The Royal Naval College

Abstract

The Royal Naval College moved from Portsmouth to Greenwich in 1873. This chapter looks at the early controversy over the mathematics curriculum at the Royal Naval College, and at those who were employed as professors and instructors during the lifetime of the College at Greenwich. Some, like Louis Milne-Thomson, were distinguished mathematicians; some, like Charles Godfrey and Richard Wormell, were known for their contributions to mathematics education; while others made their names in other fields, like John Knox Laughton who was to become a significant naval historian.