired from active duty in 1926 . He died unmarried , at San Sebastian , Spain , on 28 July 1933 .