57-508: Admiral Sir William Cornwallis , GCB (10 February 1744 – 5 July 1819) was a Royal Navy officer. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis , British commander at the siege of Yorktown . Cornwallis took part in a number of decisive battles including the siege of Louisbourg in 1758, when he was 14, and the Battle of the Saintes but is best known as
114-476: A French fleet of twelve sail of the line and fourteen large frigates appeared, commanded by Admiral Villaret Joyeuse . The odds being very greatly against him, he was compelled to order a retreat. But two of his ships were slow and unweatherly and fell behind the rest. The van of the French fleet began to catch the two slower British ships. The rearmost ship, Mars , was caught and suffered severely in her rigging and
171-511: A broad band with three narrower bands. In 2001 the number of stars on the shoulder board was increased to four, reflecting the equivalence to the OF-9 four-star ranks of other countries. Prior to 1864 the Royal Navy was divided into coloured squadrons which determined his career path. The command flags flown by an Admiral changed a number of times during this period, there was no Admiral of
228-680: A friend of Lord Nelson and as the commander-in-chief of the Channel Fleet during the Napoleonic Wars . He is depicted in the Horatio Hornblower novel, Hornblower and the Hotspur . His affectionate contemporary nickname from "the ranks" was Billy Blue , and a sea shanty was written during his period of service, reflecting the admiration his men had for him. William Cornwallis was born 10 February 1744. His father
285-599: A small flotilla of three East Indiamen — Triton , Princess Charlotte , and Calcutta (1795) . He left command of Pondicherry to Captain King and returned to England, docking at Spithead in August 1793. He was succeeded in command of the East Indies Station by Commodore (later Admiral) Peter Rainier . In May 1794 he hoisted his flag aboard the 74-gun HMS Excellent and was promoted vice-admiral of
342-411: A small squadron that sighted a much larger French fleet. The ensuing action became famously known as " The Retreat of Cornwallis ." Cornwallis was cruising near Brest with five ships of the line, Royal Sovereign , HMS Mars , HMS Triumph , HMS Brunswick , HMS Bellerophon , two frigates and one cutter, HMS Phaeton , HMS Pallas , HMS Kingfisher when
399-540: A victory for the English caused a great deal of controversy in later years that included Cornwallis' direct criticism in writing of Rodney. The final couplet of the poem said to have been written in Cornwallis' own hand reads: Had a chief worthy Britain commanded our fleet, Twenty-five good French ships had been laid at our feet. It appears that the criticisms of Admiral Hood and Cornwallis went unheard and Rodney
456-578: Is remarkable evidence of the moral superiority which the victory of the Glorious First of June , and the known efficiency of the British crews, had given to the Royal Navy. The reputation of Cornwallis was amplified and the praise given him was no doubt the greater because he was personally very popular with officers and men. In 1796 Cornwallis incurred a court-martial (in consequence of a misunderstanding and apparently some temper on both sides) on
513-726: The Seven Years' War and the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War . When the French lent their official support to the American cause in 1778 with the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce , the war between Britain and the United States became a global war . Captain Cornwallis was in command of the newly commissioned HMS Lion . Lion was sent, with Admiral John Byron , to
570-663: The Thames to Scotland. This was part of an effort by Edward I to establish a permanent official staff, even if a permanent naval force was not yet considered necessary. Leybourne's immediate purview was subsequently divided into the roles of Admiral of the West and Admiral of the South while Botetourt's became the Admiral of the North ; the first and last merged as the Admiral of
627-625: The West Indies . When war was officially declared, the Comte d'Estaing , the French naval commander in North America swiftly captured the islands of Saint Vincent and Grenada . Byron on hearing the news that Saint Vincent had been captured assembled his forces but on his way to recapture the island he received intelligence that d'Estaing and his fleet were in the process of capturing Grenada. Byron consequently took his fleet to Grenada in
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#1732771790005684-531: The royal yacht until 1787. In 1787 he was briefly given command of HMS Robust before hoisting his broad pennant as commodore in the 64-gun HMS Crown in October 1788 when he was appointed commander-in-chief of the East Indies Station . In November 1791 Cornwallis ordered that French shipping be intercepted and searched for contraband. The British and French were not at war but
