Sir George Collier, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir George Ralph Collier, 1st Baronet KCB
(1774 – 24 March 1824) was an officer of the Royal Navy
during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
, and the War of 1812
. He had an eventful early life, being shipwrecked early in his career and later captured by the French. Nevertheless he saw enough service to attract the attention of powerful patrons that secured his rise through the ranks. An officer of considerable ability, he won a noteworthy victory against a stronger French opponent, before embarking on a period of distinguished service off the Spanish and Portuguese coasts, working closely with the British generals fighting the Peninsular War
, and markedly contributing to their success. His good service led to a prime posting in command of a squadron despatched to hunt down and neutralise the American super frigates during the War of 1812. He came close to capturing the , but lost her in circumstances that were unclear and would later return to haunt him. The years of peace that followed the end of the Napoleonic Wars saw him rewarded with a baronetcy, and his continued to serve in the navy where he was tasked with the suppression of the slave trade. The publishing of William James's
account of the War of 1812, which lambasted him for incompetence and cowardice in his failure to catch the Constitution, broke his personal peace. Having failed to clear his name, and increasingly depressed by the accusations, Collier took his own life.
Ralph Collier, and his wife Henrietta Maria. He began his education at the Chelsea Maritime Academy, but by January 1784 his name appeared in the books of the 74-gun third rate as a captain's servant to the Triumphs commander, Captain Robert Faulknor. This was likely to have been only a nominal entry to gain seniority, and Collier's naval service probably actually began three years later in January 1787, when he joined the 28-gun frigate
at the rank of midshipman
. He moved in June 1790 to take up a position aboard Captain Edward Pellew's
50-gun and spent the rest of that year serving on the Newfoundland station. Collier transferred again in December 1790, joining the 100-gun first rate , then under Captain John Knight
in the English Channel
.
Collier's next ship was Captain Samuel Hood's 32-gun , which he joined in March 1791. He remained with the Juno until she was paid off. On being discharged he took passage aboard the East Indiaman Winchelsea, bound for the East India
station. The Winchelsea ran onto a reef in the Mozambique Channel
on 3 September 1792 and was wrecked. Collier and the other survivors were able to reach Madagascar
, where they remained until being picked up a Portuguese brig
in May the following year. Before they could reach friendly soil the Portuguese ship was captured by a French privateer
and Collier and his fellow survivors were sent to Île de France
as prisoners. He remained in captivity there until being released in late 1794, whereupon he sailed to the British-held port of Madras.
had broken out, and after a period spent recuperating from his several ordeals, Collier joined Commodore Peter Rainier's
flagship
in June 1795. Collier had passed his lieutenant's examination in 1790, but only now did he receive his commission, when he was appointed lieutenant and commander of the Suffolk Tender on 31 July 1795. Rainer sent him to the Cape of Good Hope
, but shortly after his arrival, the commander of the station, Admiral
Thomas Pringle
ordered that Suffolk Tender be surveyed. She was subsequently condemned as unseaworthy, and Collier returned to Rainer at Madras without a ship. Rainer recommended that he return to Britain, where the good report of his service would assure him further employment and promotion. Collier duly arrived in England in May 1799, and on 2 July that year received an appointment to the 64-gun , which was then under the command of Captain Thomas Parr. A further advance came shortly afterwards, when he made first lieutenant on 29 July aboard Vice-Admiral Andrew Mitchell's
flagship, the 50-gun . He was present at the capture of the Dutch squadron in the Vlieter Incident
in August, and was chosen by Mitchell to carry the despatches back to Britain.
, on 21 October. Collier commanded the Victor for the next couple of years, escorting convoys and on one occasion a convoy of troop transports to the Red Sea
, bringing troops to defeat the French forces in Egypt. He stopped briefly at Diego Garcia
to take on supplies, whereupon he fell in with the 22-gun French corvette
Flèche. The two ships fought a brief engagement on 1 September 1801, during which the Flèche damaged the Victors rigging and managed to escape. After repairing the damage, Collier searched the surrounding area before coming across his opponent on 5 September, sheltering in Mahé Roads
. The channel was very narrow, and the wind unfavourable, but Collier managed to warp the Victor into the harbour, and with the aid of her staysail
s, closed on the French ship. After enduring raking fire for sometime, he was finally able to haul his ship around and the two vessels exchanged broadsides for over two hours. By then the Flèche was observed to be in a sinking condition, and her captain ran her aground. A party of men were sent over from the Victor, but having boarded the French vessel, found her crew had set her on fire and then abandoned ship. The men were temporarily evacuated while further assistance was sent across, after which they re-boarded and managed to extinguish the fire. Just as this had been achieved, the Flèche slipped off the reef into deeper water and sank.
