Thomas Caparelli

Sir Thomas Caparelli, GCR, was a Manticoran citizen and an officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy.
== Physical Description ==
He was a barrel-chested man with a weight-lifter's torso and sprinter's legs. ()
== Biography ==
While touring in Silesia as a Captain, Caparelli was severely injured. He was treated at Bassingford Medical Center under the care of Chief of Neurosurgery Alfred Harrington. Caparelli credited Dr. Harrington with dramatically reducing the amount of regeneration therapy he had to endure during his recovery. ()
In 1904 PD, Admiral Caparelli became First Space Lord of the RMN shortly before the beginning of the war with the People's Republic of Haven, replacing Admiral James Webster. In 1905 PD, he attended a meeting with Prime Minister Allen Summervale.
Despite the Royal Manticoran Navy's policy of rotating senior admirals between staff and fleet positions to keep them up to date in modern naval realities, he remained as First Space Lord for ten years. ()
When the new Manticoran government led by Michael Janvier, Baron High Ridge, took over, Admiral Caparelli was placed on half-pay, and thus removed from active duty. His fellow Space Lords were also removed and replaced with personnel loyal to High Ridge and his party. (, )
After the devastating Havenite attacks which led to the Second Havenite-Manticoran War, Caparelli and his former cadre of senior officers were recalled from half-pay and reinstated at their old positions. ()
Following the devastation in the Manticore System caused by the Mesan Alignment's Operation Oyster Bay, Caparelli assumed full responsibility for the RMN's inability to prevent the attack, and offered his resignation to both First Lord of the Admiralty White Haven and Queen Elizabeth III herself. Both of them refused, with the Queen sending his letter back unopened. ()
Caparelli was at a conference on Beowulf Alpha in Janurary 1923 PD, and died when the station was destroyed by a Mesan Alignment nuclear attack later known as the Beowulf Strike. ()
== Character ==
Caparelli was regarded by his fellow admirals as a tenacious and canny commander, but not too much of a tactician, relying more on brute force than on subtle techniques. In particular, he had a long rivalry with Hamish Alexander (who went on to become Caparelli's civilian superior as First Lord of the Admiralty), who once remarked that Caparelli had "a real thick backbone - to match the one in his head". Their rivalry began back on the soccer field at the Academy, where Caparelli's greater physical strength regularly beat Alexander's better tactics. ()
On the other hand, Caparelli often resented the popularity of Alexander and his political connections, but it did not prevent both men from respecting each other. ()
== Service Record ==
=== Promotions ===
* Captain
* Admiral
=== Posts ===
* First Space Lord
=== Awards and Decorations ===
* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of King Roger
== References ==
Caparelli, Thomas
Caparelli, Thomas
Caparelli, Thomas
Caparelli, Thomas
Caparelli, Thomas
Caparelli, Thomas
Caparelli, Thomas
Caparelli, Thomas
Caparelli, Thomas
Caparelli, Thomas