741-505: The 18th century, the original nine ranks began to be filled by more than one man per rank, although the rank of admiral of the red was always filled by only one man and was known as Admiral of the Fleet . After the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 the rank of admiral of the red was introduced. The number of officers holding each rank steadily increased throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1769 there were 29 admirals of various grades; by
798-670: The Admiralty between 1801 and 1804. On 23 April 1804 he advanced to the rank of Admiral of the White . On 9 November 1805 he was promoted Admiral of the Red . During this time Cornwallis was in charge of protecting the coast of the United Kingdom as Napoleon was building a large invasion force. Following Admiral Nelson's victory at Trafalgar , Cornwallis was removed from his post and Earl St. Vincent took his place. In 1796, Cornwallis
855-415: The Fleet rather than Algernon Frederick Rous de Horsey , who as senior active admiral nearing the age limit would customarily have received the promotion; John Baird became an Admiral; James Erskine a vice-admiral; and Harry Rawson a rear-admiral. Ironically, all these younger men would die at least a decade before de Horsey. In the time before squadron distinctions were removed or age limits instituted,
912-639: The French were openly aiding the Tipu Sultan in his war against the British. Cornwallis detached Captain Richard Strachan in HMS ; Phoenix to intercept the French frigate Résolue and two French merchant ships that were heading for the French held port of Mangalore . The subsequent Battle of Tellicherry saw Phoenix capture and search all of the vessels. The local French commander
969-500: The NATO rank code OF-9 , outranked only by the rank of admiral of the fleet . Royal Navy officers holding the ranks of rear admiral , vice admiral and admiral of the fleet are sometimes considered generically to be admirals. The rank of admiral is currently the highest rank to which a serving officer in the Royal Navy can be promoted, admiral of the fleet being in abeyance except for honorary promotions of retired officers and members of
1026-565: The North and West in 1364; and from 1408–1414 they were all reunited as the High Admiral of England, Ireland, and Aquitaine , the forerunner to the present Lord High Admiral . (During this process, the short-lived post of Admiral of the Narrow Seas was used in 1412 and 1413. It was subsequently revived from 1523 to 1688.) The first royal commission as Admiral to a naval officer was granted in 1303 to Gervase Alard . By 1344, it
1083-548: The Red rank until that post was introduced in 1805 prior to this the highest rank an admiral could attain to was Admiral of the White who then flew the Cross of St George . The next promotion step up from that was to Admiral of the Fleet. [REDACTED] Media related to Admirals of the United Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons Single-ship action A single-ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements ; it
1140-518: The Royal Navy almost complete dominance over the oceans for over a century. The succession of victories led Horace Walpole to remark "our bells are worn threadbare ringing for victories". Cornwallis remained in Dunkirk when she was assigned to the Mediterranean fleet then commanded by Admiral Charles Saunders . Dunkirk was detached on blockade duty, ensuring the French fleet remained in
1197-427: The Saintes . During the battle, Cornwallis and Canada were fourth in line on the starboard tack in the centre division between HMS Repulse and HMS St Albans . Canada sustained 35 casualties in total with 12 killed and the rest wounded. The outcome of the battle meant that the French and Spanish abandoned their planned invasion of Britain's most valuable Caribbean island, Jamaica. The battle, although
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#17327717900051254-477: The blockade and the British squadron set off in pursuit. Thunderer caught up with the 64-gun Achille and captured her in a single-ship action that lasted about half an hour. The British lost seventeen killed and one hundred and thirteen wounded. In July 1762, Cornwallis received his first command in the 8-gun sloop-of-war HMS Wasp . In 1763, he was given command of the more powerful and newly launched 14-gun HMS Swift . He continued in her into
1311-534: The blue squadron. In August he shifted his flag to the newer and larger 80-gun HMS Caesar and then once more in December to the first rate Royal Sovereign . Throughout this period he was in command of various divisions within the Channel Fleet . The Channel Fleet was responsible for preventing invasion from France and for the blockade of French Channel ports. On 16 June 1795 he was in command of
1368-767: The charge of refusing to obey an order from the Admiralty . He was practically acquitted. The substance of the case was that he demurred on the ground of health at being called upon to go to the West Indies, in a small frigate, and without "comfort". Cornwallis was promoted Admiral of the Blue squadron on 14 February 1799, and held the Channel Command for a short interval when Admiral Jervis (Earl St. Vincent) fell ill in 1801. Cornwallis took command once more when Jervis stood down as commander and became first Lord of
