James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez

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James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez

James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez GCB (born March 11, 1757 in Saint Peter Port , Guernsey ; † October 9, 1836 ibid) was a British admiral who was in command of the British units in the First Naval Battle of Algeciras and in the Second Naval Battle led by Algeciras .

Early years

Saumarez came from a family with a long naval tradition on the Channel Island of Guernsey . Many ancestors had distinguished themselves in the service of the Royal Navy . He himself continued the tradition when he joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman at the age of 13 .

Service in the Royal Navy

In 1776 he was promoted to lieutenant because of his achievements in the capture of Charleston . For his bravery in the naval battle on the Dogger Bank on August 5, 1781, when he was wounded, he was promoted to Commander .

In 1782 he was already a captain and commanded the 74-gun ship of the line HMS Russell in the Battle of Les Saintes on April 12, 1782, in which Rodney defeated the French fleet under de Grasse .

What he did in the peacetime between 1783 and 1793 is largely unknown. In 1793 he took over the frigate HMS Crescent , with which he captured the French frigate La Reunion in 1793 in a frigate battle. For this Saumarez was beaten by the king to Knight Bachelor in 1793 . In 1794, as a commodore of a small squadron , he was able to evade an attack by a clearly superior French unit by taking the protection of Guernsey. In 1795 he took command of the liner HMS Orion , with which he took part in the sea battles at Groix (1795), Cape St. Vincent (1797) and Abukir (1798). In the latter he was wounded.

In 1799 he was given command of the 80-gun ship of the line HMS Caesar , with which he was used in the blockade of Brest . In 1801 Saumarez was promoted to Rear Admiral and raised to Baronet , of Guernsey. His next task was to block the port of Cádiz , which he achieved after a defeat in the First Sea Battle of Algeciras with the victory just six days later in the Second Sea Battle of Algeciras . For this achievement he was accepted as a Knight Companion in the Order of the Bath in 1801 . He also received the Freedom of the City of the City of London and an annual pension of £ 1,200 in 1803.

From 1809 and until the end of the war, he commanded the British Baltic Fleet in support of Sweden and to secure British interests in the Baltic Sea . He was awarded the Order of the Sword by the Swedish King .

Next life

In 1814 he became an admiral . In 1815 he was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. In 1819 he received the honorary rank of Rear-Admiral of Great Britain , in 1821 that of Vice-Admiral of Great Britain . In 1831 he was raised to hereditary peer as Baron de Saumarez , of Saumarez in the Island of Guernsey .

literature

Web links and sources

  • Saumarez page 382 Unfortunately the link does not work as it should, first click on the html version and then p. 382
  • Sir John Ross: Memoirs of Admiral Lord de Saumarez . 2 volumes. 1838
  • David Shayer: James Saumarez: The Life and Achievements of Admiral Lord de Saumarez of Guernsey . La Société Guernesiaise, 2006

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Family tree since the 13th century, since the 16th century as "Seigneurs"
  2. ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 2. Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 302.
  3. ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 1. Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 175.
  4. ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 1. Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 180.
predecessor Office successor
New title created Saumarez Baronet, of Guernsey
1801-1836 		James Saumarez
New title created Baron de Saumarez
1831-1836 		James Saumarez
personal data
SURNAME Saumarez, James, 1st Baron de Saumarez
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Saumarez, James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British admiral
DATE OF BIRTH March 11, 1757
PLACE OF BIRTH Saint Peter Port , Guernsey
DATE OF DEATH October 9, 1836
Place of death Saint Peter Port , Guernsey