Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Biggs

Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Biggs, who has died aged 63, was a leading Cold War submariner responsible, as captain of the nuclear-powered submarine Superb, for helping to check Soviet presumptions to dominance in the Arctic.

His patrolling of the Barents Sea, above Norway, in the late 1970s provided vital intelligence which cemented the close relationship of the American and British navies, and drew praise at the highest level on both sides of the Atlantic.

It led later, when Superb was under the command of another officer, to a photograph showing her with two American submarines at the North Pole, which was deemed a classic example of what the naval strategist Sir James Cable described as "naval diplomacy".

During "Beastie" Biggs's command in the late 1970s Superb, which was specially equipped with the most advanced technology, came to be universally recognised as one of the most successful of all peace-time submarines.

Biggs's achievement was all the more remarkable for the fact that he was at the same time bringing up three young sons with the help of his mother; he would cook Sunday lunch for them in Hampshire before driving to Devonport to lick his inexperienced crew into shape.

Geoffrey William Roger Biggs was born on November 23 1938, the son of Admiral Sir Hilary Worthington Biggs, C-in-C, East Indies. He went to Charterhouse, where he was nicknamed "Shag", a reference to his distinct lack of sartorial elegance; later one of his confidential reports complained that Biggs was "a tailor's nightmare, if ever he was acquainted with that profession"; and when he was promoted Flag Officer, Submarines, it was stated that he now had no excuse for failing to buy a new uniform.

Passing out of Dartmouth in 1958, Biggs had two short appointments in the aircraft carrier Eagle and the cruiser Belfast, before joining the Submarine Service in 1960. As a junior officer, Biggs enjoyed an unusually full social life, being the only officer on his lieutenants' course at Greenwich to have his own box at Ascot.

However senior the other passengers in the coach back to Greenwich from the races, the drivers always insisted on waiting for Lieutenant Biggs to finish his champagne - a practice which did not enhance his popularity.

Biggs's name appeared so frequently in the society pages that he was warned that he was damaging his career in the "silent service"; as a result, when he was spotted with a glamorous girl on his arm by a photographer and reporter from Tatler, he agreed to a picture being taken only on condition that his name was given as "A N Anon".

Biggs served in a number of diesel-powered submarines - Ambush, Teredo, Artful and Orpheus - before undertaking the commanding officers' qualifying course, known as the "Perisher" because so many officers' careers perished on it. After passing with flying colours, he commanded the submarine Otus and then, unusually, attended the Army Staff Course at Camberley before being appointed to the staff of Captain, 3rd Submarine Squadron.

In 1973, Biggs became executive officer of the nuclear-powered Swiftsure, then "Teacher", the officer commanding "Perisher". This enabled him to demonstrate his sound judgment of character, proving he had "a nice blend of iron and humour in his counsel and direction", according to another senior officer. Although Biggs did not suffer fools gladly he never showed his displeasure by belittling the object of his ire.

At sea he read paperback novels voraciously, but, when called, would spring into the control room or on to the bridge with a complete tactical picture in his mind of what was going on around his ship or submarine.

Unsurprisingly, his crews retained total confidence in him, seeing through the bluffness, hard living, love of a party and clouds of cigarette smoke to the considerate man within. Between senior appointments at the Ministry of Defence in the 1980s, Biggs commanded the Type 22 frigates Brilliant and Broadsword, where he inspired his ships and squadron with great flair and dash as well as contributing markedly to their operational efficiency.

Promoted Rear Admiral in 1990, Biggs became Flag Officer, Gibraltar, where he introduced a new joint service command, dressing his officers in purple pullovers, the uniform of the soldiers under him as Commander British Forces. One high spot of this period was when Frankie Howerd came to Gibraltar; when the Telegraph columnist Peterborough rang to ask about the comedian's supposed resemblance to Biggs, Biggs bellowed down the phone: "Who told you about my looking like Frankie Howerd? My adjutant, wasn't it?"

In 1992, Biggs was promoted Vice-Admiral to become Deputy Commander Fleet at Northwood. There he used his experience gained at Gibraltar to convince others of his vision of a Permanent Joint Force Headquarters, which has since become the command and control centre of all deployed British forces.

Biggs could have gone on to enjoy further senior appointments in the Navy, but he chose to retire in 1995, when he was immediately employed by International Computers Limited.

Joining the company's defence strategy board, he was not content merely to open doors for ICL, but became deeply involved in its sales and business campaigns; he helped to transform its relationship with the Ministry of Defence, and also turned one disastrous computer project into a success.

Geoffrey Biggs, who died on June 29, was appointed KCB in 1993.

In 1967 he married Marcia Leask, with whom he had three sons. After the marriage was dissolved in 1978, he married in 1981 Caroline Kerr (nee Daly) with whom he had a daughter. He is survived by his wife, all his children and two stepsons from his second marriage.