1425-415: The city of Heraklion , Crete . Cornwallis moved to Saunders' flagship HMS Neptune where he remained for little over a year. On 5 April 1761, Cornwallis passed his examination for lieutenant and was promoted into the newly commissioned third-rate HMS Thunderer . In July 1761, Cornwallis was with Thunderer and two other line-of-battle ships blockading Cadiz . Two French ships escaped
1482-515: The close of the Napoleonic Wars in 1816 there were 190 admirals in service. Thereafter the number of admirals was reduced and in 1853 there were 79 admirals. Although admirals were promoted according to strict seniority, appointments to command were made at the discretion of the Board of Admiralty . As there were invariably more admirals in service than there were postings, many admirals remained unemployed, especially in peacetime. The organisation of
1539-469: The concept of yellow admirals (formally known as granting an officer the position of "Rear-Admiral without distinction of squadron"), being captains promoted to flag rank on the understanding that they would immediately retire on half-pay . This was the navy's first attempt at superannuating older officers. During the Interregnum , the rank of admiral was replaced by that of general at sea . In
1596-503: The concept of an English navy and its supposed admirals and lord high admirals back as far as Alfred the Great , counting several kings as themselves admirals, along with various dukes and earls who commanded fleets at prominent engagements such as Hubert de Burgh off Sandwich in 1217 . Other lists begin their count at King Henry III 's appointment of Sir Richard de Lucy on 28 August 1223 or 29 August 1224. A similar commission
1653-499: The death of James Hawkins-Whitshed resulted in ten men moving up to higher ranks. In 1996, the rank of admiral of the fleet was put in abeyance in peacetime, except for members of the Royal family but was resurrected on an honorary basis in 2014 for the appointment of Lord Boyce . Admirals of the fleet continue to hold their rank on the active list for life. The current ranks are rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral and admiral of
1710-548: The disastrous mission to Nicaragua . She also treated Prince William Henry , later William IV, when he was stationed in the West Indies. Lion remained on the Jamaica station under the orders of Admiral Peter Parker and when she was repaired began a series of cruises in the West Indies. On 20 April 1780 Cornwallis was in command of a small squadron of two line-of-battle ships, Lion and HMS Bristol and one large 44-gun frigate , HMS Janus . Off Saint-Domingue
1767-462: The fleet his deputy, the vice admiral , would be in the leading portion or van . Below him was another admiral at the rear of the fleet, called rear admiral . Promotion up the ladder was in accordance with seniority in the rank of post-captain , and rank was held for life, so the only way to be promoted was for the person above on the list to die or resign. In 1747 the Admiralty restored an element of merit selection to this process by introducing
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1824-596: The fleet into coloured squadrons was finally abandoned in 1864. The Red Ensign was allocated to the Merchant Navy , the White Ensign became the flag of the Royal Navy, and the Blue Ensign was allocated to the naval reserve and naval auxiliary vessels. The 18th- and 19th-century Royal Navy also maintained a positional rank known as port admiral . A port admiral was typically a veteran captain who served as
1881-417: The fleet, also known as flag ranks because admirals, known as flag officers , are entitled to fly a personal flag . An admiral of the fleet flies a Union Flag at the masthead, while an admiral flies a St George's cross (red cross on white). Vice admirals and rear admirals fly a St George's cross with one or two red discs in the hoist, respectively. The rank of admiral itself is shown in its sleeve lace by
1938-545: The hopes of engaging them and preventing the capture of Grenada. The island however had only held out for two days and was already in French hands. The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779. d'Estaing saw the British fleet of 21 ships of the line approaching and weighed anchor . Byron gave chase and attempted to form line of battle as per the Sailing and Fighting Instructions set down by Admiral Blake in 1653. d'Estaing, realising that his force although superior in guns
1995-533: The island in enemy hands and the French fleet cruising off the harbour, Hood was forced to withdraw and made his way to Antigua . Canada in Commodore Edmund Affleck 's division suffered 1 killed and 12 wounded. On 22 March Hood joined Admiral George Rodney 's fleet in Barbados . Between 9 April 1782 and 12 April 1782, Canada made up part of the fleet of Admiral Rodney at the Battle of
