Has anyone ever been forced to be an admiral?
Short answerNavies have recalled ill or retiring admirals and used emotional pressure to secure their service, though the comparison with ordinary impressment is misleading.
NotesJames Somerville was recalled while on the sick list to help with Dunkirk, then went on to Force H, the Eastern Fleet and service in America. Such appointments could keep an officer at work despite illness or a wish to retire. Emotional pressure was another means of securing service, including a son's appointment within a fleet or the prospect of an incompetent alternative commander. That pressure carried risks: an officer could blame those responsible if his son died in the resulting operations.