Rear Admiral Arthur David Torlesse, CB, DSO (24 January 1902 – 19 July 1995) was a Royal Navy officer.

In 1952, he commanded the task force that supported Operation Hurricane, the first British nuclear weapons test.

He joined the staff of Rear Admiral, Naval Air Stations at HMNS Daedalus (also known as RNAS Lee-on-Solent) on 8 July 1940.

[2] Torlesse's first command came on 10 November 1944, when he became captain of the escort carrier HMS Hunter,[2] which became part of the Eastern Fleet.

On 7 December 1949, he became captain of the aircraft carrier HMS Triumph, which saw active service in the early months of the Korean War, including supporting Operation Chromite, the American landings at Incheon.

[13] Promoted to rear admiral on 7 July 1951,[14] Torlesse was placed in change of a small fleet assembled for Operation Hurricane, the first test of a British atomic bomb.

The bomb was assembled at Foulness, and then taken to Plym on 5 June 1952 for transport to the Monte Bello Islands in Australia, where the test would take place.

[16] It took Campania and Plym eight weeks to make the voyage, as for security reasons they sailed around the Cape of Good Hope instead of traversing the Suez Canal.