 Promoted to midshipman on 19 March 1880, he was appointed to the armoured cruiser HMS "Northampton", flagship of the North America and West Indies Station later that year.Promoted to sub-lieutenant on 19 March 1884, he joined the corvette HMS "Rover" in the Training Squadron in September 1885 and, after further promotion to lieutenant on 19 March 1886, he transferred to the battleship HMS "Colossus" in June 1886.After attending the torpedo school HMS "Vernon", he joined the directing staff there in 1890 and was then in August 1891 was deployed to Hong Kong on torpedo duties, before rejoining the directing staff at HMS "Vernon" in January 1894.