Gilbert Stephenson

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Sir Gilbert O. Stephenson was a British Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy most famous as an important Naval training commandant during World War II.

Stevenson had risen to Vice Admiral pre-war and been retired. When the war started he was accepted as a Commodore of Convoy and made several trips in that capacity before being called back to start the training school.

He is most famous for his rigorous training regime at the training base called HMS Western Isles at Tobermory, Mull, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, opening in July, 1940. He emphasized strict discipline in his training combined with encouraging a willingness to quickly adapt to various situations with surprise inspections and orders to trainees as well as creative wargames to simulate difficult situations at sea.

For instance, when inspecting a corvette and crew, he suddenly threw his hat on the deck and called it a unexploded bomb. A trainee immediately kicked it into the water and after Stephenson commended him for quick action, he then suddenly said the hat was now a man overboard and the trainee dived in to retrieve it.

He had the reputation of being a very hard taskmaster, with officers being replaced before the ship was allowed to leave (and even commanding officers being dismissed on occasion). However, he was reportedly very pleasant to those who matched his standards.

Although he was disliked by the trainees who called him "The Terror of Tobermory" and "The Monkey", Stephenson was credited in producing capable sailors who were able to meet the demands of the Second Battle of the Atlantic of World War II. As such, Stephenson is credited with being a factor in turning the tide in favor of the Allies in that critical contest in the war.

A noted fictionalized depiction of the Vice Admiral and his World War II assignment is presented in Nicholas Monsarrat's novel The Cruel Sea.