Collier therefore came away without his prize, but his exploit came to the attention of the First Lord of the Admiralty Earl St Vincent
. Impressed by Collier's daring, St Vincent promoted him to post-captain
, with the 50-gun as his command. As a further mark of favour, St Vincent antedated his commission to 22 April 1802, giving him greater seniority over the officers promoted a week later in the general promotion that followed the Peace of Amiens. With the paying off of the Leopard in 1803 Collier moved ashore, spending until 20 January 1806 in command of the Sea Fencibles
at Liverpool
. On 18 May 1805 he married Maria Lyon, a resident of the city. The couple did not have any children. It was during this period ashore that Collier devised and presented the plans for a blockade of the Texel
, in the hopes of being appointed to lead the expedition. Nothing had come of the scheme by the time he received his next sea-going command, that of the 42-gun in February 1806.
ing, and the Spanish coastal forts. He was moved on 22 April 1807 to take up command of the 38-gun , and duly took part in the expedition to Copenhagen
. He received approbation for his services, and the British commander, Admiral James Gambier
sent him back to Britain with his despatches. Collier received a knighthood, and by 1812 was back in the Bay of Biscay
. He was active off the coast of Spain that year, supporting the guerrillas in the countryside under Admiral Sir Home Popham
, and was personally involved in some of the land-based operations of the Peninsular War
. He was wounded on 1 August 1812 in an attack on the castle at Santander
, but though the attack failed, it led to the Spanish withdrawing from the castle, considering it too exposed.
It was while operating off the Iberian Peninsula that Collier devised a need for an improved type of ships' boat. He developed a design based on elements of both a whaleboat
and a jolly boat
, and had one built for him at Plymouth Dockyard. The boat proved extremely useful after tests aboard the Surveillante, especially at being able to land safely on a flat beach to give close support. Collier further modified it by installing a howitzer in the bows, and soon boats of its type were being requested by other captains for their ships. In 1813 Collier received a further advancement, when he took up the post of commodore, in command of a force of twelve vessels off the Spanish coast, which he commanded from his flagship, the 32-gun . He and his squadron went on to support General Arthur Wellesley
and General Sir Thomas Graham
in the capture of San Sebastián
and the siege of Bayonne
. Collier's raids were particularly useful in forcing the French forces in the north of the county to attempt to fortify and defend hundreds of small coastal creeks and villages, instead of supporting the forces in the south, allowing Wellington to defeat them.
and evaded him. He gathered a squadron consisting of the Leander, the 60-gun and the 40-gun , and set off in pursuit. He almost caught up with the Constitution off St Jago
, but failed to close on her, later claiming the weather frustrated his attempts. The Constitution was at the time sailing with two captured British prizes, the former and . Collier's three ships gave chase and were overhauling the Constitution, when, having allowed the Cyane to escape, the Levant broke away and Collier followed her. In doing so he retook the Levant, but allowed Constitution to escape. Collier continued to cruise in the area, capturing the on 22 June 1814, but before he had another opportunity to pursue the Constitution, news reached him that the Treaty of Ghent
had been signed and that the war was over.
. He was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
on 2 January 1815. He was also appointed groom of the bedchamber to the Duke of Gloucester
that day. He continued to see active service at sea, being appointed as commodore of the West Africa Squadron
, with the 36-gun as his flagship. Between 1818 and 1821, he played a distinguished role in anti-slavery
efforts, which led to his election as an honorary life member of the African Institution on 17 May 1820.
Naval History in 1823. James paid particular attention to the escape of the Constitution, and lamented Collier's failure to bring her to action and capture her. James claimed Collier's incompetence had allowed the Constitution to escape from Boston, while his failure to bring her to action when his squadron later sighted her was attributed to what amounted to cowardice on his part. James summed up the episode with
Collier applied to the Admiralty
for the opportunity to clear his name, but this was not satisfied. Friends and relations had become increasingly concerned about his mental state as a result. His brother took the precaution of removing the razors from his home, but Collier appears to have smuggled one to his room, and used it to cut his own throat early in the morning on 24 March 1824. His servant who was sleeping in the same room immediately brought help, but nothing could be done and Collier died less than five minutes after inflicting the injury. The inquest later determined that 'The deceased destroyed himself, being in a state of temporary mental derangement.' The baronetcy became extinct upon his death.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1774 – 24 March 1824) was an officer 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...
during the French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The 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...