2052-411: The official ranks became admiral of the white and so forth, however each admiral's command flags were different and changed over time. The Royal Navy has had vice and rear admirals regularly appointed to the post since at least the 16th century. When in command of the fleet, the admiral would be in either the lead or the middle portion of the fleet. When the admiral commanded from the middle portion of
2109-401: The peace with France after the Treaty of Paris had ended the war in 1763. During the peace in 1765, he was promoted post-captain and given command of the 44-gun HMS Prince Edward . He commanded her until she was paid off and the ship was sold in 1766. In September of the same year, he was given command of HMS Guadeloupe and was variously employed throughout the peace between
2166-679: The royal family. The equivalent rank in the British Army and Royal Marines is general ; and in the Royal Air Force , it is air chief marshal . The title admiral was not used in Europe until the mid-13th century and did not reach England before the end of that century. Similarly, although some royal vessels are attested under King John , the English long depended upon levies of their subjects' vessels for any major naval expeditions. Nonetheless, historians have sometimes extended
2223-471: The shore commander of a British naval port and was in charge of supplying, refitting, and maintaining the ships docked at harbour. The problem of promoting strictly by seniority was well illustrated by the case of Provo Wallis who served (including time being carried on the books while still a child) for 96 years. When he died in 1892 four admirals under him could immediately be promoted. By request of Queen Victoria , John Edmund Commerell became Admiral of
2280-411: The small British squadron discovered a convoy under the protection of four ships-of-the-line and one frigate commanded by Monsieur de la Motte Picquet . The French chased and the British ran. The French outsailed the British ships and when in range opened fire. The chase continued throughout the night and into the morning of the 21st. The breeze died and the two squadrons began to repair their damage. When
2337-664: The two small British squadrons to repair and make for Jamaica. The British squadron under Cornwallis had lost 12 killed including Captain Glover of the Janus . Cornwallis returned to England in Lion in June 1781 and took part in the second relief of Gibraltar . He was appointed to command the 74-gun third-rate HMS Canada , and immediately returned to the West Indies under the orders of Admiral Samuel Hood , 1st Viscount Hood. Canada
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2394-426: The wind blew once more the chase renewed and continued throughout the night of the 21st and into the 22nd. On the morning of the 22nd three sails appeared to leeward . The arrival of these new sails would determine the outcome of the battle. The newcomers proved to be the 64-gun HMS Ruby , the 32-gun HMS Niger and the 28-gun HMS Pomona . The French squadron bore away for Cap-Français , leaving
2451-457: Was Charles , the fifth baron and first earl Cornwallis, and his mother was Elizabeth, daughter of Viscount Charles Townshend . William was the younger brother of General Charles Cornwallis . He went to Eton College in 1753. The young William entered the navy in 1755 aboard the 80-gun HMS Newark bound for North America in the fleet of Admiral Edward Boscawen . Cornwallis was shortly after exchanged into HMS Kingston and
2508-410: Was created a baron and given a life pension of £2,000 per year. Cornwallis was sent home under Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves with the convoy that included the captured French flagship Ville de Paris . A violent storm hit the convoy and Ville de Paris sank along with several of the convoy and one of the escorts, HMS Centaur . The convoy and her escorts finally arrived at Portsmouth and Canada
2565-615: Was given to Sir Thomas Moulton in 1264, who held the formal title of Keeper of the Sea and the Sea Ports. On 8 March 1287, Sir William de Leybourne was specifically commissioned as the Admiral of the Seas of England ( Latin : Admirallus Maris Angliae ) and, in 1294, captain of all sailors and mariners of the king's dominions. Sir John de Botetourt served under him as warden at sea from
2622-454: Was in danger of being surrounded by the French. Witnessing this, Cornwallis turned his squadron around to support her. The French admiral made the assumption that Cornwallis must have sighted assistance beyond his own field of vision and had turned to engage the enemy knowing that a superior force was nearby to come to their relief. The French admiral ordered his ships to disengage and Cornwallis and his small squadron retreated in order. The action
