De Robeck, Sir John Michael (1863–1928), admiral, was born 10 June 1863 at Gowran Grange, Naas, Co. Kildare, second son of John Henry Edward Fock, 4th Baron de Robeck, and Sophia Charlotte de Robeck (née Burton) of Burton Hall, Co. Carlow. He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1875, entering HMS Britannia, and during his training displayed the qualities of a natural seaman and leader. Commissioned as a sub-lieutenant (1885), he was originally posted to serve on the gunboat Espoir on the China station. In 1899 Sir Clements Markham was searching for a leader for the proposed British Antarctic expedition (1902–4); he placed de Robeck second on his list of preferred leaders, describing him as ‘hard as nails, lots of nerve, an excellent messmate’ (Fiennes, Scott, 12). This was the expedition later led by Capt. Robert F. Scott. Appointments over the next fifteen years included periods spent as captain of HMS Desperate (1897–1900), captain of the depot ship HMS Orion at Malta (1902), and inspecting captain of boys’ training establishments (1911). Promoted to the rank of rear-admiral (February 1911), he became the first admiral of patrols in the following year, commanding a cruiser force and four flotillas of destroyers. He showed great energy and organisational ability in bringing this force, which was to play a crucial role in the first world war, to an operational standard.
On the outbreak of war he was given command of 9th Cruiser Squadron, based at Finisterre. When the war cabinet decided to send a naval expedition to the Dardanelles in early 1915, he was appointed as second-in-command to Vice-adm. Sir Sackville Carden. Carden returned home suffering from nervous exhaustion in March 1915, and de Robeck took over as vice-admiral commanding the eastern Mediterranean squadron, launching a determined attempt to force the straits on 18 March. The attacking fleet ran into newly laid Turkish minefields, and HMS Irresistible, HMS Ocean, and the French battleship Bouvet were lost. In view of these losses de Robeck informed Gen. Sir Ian Hamilton that, while he was prepared to explore naval options, he felt that a full-scale army landing was necessary. Over the following months he showed great skill in organising naval forces for the landings of 25 April at Helles and Anzac Beach, and 6 August at Suvla Bay. He remained determined to keep his ships close inshore to provide artillery support for the infantry, even after the loss of HMS Triumph to U-21 in May. Perhaps his greatest achievement was the evacuation, with minimal loss, of the allied positions on the Gallipoli peninsula (December 1915–January 1916). Towards the end of the campaign he resisted the attempts of his chief of staff, Cdre (later Adm.) Roger Keyes, to commit more forces in an attempt to break through the Narrows. He emerged from the campaign with his reputation largely intact and was later praised by Hamilton and his successor Gen. Charles Munro. De Robeck returned to the Grand Fleet and became vice-admiral commanding the second battle squadron (December 1916). Confirmed in his rank the following year, he subsequently served as C-in-C of the Mediterranean (1919–22) and Atlantic (1922–4) fleets. While serving in the Mediterranean he also acted as high commissioner at Constantinople, overseeing the negotiations that led to a peace treaty with Turkey. As a reward for his war services he was created a baronet (1919), GCMG (1919), and GCB (1921), and was honoured by the French and Italian navies. Injured in a car accident in August 1923, he retired the following year. Promoted to admiral of the fleet (1925), he remained active and was the first naval officer to be elected as president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (1925). He died 20 January 1928 as the result of a heart attack at his London home, 5 Southwick Crescent. After a memorial service at Westminster abbey he was buried with full naval honours at Bembridge cemetery on the Isle of Wight.
He married (July 1922) Lady Hilda Lockhart of Bembridge; they had no children. A portrait-drawing of de Robeck by Francis Dodd is in the Imperial War Museum, London.