Collins commanded Gibraltar and its Atlantic and Mediterranean approaches through nearly three difficult wartime years. In this interpretation, another post of equal intensity would have risked destroying the officer. A less demanding appointment would have made poor use of a full admiral. His foreign decorations also hint at the multinational naval coordination centered on the fortress and naval base.
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Three years at Gibraltar justified George Collins's retirement
George Collins retired after nearly three years commanding Gibraltar and its strategic approaches, a demanding tenure rather than a professional failure.