Henry Deacon Barry


Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Deacon Barry, KCVO was a British Royal Navy officer who was Admiral superintendent at Portsmouth dockyard.

Naval career

Barry joined the Royal Navy in the early 1870s. He was promoted to Captain on 30 June 1892, and commanded the protected cruiser HMS Astraea, before he was appointed in command of the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Mars in September 1900. During his time in command of the Mars, she suffered a serious accident in April 1902 when one of her forward 12-inch guns was fired before the breech was closed, killing two officers and nine enlisted men, injuring seven, and wrecking the forward main battery turret.
He later became Director of Naval Ordnance, and in February 1905 was appointed Admiral-superintendent of Portsmouth dockyard, serving as such until November the following year, when he was appointed in command of a Cruiser squadron in the Mediterranean.
Berry was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1905, and promoted to a Knight Commander on 10 February 1906, on the occasion of the visit of King Edward VII to Portsmouth to launch the new HMS Dreadnought.

Family

Barry married, in 1881, Elizabeth Annie Maltby, daughter of Rev. H. J. Maltby.