Desmond McCarthy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Desmond McCarthy
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Rear Admiral McCarthy at his desk at the Admiralty
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| Born | 15 November 1893 Hampstead, London, England |
| Died | 8 June 1966 (aged 72) Poole, Dorset, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1906–1950 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | South Atlantic Station (1948–50) HMS Anson (1943–44) HMS Ajax (1940–41) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order & Bar Mentioned in dispatches (2) |
Sir Edward Desmond Bewley McCarthy (born November 15, 1893 – died June 8, 1966) was a brave officer in the Royal Navy, which is the United Kingdom's navy. He rose through the ranks to become an Admiral. He even led the South Atlantic Station, a very important naval command.
Desmond McCarthy became a captain in 1935. He was the highest-ranking British officer at the Battle of Cape Passero in 1940. This was an important naval battle during World War II.
He commanded two famous ships: HMS Ajax starting in 1940, and HMS Anson from 1943. With HMS Anson, he took part in Operation Tungsten in April 1944. This operation was a daring attack against the powerful German battleship Tirpitz.
After these missions, he became the Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in 1944. This was a very important job helping to plan naval operations. After World War II ended, he was put in charge of destroyers in the Mediterranean Sea. From 1948, he became the Commander-in-Chief of the South Atlantic Station. He retired from the navy in 1950.
His Life and Interests
Even though his last name, McCarthy, sounds Irish, Desmond McCarthy always thought of himself as an Englishman. His family, the MacCarthys, were once kings in Ireland a long time ago.
He was very good at languages and could speak both Latin and Italian fluently. Italy was his favorite country to visit. He found the leader of Italy at the time, Mussolini, to be "horrifying." He hoped that Mussolini would not ruin Italy's good reputation.
Many of his Italian friends in London were teachers and people who believed in democracy. They had to leave Italy because of political problems there. In 1925, McCarthy married Agatha Kentish. Her father was Brigadier General Horace John James Kentish. Desmond and Agatha had two sons together.
