sentences:  He became gunnery officer first in the battleship HMS "Bellerophon" on the North America and West Indies Station in August 1887, then in the cruiser HMS "Comus" on the same station in April 1889 and finally in the armoured cruiser HMS "Immortalité" in the Channel Squadron in January 1892.Promoted commander on 1 January 1893, he became Executive Officer in the cruiser HMS "Hawke" in the Mediterranean Fleet in May 1893.In January 1896 he went on to be commanding officer of the boys' training establishment at Portland first in the training ship HMS "Boscawen" and then in the training ship HMS "Minotaur" and was promoted captain on 1 January 1898.