{{Short description|Royal Canadian Navy officer}} {{Infobox military person |name = Herbert Sharples Rayner |image = |caption = |rank = 40px Vice-Admiral |branch = {{naval|Canada|1911}} |family = |nickname = |allegiance = {{flag|Canada|1921}} |birth_date = 16 January 1911 |death_date = {{death date and age|1976|5|30|df=y|1911|1|16}} |birth_place = Clinton, Ontario |death_place = Ottawa, Ontario |service_years = 1928–1964 |battles = Second World War |commands = {{HMCS|Skeena|D59|6}}<br/>HMCS ''St. Laurent''<br/>{{HMCS|Huron|G24|6}}<br/>{{HMCS|Nootka|R96|6}}<br/>Naval Air Section, HMCS ''Stadacona''<br/>Canadian Services College Royal Roads<br/>{{HMCS|Magnificent|CVL 21|6}}<br/>Maritime Forces Pacific<br/>Royal Canadian Navy |awards = Distinguished Service Cross }} Vice Admiral '''Herbert Sharples Rayner''' DSC & Bar, CD (16 January 1911 – 30 May 1976) was a Royal Canadian Navy officer who served as Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 August 1960 to 16 July 1964.
==Career== Herbert Sharples Rayner joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1928.<ref name=naut>[http://nauticapedia.ca/dbase/Query/Biolist3.php?name=Rayner,%20Herbert%20Sharples&id=11055&Page=1&input=Rayner,%20Herbert%20Sharples Rayner, Herbert Sharples] The Nauticapedia</ref> He served in the Second World War as Commanding Officer of the destroyer {{HMCS|Skeena|D59|6}} and then of the destroyer HMCS ''St. Laurent'' during 1940, as Staff Officer Operations to the Commander Atlantic Coast from 1942 and as Commanding Officer of the destroyer {{HMCS|Huron|G24|6}} from 1943 before becoming Director of Plans in 1944.<ref name=naut/> He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for "courage and enterprise in action against enemy submarines in the Western Approaches" and a bar to his DSC for an action "against four German destroyers trying to break through to attack the Allied invasion fleet off Normandy".<ref>[http://wartimehouses.com/the-homefront/the-armed-forces/herbert-rayner/ Herbert Rayner] Home from the War</ref>
He went on to be Commanding Officer of the destroyer {{HMCS|Nootka|R96|6}} in 1946, Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Section at the shore establishment HMCS ''Stadacona'' in 1947 and Commandant of the Canadian Services College Royal Roads in 1948.<ref name=naut/> After that he became Secretary to the Chiefs of Staff Committee in 1950, Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier {{HMCS|Magnificent|CVL 21|6}} in 1953 and Naval Assistant to the Chief of the Naval Staff 1955.<ref name=naut/> His last appointments were as Chief of Naval Personnel in 1955, Commander Maritime Forces Pacific in 1957 and as Chief of the Naval Staff from 1960 until retiring in 1964.<ref name=naut/>
==Awards and decorations== Rayner's personal awards and decorations include the following:
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{| class="wikitable" |- style="background:Navy;color:White" align="center" |'''Ribbon'''||'''Description'''||'''Notes''' |- |80px || Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) with bar|| *Citation for Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) - received in December 1940<ref>Distinguished Service Cross: London Gazette of 16 August 1940 (no Canada Gazette). ''"courage and enterprise in action against the enemy submarine in the Western Approaches."''</ref> *Bar received in 1944<ref>Distinguished Service Cross: London Gazette of 16 August 1940 (no Canada Gazette). ''"for action in the western English Channel against four German destroyers trying to break through to attack the Allied invasion fleet off Normandy."''</ref> |- |80px || 1939–1945 Star || *WWII 1939–1945 |- |80px || Atlantic Star || *WWII 1939–1945 with '''France & Germany '''Clasp |- |80px || Canadian Volunteer Service Medal || *WWII 1939–1945 with '''Overseas Service bar''' |- |80px || War Medal 1939–1945 with Mentioned in dispatches || *WWII 1939–1945<ref>"Missing citation".</ref> |- |80px || Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal || *Decoration awarded in 1952 |- |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-|ribbon=CAN Canadian Forces Decoration ribbon with two bars.svg|width=80}} || Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD) || *with two Clasp for 32 years of services |- |80px || Legion of Honour || *Legionnaire level *Citation <ref>''For good service in working with the USN while Director of Plans at Naval Service Headquarters in 1944''.</ref> *{{Flagicon|France}} France award |- |80px || Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with palm || *Bronze palm, mentioned at the army level *Citation for Bronze palm <ref>''For good service in action with enemy destroyers during the war in Europe''.</ref> *{{Flagicon|France}} France award |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{succession box|title=Chief of the Naval Staff|before=Harry DeWolf|after=Kenneth Dyer<br><small>(as Principal Naval Adviser)</small>|years=1960–1964}} {{s-end}}
{{Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rayner, Herbert}} Category:1911 births Category:1976 deaths Category:Canadian military personnel from Ontario Category:Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II Category:Commanders of the Royal Canadian Navy Category:Canadian admirals Category:Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)