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Alexander Moore [Obituary]

Trans. Devon. Assoc., 1878, Vol X, pp. 57-58.

Prepared by Michael Steer

Before 1832 Naval dockyards were operated entirely by naval officers who were civilian employees of the Navy Board, not Admiralty sea officers. However, it was not unusual for officers to move between the Navy Board and the Board of Admiralty over the course of their career. The senior official of a Royal Navy dockyard was the commissioner, who was supported by other senior officers including:
•    clerk of cheque and storekeeper - responsible for finance and administration
•    master shipwright (Later Chief Constructor) -  for building and repairs
•    master attendants and boatswain - supervised  yard craft and boats in ordinary (on reserve)
•    master ropemaker - responsible for the ropeyard.
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Alexander Moore was for the last thirteen years of his life Chief Constructor of the Devonport Dockyard - the title was until recently "Master Shipwright" - and it is worthy of note that he had mainly by his own energy and abilities raised himself from the position of shipwright's apprentice in the Devonport Dockyard to the highest office in his own branch in the establishment He joined the Association on the occasion of its visit to Devonport in 1870, acting as one of the vice-presidents; and as a member of the load committee was mainly instrumental in securing access to the training-ship Cambridge, where so many interesting experiments in gun and torpedo practice were witnessed by the members of the Association.

Mr. Moore had for some months before his decease been suffering from a complication of diseases; but no danger was apprehended until bronchitis set in, when fatal results speedily ensued. He died at his residence, at the Dockyard Terrace, on the evening of the 1st of April, 1878, at the age of sixty-nine years, leaving a widow and numerous family - six sons and two daughters, one of the former being a surgeon, who attended his father during his last illness.