Sir Vesey Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 28 May 1829 Sandwich, UK |
| Died | 17 September 1912 (aged 83) Chalfont St Peter, UK |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1843–1894 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | |
| Wars | |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
| Relations | J. W. Hamilton (brother) |
Admiral Sir Richard Vesey Hamilton GCB (28 May 1829 – 17 September 1912) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he twice volunteered to take part in missions to search for Sir John Franklin's ill-fated expedition to find the Northwest Passage. He also took part in the Battle of Fatshan Creek in June 1857 during the Second Opium War.
Later in his career he became commander-in-chief at China Station and took his fleet into Vladivostok harbour in 1886, which surprised the Russians. He became First Naval Lord in July 1889 and in that role he was primarily concerned with implementing the recommendations contained in a report on the disposition of the ships of the Royal Navy many of which were unarmoured and together incapable of meeting the combined threat from any two of the other naval powers ("the Two-power Standard"): these recommendations had been enshrined in the Naval Defence Act 1889. He finished his career as President of the Royal Naval College at Greenwich.