World War I
At the start of World War I, Vian remained on Lord Nelson, which as an obsolescent ship was kept at Portland, away from danger. This was disappointing for Vian, but when the ship was to be transferred to the Mediterranean, he was posted to what he considered to be an even less desirable appointment. From October 1914 to September in the following year, Vian served in the HMS Argonaut, an armoured cruiser patrolling in East African waters, on the lookout for the German cruiser Karlsruhe. He was confirmed as a Sub-Lieutenant in January 1915.
Dissatisfied by the lack of action in Argonaut, Vian used a promise of help from William Fisher and subsequently received an appointment to HMS Morning Star, a modern Yarrow-built M class destroyer, in October 1915. Whilst on this ship, he was a spectator of the Battle of Jutland, although his ship played no active part. Promotion to lieutenant in 1917 (with seniority backdated to February 1916) resulted in two appointments as First Lieutenant in the destroyers HMS Ossory (September 1916) and Sorceress (December 1917).
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