Bill King (Royal Navy officer)
Commander William Donald Aelian King, DSO & Bar, DSC (23 June 1910 – 21 September 2012) was a British naval officer, yachtsman and author. He was the oldest participant in the first solo non-stop, around-the-world yacht race, the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, and the only person to command a British submarine on both the first and last days of World War II.
Bill King | |
|---|---|
Bill King | |
| Birth name | William Donald Aelian King |
| Nickname(s) | Bill |
| Born | 23 June 1910 |
| Died | 21 September 2012 (aged 102) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | December 1927 – April 1946 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Unit | Submarine Service |
| Commands held | Commanding officer:
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| Battles/wars | North Sea (1939–40) Mediterranean Sea (1941) Action of 17 July 1944 |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order (1940) Distinguished Service Cross (1940) Bar to the DSO (1945) Arctic Emblem (2006) Others: 1939–1945 Star, Atlantic Star, Africa Star, Burma Star, War Medal 1939–1945 Civilian: Blue Water Medal (1975) |
| Relations | Anita Leslie (spouse) William King (grandfather) |
| Other work | Farmer Solo circumnavigator (1969–73) Author (1958–97) |
Brought up by his mother and grandmother, King went to the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. He was first assigned to the battleship Resolution, and later became commanding officer of the submarine Snapper. He commanded three separate RN submarines in World War II, and was promoted to commander and awarded seven medals during the war. King not only survived World War II, but succeeded in a singlehanded circumnavigation in 1973 on his third attempt. During the latter journey, he managed to reach port despite a collision with a large sea creature 400 miles (640 km) southwest of Australia.