Hopkins joined the
Royal Navy in 1848. Promoted to
captain in 1867, he commanded successively
HMS Liverpool,
HMS Narcissus,
HMS Royal Adelaide and
HMS Temeraire. Promoted to vice admiral in 1891, Hopkins was appointed
commander-in-chief, North American and West Indies Station later that year before being made
Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet in 1897 during which tour he hosted a visit to
Malta by the
Kaisar Wilhelm II. He was a supporter of improvements in gunnery and at this time experimented with a new type of
salvo firing. He retired as a full admiral in 1899 In 1903 he served on the
Royal Commission responsible for examining the conduct of the
Second Boer War. Hopkins predicted the threat from
Zeppelins as the threat of
World War I approached and lobbied for investment in aerial defence. He died in 1916. ==References==