Naval Gold Medal
Encyclopedia
The Naval Gold Medal was a medal
awarded between 1793 and 1840 to senior officers of the Royal Navy
in specified actions.
Two different sizes were struck. 22 large-size medals were awarded to flag officers
(admirals
), commodores
and captains of the fleet
. 112 smaller medals were awarded to captains.
Medal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
awarded between 1793 and 1840 to senior officers of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in specified actions.
Two different sizes were struck. 22 large-size medals were awarded to flag officers
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
(admirals
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
), commodores
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
and captains of the fleet
Captain of the fleet
In the Royal Navy of the 18th and 19th centuries a Captain of the Fleet could be appointed to assist an admiral when the admiral had ten or more ships to command....
. 112 smaller medals were awarded to captains.
Selected recipients
- Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount NelsonHoratio Nelson, 1st Viscount NelsonHoratio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
was awarded three of the large medals, for the battles of St. VincentBattle of Cape St. Vincent (1797)In the Battle of Cape St Vincent a British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal.-Origins:...
, the NileBattle of the NileThe Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
, and posthumously for TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
. - Philip BrokePhilip BrokeRear Admiral Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke, 1st Baronet KCB was a distinguished officer in the British Royal Navy.-Early life:Broke was born at Broke Hall, Nacton, near Ipswich, the eldest son of Philip Bowes Broke...
For his victory while commanding the 32-gun HMS ShannonHMS Shannon (1806)HMS Shannon was a 38-gun Leda-class frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1806 and served in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812...
, over the 38-gun USS ChesapeakeUSS ChesapeakeFive ships of the United States Navy have been named Chesapeake after the Chesapeake Bay, the body of water along Maryland and Virginia., a 38-gun frigate in commission from 1800 to 1813...
on 1 June 1813, during the War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. - Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan
- Alexander Dundas Young ArbuthnottAlexander Dundas Young ArbuthnottSir Alexander Dundas Young Arbuthnott was a British Rear Admiral during the Victorian era.-Background:Born in Forton, Hampshire, he was the son of Robert Arbuthnott, grandson of Robert Arbuthnot, 1st Viscount of Arbuthnott, and his wife Cordelia, daughter of Hon...
- Robert FaulknorRobert Faulknor the youngerRobert Faulknor the younger was an 18th century Royal Navy officer, part of the Faulknor naval dynasty. He was court-martialled and died in an action off Guadeloupe in the eastern Caribbean Sea.-Early life:...
, commander of HMS ZebraHMS Zebra (1780)HMS Zebra was an 16-gun Zebra-class sloop of the Royal Navy, launched on 31 August 1780 at Gravesend. She was the second ship to bear the name. After twenty years of service, including involvement in the West Indies campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars she was converted into a bomb...
for his attack on Fort Saint Louis (Martinique)Fort Saint Louis (Martinique)Fort Saint Louis is a fortress on a peninsula at Fort-de-France, Martinique. Today the Fort is both a naval base and an Historic Monument. There are daily tours of the fort, though the portion that is still a naval base is off-limits.-Naval Base:...
. - John Jervis, 1st Earl of St VincentJohn Jervis, 1st Earl of St VincentAdmiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
- James Gambier, 1st Baron GambierJames Gambier, 1st Baron GambierAdmiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier GCB was an admiral of the Royal Navy, who served as Governor of Newfoundland, and as a Lord of the Admiralty, but who gained notoriety for his actions at the Battle of the Basque Roads.-Early career:Gambier was born in New Providence, The...
- Sir Edward Hamilton, 1st BaronetSir Edward Hamilton, 1st BaronetSir Edward Joseph Hamilton, 1st Baronet KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Family and early life:Hamilton was born on 22 March 1772, the second...
- Sir Charles Knowles, 2nd BaronetSir Charles Knowles, 2nd BaronetSir Charles Henry Knowles, 2nd Baronet GCB was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral...
- William MounseyWilliam MounseyWilliam Mounsey CB was a British officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the American Revolutionary, the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, rising to the rank of Captain.-Family and early life:...
For an action on 6 July 1809 when, as captain of the 20-gun HMS Bonne CitoyenneHMS Bonne Citoyenne (1796)Bonne Citoyenne was a 20-gun corvette of the French Navy, which the Royal Navy captured and recommissioned as the sloop-of-war HMS Bonne Citoyenne. Her most famous action was her capture of the French frigate Furieuse on 6 July 1809 for which her crew would earn the Naval General Service Medal. Her...
, he captured the French ship FurieuseHMS Furieuse (1809)Furieuse was a 38-gun frigate of the French Navy. She was captured by the Royal Navy in 1809 and taken into servive as the fifth rate HMS Furieuse.-French career and capture:...
after a seven hour engagement. Furieuse also had 20 guns, but a much larger crew and a detachment of soldiers. In the battle, she lost 35 killed and 37 wounded. In contrast, Bonne Citoyenne had just one man killed and five wounded. - George MurrayGeorge Murray (Royal Navy officer)Vice-Admiral Sir George Murray KCB was an officer in the Royal Navy who saw service in a wide range of theatres and campaigns. His active naval career spanned the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
- Henry PauletHenry PauletLord Henry "Harry" Paulet KCB was an officer in the Royal Navy who saw service in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Born into the British nobility as a younger son of the Marquess of Winchester, he rose through the ranks and had gained his own command...
For an action on 10 April 1795 in which he captured the French 42-gun Gloire, with 275 men aboard. She had suffered casualties of 40 killed and wounded, while Paulet's ship, HMS Astraea of 32 guns and 212 men, had only eight wounded. - Thomas PringleThomas Pringle (Royal Navy officer)Vice-Admiral Thomas Pringle was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.-Family and early life:...
for the Glorious First of JuneGlorious First of JuneThe Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars... - Sir Michael Seymour, 1st BaronetSir Michael Seymour, 1st BaronetSir Michael Seymour, 1st Baronet KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Rear-Admiral.-Family and early life:...
- Robert Stopford for the Battle of San DomingoBattle of San DomingoThe Battle of San Domingo, in 1806, was a naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars. French and British squadrons of ships of the line met off the southern coast of the French-occupied Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean...
in 1806. - Captain G. H. Towry of the 28-gun frigate HMS DidoHMS Dido (1784)HMS Dido was one of the twenty-seven Enterprise class of 28-gunsixth-rate frigates in service with the Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Dido was commissioned in September 1787 under the command of Captain Charles Sandys...
and Captain Robert Middleton of the 32-gun frigate HMS LowestoffeHMS Lowestoffe (1761)HMS Lowestoffe was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. Built during the latter part of the Seven Years' War, she went on to see action in the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary War, and served often in the Caribbean...
for the action on 24 June 1795 in which they captured the 42-gun MinerveFrench frigate Minerve (1794)The Minerve was a 40-gun frigate of the French Navy. She was captured twice by the British and recaptured once by the French. She therefore served under four names:*Minerve, 1794–1795*HMS Minerve, 1795–1803*Canonnière, 1803–1810...
and drove off the 36-gun ArtémiseFrench frigate Artémise (1794)The Artémise was a Magicienne class frigate of the French Navy.She was under construction as Aurore in Toulon when the British seized the city...
. - Charles TylerCharles TylerAdmiral Sir Charles Tyler, GCB was a British admiral who gained fame during the Napoleonic Wars as one of the Nelsonic Band of Brothers and a naval officer of great reputation and success who fought at the battles of Copenhagen and Trafalgar.-Early life:Tyler was born in 1760, the son of Captain...