British Royal Navy Officer. He was born into a middle class family and entered the navy as a teenager. In 1778 he was promoted to lieutenant and served aboard HMS Courageux in the American Revolutionary War. During that conflict he assisted with the capture of the French frigate Minerve and took part in the relief of the Great Siege of Gibraltar. He went on to command the revenue cutter HMS Barracouta from 1786 until 1789, before being transferred to HMS Childers in 1790. In 1793 he received the first shots fired in the French Revolutionary War when he took HMS Childers into Brest on a reconnaissance mission and was fired upon by one of the harbour's forts. He retreated without sustaining casualties and reported the incident; war broke out between Britain and France a month later. Two weeks later he was in command during the first naval engagement of the war when he seized the privateer Patriote off Gravelines and was promoted to post captain in the frigate HMS Pegasus. While under his command HMS Pegasus served as a repeating ship for Admiral Howe's signals at the Battle of the Glorious First of June and he was upgraded to the frigate HMS Aquilon as a reward. In 1795 he took command of HMS Phoebe and captured the French frigate Nereide with her in 1797 and the frigate Africaine in 1801. The capture of the Africaine earned him a knighthood and he was put in command of the ship of the line HMS Triumph until 1804. With the onset of the Napoleonic Wars he served first as Lord Keith's flag captain and then as deputy controller of the navy before being made superintendant of Chatham Dockyard where he proved himself an able administrator. He retired as a Rear Admiral in 1823 but was restored to naval service as a full Admiral and Knight Grand Cross in 1840.
British Royal Navy Officer. He was born into a middle class family and entered the navy as a teenager. In 1778 he was promoted to lieutenant and served aboard HMS Courageux in the American Revolutionary War. During that conflict he assisted with the capture of the French frigate Minerve and took part in the relief of the Great Siege of Gibraltar. He went on to command the revenue cutter HMS Barracouta from 1786 until 1789, before being transferred to HMS Childers in 1790. In 1793 he received the first shots fired in the French Revolutionary War when he took HMS Childers into Brest on a reconnaissance mission and was fired upon by one of the harbour's forts. He retreated without sustaining casualties and reported the incident; war broke out between Britain and France a month later. Two weeks later he was in command during the first naval engagement of the war when he seized the privateer Patriote off Gravelines and was promoted to post captain in the frigate HMS Pegasus. While under his command HMS Pegasus served as a repeating ship for Admiral Howe's signals at the Battle of the Glorious First of June and he was upgraded to the frigate HMS Aquilon as a reward. In 1795 he took command of HMS Phoebe and captured the French frigate Nereide with her in 1797 and the frigate Africaine in 1801. The capture of the Africaine earned him a knighthood and he was put in command of the ship of the line HMS Triumph until 1804. With the onset of the Napoleonic Wars he served first as Lord Keith's flag captain and then as deputy controller of the navy before being made superintendant of Chatham Dockyard where he proved himself an able administrator. He retired as a Rear Admiral in 1823 but was restored to naval service as a full Admiral and Knight Grand Cross in 1840.
Bio by: js
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