British Nobility. Admiral of the Fleet. Last Viceroy of India. First Governor-General of India. Born Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Battenberg, son of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the daughter of Louis IV Grand Duke of Hesse and by the Rhine and Princess Alice Maud Mary of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Mountbatten was related to the British Royals, The Russian royal family, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King Ferdinand I of Romania, King Gustav VI of Sweden, King Constantine I of Greece and King Haakon VII of Norway but spent his life in service to the British crown. He entered the Royal Navy and was training as a cadet at Osborne when the First World War broke out in 1914. The name Battenberg subsequently became Mountbatten in 1917. Mountbatten continued to serve in the Royal Navy, and was appointed a command of the HMS Kelly, at the beginning of the Second World War. He survived a torpedo attack which badly damaged his ship and a dive-bomber attack which sank her. In 1941, he was head of the Combined Operations Command. In 1943, Mountbatten was sent to take over the South East Asia Command. At the Potsdam conference in July 1945, Mountbatten was one of the few privy to the impending use of the atomic bomb. Following Japan's surrender in August 1945, Mountbatten was determined that the Japanese commanders should lose face and insisted on senior commanders' swords being handed over in Singapore. He did not want any doubt in the minds of those who witnessed the Japanese surrenders whether the Japanese had been beaten or not. After the war, Mountbatten presided over the transition from military to civilian administration in South East Asia. It was his belief that the Western powers should open friendly relations with Asian nationalists. As the last Viceroy of India, he did his best to ensure a smooth British hand-over to India and Pakistan. Mountbatten returned to the navy and served in the Mediterranean from 1948-56. He was appointed Chief of Defense Staff in 1958 and oversaw the integration of the War Ministry, Air Ministry and Admiralty into a unified Ministry of Defense. Mountbatten was deeply involved in nuclear policy, particularly in the construction of Britain's first nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought. He retired after more than half a century of active service; he spent his last years working on prison reform and diplomatic visits. He enjoyed his royal ceremonial duties such as his appointment as Colonel of the Life Guards and Personal ADC to the Queen. On August 27, 1979, he was killed by a bomb planted in his boat. With him were killed his 14 year old grandson, a 15 year old local boy, and his daughter's 82 year old mother in law. IRA terrorists admitted responsibility for the murders.