Biographical Data
Collins, David Alan Photo Credit: RCN Official Photo

 

Title	Vice-Admiral (CF)
Official Number	O-14870

 

Birth	06/06/1920	Death	10/06/2005
Place	Edmonton	Place	Victoria
Area	AB	Area	BC
Country	Canada	Country	Canada

 

Titles
Honours	OStJ. Department of Defence Medal for Distinguished Public Service (USA).
Awards
Qualifications	ndc. jssc.

 

Biography
After his naval service he was appointed as the first (Honorary) Colonel Commandant of Canadian Forces Logistics Branch. He was appointed as the Vice-President of the Marconi Company 1975-79. He served as the Assistant Secretary General (Infrastructure, Logistics and Council Operations) in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization at Brussels Belgium 1979-84.

 

Military Service

He was appointed as an Ordinary Seaman Writer RCNVR (With seniority dated 01/06/1940). (CFR). He was appointed as an A/Paymaster Sub-Lieutenant RCNVR (With seniority dated 01/08/1941). He was appointed as a Paymaster Sub-Lieutenant RCNVR (With seniority dated 01/08/1941). He was appointed as a Lieutenant (S) RCNVR (With seniority dated 15/09/1942). He served in H.M.S. Canada as Secretary to Captain 1942. He served in H.M.S. Sheffield additional for training as seagoing captain's secretary 1944. He served in H.M.S. Nabob as Captain's Secretary 1944. In 1945 he served as deputy supply officer of HMCS Captor II (St John NB). He served in HMCS Sioux as Supply Officer 1945). He served in NHQ on staff of Director Fleet Accounting and Supply 1945). He served in NHQ on Staff of Director Fleet Accounting and Supply 1945. (Transferred to RCN 1946). He was appointed as a Lieutenant (S) RCN (With seniority dated 15/09/1942). He was appointed as an A/Lieutenant-Commander (S) RCN (With seniority dated 07/01/1946). He served in NHQ as Secretary to Chief of Naval Staff 1946. He served in HMCS Ontario as Deputy Supply Officer 1948. He served in HMCS Ontario as Deputy Supply Officer 1948, Victualling Stores Officer HMC Dockyard Esquimalt and Deputy Officer-in-Charge Naval Supply Depot Esquimalt 1949. He was appointed as a Lieutenant-Commander (S) RCN (With seniority dated 15/09/1950). He served in NHQ as Staff Officer (Plans) to Supply Officer-in-Chief 1952. He was appointed as a Commander (S) RCN (With seniority dated 01/01/1954). He served in HMC Dockyard Halifax as Manager Supply Depot Atlantic Coast and Officer-in-Charge Naval Supply Depot Halifax 1954. He served in HMCS Bonaventure as Supply Officer 1958-1959. He served at the Joint Servvices Staff College Latimer UK 1959. He served as Assistant Superintendent (Production) on Staff of Commodore Superintendent Atlantic Coast 1960. He was appointed as a Captain (S) RCN (With seniority dated 01/01/1962). He served in NDHQ as Director of Material Supply Control 1962. He served in NDHQ as Director General Naval Supply 1964. He served in NDHQ as Director of Supply Plans 1965. He was appointed as a Commodore RCN (With seniority dated 02/09/1966). He served in the National Defence College of Canada (Course 20) 1966. He served in NDHQ as Director General Supply 1967. He was appointed as a Rear-Admiral (With seniority dated 01/10/1970). He served in NDHQ as Deputy Chief Logistics 1970. He was appointed as a Vice-Admiral (With seniority dated 02/05/1972). He served in NDHQ as Chief of Technical Services 1972. He served in NDHQ as Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Support) 1972. He served in Canadian Military Representative to the Military Committee in Permanent Session NATO Brussels 1973. (He was retired 01/12/1975.)

 

Vessels Owned
Aircraft Flown
Named Features

 

Anecdotes
He survived the torpedoing of HMS Nabob in 1944. His son David B. Collins notes that "An interesting aspect of his appt as Colonel Commandant Logistics (1975-1980) is that he was the first naval officer in the Commonwealth to be appointed a Colonel Commandant (an essentially "army" concept for an honorary corps appt)."

 

References
Government of Canada The Canadian Navy List Ottawa ON; MacFarlane, John M. (1994); Email Correspondence (David B. Collins - Nauticapedia 27/07/2015); Canada's Admirals and Commodores (3rd ed.) (2016);
Last update
2015-10-12 00:00:00

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