Herbert Purey Cust

Sir Herbert Edward Purey-Cust, KBE, CB (26 February 1857 – 11 November 1938) was an officer in the Royal Navy and Hydrographer of the Navy from 1909 to 1914.

Early life to 1891 Herbert Purey-Cust was born on 26 February 1857. He was the second son of Arthur Purey-Cust, Dean of York and Lady Emma Bligh, daughter of the 5th Earl of Darnley. He joined the Royal Navy in 1870, and was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1876. He served in in China, HMS Squirrel in Devonport, and in the channel squadron. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1878.

Command at sea, 1892–1909

Purey-Cust's first command was , based in Australia from 1892. He was promoted to Commander in 1894. While surveying in the New Hebrides, now Vanuatu, there was a major volcanic eruption on the island of Ambrym. Survey work was interrupted, and Dart helped to provide assistance to the islanders. Purey-Cust published an account of his observations of the eruption. He then returned to England, and spent two years as a naval assistant in the Hydrographic Department before re-joining Rambler in 1897, this time in command. Surveys were carried out over a wide area, including the West Indies, Africa, and the Red Sea. He was promoted to captain in 1900. was promoted to rear-admiral in the same year, and made C.B. in 1911. while in Australia, in 1895. They had two children, a son, Arthur John, a naval sub-lieutenant, who was killed in the war, and a daughter Marjorie. He died in Highgate on 11 November 1938 and was buried in Highgate Cemetery. Tables for determining height from angle and distance Star charts for selecting pairs of stars for latitude determination (together with Boyle Somerville) Vacuum tide gauge, allowing determinations of tide level to be made at some distance from the sea H.P. Douglas notes in his 1939 obituary that several of these were still in use at the time of writing.