2679-549: Was joined by his close friend and fellow naval officer Captain John Whitby and his wife Mary Anna Theresa Whitby . John Whitby died in 1806, but Mary and her infant daughter Theresa stayed on looking after Cornwallis into his old age. On Sir William Cornwallis' death in 1819, Mary Whitby and her daughter inherited his fortune. Admiral (Royal Navy) Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy , which equates to
2736-406: Was not so in numbers, had ordered his captains not to engage directly but to bear away when British ships approached and to bear down on any individual ship that might through wind or poor seamanship become separated from the line. This tactic proved successful and d'Estaing's ships managed to escape the superior force causing considerable damage to three of the British ships. Cornwallis ' Lion
2793-604: Was one of those ships and when he became separated from the British fleet she was forced to break away and make a run for Jamaica rather than risk capture. Lion suffered a reported 21 killed and 30 wounded. During his time in the West Indies, Cornwallis came to own, then later free the "doctoress" Cubah Cornwallis . Cubah became Cornwallis' mistress and housekeeper in Port Royal , Jamaica. Later she treated Cornwallis' friend, Captain Horatio Nelson on his return from
2850-424: Was only used as a rank at sea for a captain in charge of one or more fleets. In Elizabethan times the fleet grew large enough to be organised into squadrons . The squadron's admiral flew a red ensign , the vice admirals white , and the rear admirals blue on the aft mast of his ship. As the squadrons grew, each was eventually commanded by an admiral (with vice admirals and rear admirals commanding sections) and
2907-514: Was outraged and sent word back to France, but the French authorities were too busy with internal upheaval to pay the incident much notice. Though the conflict with Tipu Sultan was over, the French Revolutionary Wars had only begun. Promoted to rear-admiral on 1 February 1793, Cornwallis remained in the area and aided in the capture of Pondicherry , captaining his new flagship, the frigate HMS Minerva , and commanding
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#17327717900052964-564: Was paid off in October 1782. In January 1783 Cornwallis was given command of HMS Ganges and in March of the same year was moved to HM Yacht Charlotte . The American Revolutionary War between Britain and the allied forces of America and France ended with Britain's defeat in September 1783 and the subsequent signing of the Treaty of Paris . With the peace came the downsizing of the navy. Cornwallis however remained employed in command of
3021-548: Was present in her at the siege of Louisbourg in 1758. The siege was one of the pivotal battles of the war. Louisbourg was the only deep water harbour that the French controlled in North America, and its capture enabled the British to launch an attack on Quebec City . General James Wolfe 's attack on Quebec and victory at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham saw the beginning of the end of French colonisation in North America. When Kingston returned to England in 1759, Cornwallis
3078-685: Was promoted to Rear-Admiral of Great Britain , the title becoming Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom after the Act of Union came into force in 1801, and then in 1814 he was promoted to Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom His greatest honours might be considered to be his various nicknames among the sailors, "Billy go tight" (given on account of his rubicund complexion), as well as "Billy Blue", "Coachee", and "Mr Whip". Sailors appear to have only given nicknames to those commanders whom they liked. The various nicknames of Cornwallis seem to show that he
3135-713: Was regarded with more of affection than reverence. Cornwallis was also made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1815. Cornwallis served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Eye during the periods, 1768–1774, 1782–1784, 1790–1800 and, 1801–1807. He also served as MP for Portsmouth from 1782 to 1790. Cornwallis never married. In 1800 he leased and later purchased the Newlands estate in Milford on Sea in Hampshire . He
3192-464: Was taken aboard the 60-gun Dunkirk by Captain Robert Digby . During the planned French invasion of Britain in 1759, Dunkirk was with Admiral Edward Hawke 's squadron and took part in the Battle of Quiberon Bay against the French fleet under Admiral Conflans . The victory was part of what became known as Annus Mirabilis of 1759 and in concert with the other victories of that year gave
3249-469: Was with Hood's fleet at the Battle of St. Kitts in 1782. Hood took his 21 ships of the line and lured the French fleet of 29 ships of the line under the Comte de Grasse from its anchorage at Basseterre on St. Kitts and then sailed into the roadstead and anchored. Hood then repulsed de Grasse's efforts to dislodge the British fleet. The Battle of Brimstone Hill sealed the fate of the island despite Hood's efforts and St. Kitts fell into French hands. With
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