Sir Arthur William Johns, KCB, CBE (1873 – 13 January 1937) was a British naval architect. He served as Director of Naval Construction at the Admiralty from 1930 until July 1936, when he retired due to ill-health.
Johns was a brilliant and versatile designer, who was concerned with the building of the Antarctic ship Discovery, and of warships of all types, floating docks and airships. He is best remembered as a pioneer of submarines, to whom the rapid evolution was largely due.
Johns rose to the top of his profession as Director of Naval Construction from 1930 to 1936.
He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1920 and was admitted to the Order of the Bath as a Companion in 1929 and Knight Commander in 1933.
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Early life
Johns entered the Royal Dockyard, Devonport as a shipwright apprentice in 1887. In 1891 he won a scholarship to Royal Naval College, Keyham. A year later he proceeded to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich to train as a constructor in the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors.
Personal life
He died on 13 January 1937 aged 62 and is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery, south west London.