on to be commanding officer of the despatch vessel , yacht of the Commander-in-Chief, China Station in 1892. Promoted to captain on 1 January 1894, he became naval advisor to the Inspector-General of Fortifications at the War Office later that year. He went on to be commanding officer of the cruiser in the Channel Fleet in 1897 and commanding officer of the cruiser on the China Station in 1899. Boxer rebellion In April 1900, Callaghan became commander of a naval brigade sent ashore to form an element of a larger expedition under Lieutenant-General Sir Alfred Gaselee as part of the British response to the Boxer Rebellion. The expedition entered Peking and successfully rescued the legations which had been held hostage there. Callaghan was mentioned in dispatches and appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 9 November 1900. Higher rank Callaghan became commanding officer of the cruiser and commanded her in manoeuvres in Summer 1901 before becoming commanding officer of the battleship on the Mediterranean Station in December 1901. He went on to be Captain of Portsmouth Dockyard early in 1904 and commanding officer of the battleship on the Mediterranean Station shortly thereafter. He was appointed naval aide-de-camp to the King on 25 April 1904. Promoted to rear-admiral on 1 July 1905, he became Second-in-Command, Channel Fleet, with his flag in the battleship , in 1906 and commander of the 5th Cruiser Squadron, with his flag in the armoured cruiser , in 1907. Appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on 3 August 1907, he went on to be Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet with his flag in the battleship in 1908. In the latter role he assisted with the provision of aid to survivors of the Messina earthquake, which had caused the loss of circa 123,000 lives, in December 1908 for which he was advanced to Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on 30 April 1909 and appointed a Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy on 15 April 1912. Promoted to vice-admiral on 27 April 1910, he became Second-in-Command of the Home Fleet, with his flag in the battleship later that month. He was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 24 June 1910. Callaghan became Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, with his flag in the battleship and with the acting rank of admiral in November 1911.