. He had an eventful early life, being shipwrecked early in his career and later captured by the French. Nevertheless he saw enough service to attract the attention of powerful patrons that secured his rise through the ranks. An officer of considerable ability, he won a noteworthy victory against a stronger French opponent, before embarking on a period of distinguished service off the Spanish and Portuguese coasts, working closely with the British generals fighting the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, and markedly contributing to their success. His good service led to a prime posting in command of a squadron despatched to hunt down and neutralise the American super frigates during the War of 1812. He came close to capturing the , but lost her in circumstances that were unclear and would later return to haunt him. The years of peace that followed the end of the Napoleonic Wars saw him rewarded with a baronetcy, and his continued to serve in the navy where he was tasked with the suppression of the slave trade. The publishing of William James's
William James (naval historian)
William M. James was a British lawyer turned naval historian who wrote important naval histories of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793-1815.-Career:...
account of the War of 1812, which lambasted him for incompetence and cowardice in his failure to catch the Constitution, broke his personal peace. Having failed to clear his name, and increasingly depressed by the accusations, Collier took his own life.
Family and early life
Collier was born in London in 1774, the second son of the chief clerk of the Victualling BoardVictualling Commissioners
The Commissioners for the victualling of the Navy, often called Victualling Commissioners, were the body responsible under the Navy Board for victualling ships of the British Royal Navy.-Creation:...
Ralph Collier, and his wife Henrietta Maria. He began his education at the Chelsea Maritime Academy, but by January 1784 his name appeared in the books of the 74-gun third rate as a captain's servant to the Triumphs commander, Captain Robert Faulknor. This was likely to have been only a nominal entry to gain seniority, and Collier's naval service probably actually began three years later in January 1787, when he joined the 28-gun frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
at the rank of midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
. He moved in June 1790 to take up a position aboard Captain Edward Pellew's
Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary, and the Napoleonic Wars...
50-gun and spent the rest of that year serving on the Newfoundland station. Collier transferred again in December 1790, joining the 100-gun first rate , then under Captain John Knight
John Knight (Royal Navy officer)
Sir John Knight, KCB was a senior British Royal Navy officer during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries most noted for his activities as a post captain during the American and French Revolutionary Wars...
in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
.
Collier's next ship was Captain Samuel Hood's 32-gun , which he joined in March 1791. He remained with the Juno until she was paid off. On being discharged he took passage aboard the East Indiaman Winchelsea, bound for the East India
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
station. The Winchelsea ran onto a reef in the Mozambique Channel
Mozambique Channel
The Mozambique Channel is a portion of the Indian Ocean located between the island nation of Madagascar and southeast Africa, primarily the country of Mozambique. It was a World War II clashpoint during the Battle of Madagascar...
on 3 September 1792 and was wrecked. Collier and the other survivors were able to reach Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, where they remained until being picked up a Portuguese brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
in May the following year. Before they could reach friendly soil the Portuguese ship was captured by a French privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
and Collier and his fellow survivors were sent to Île de France
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
as prisoners. He remained in captivity there until being released in late 1794, whereupon he sailed to the British-held port of Madras.
French Revolutionary Wars
By now the French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
had broken out, and after a period spent recuperating from his several ordeals, Collier joined Commodore Peter Rainier's
Peter Rainier, junior
Peter Rainier, Jr. was a British naval officer. Mount Rainier in Washington, USA, was named after him.-Biography:Rainier was born in England, the grandson of Daniel Regnier, a Huguenot refugee, and the son of Peter Rainier of Sandwich. He enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1756 at the age of 15. He...
flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
in June 1795. Collier had passed his lieutenant's examination in 1790, but only now did he receive his commission, when he was appointed lieutenant and commander of the Suffolk Tender on 31 July 1795. Rainer sent him to the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, but shortly after his arrival, the commander of the station, Admiral
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...
Thomas Pringle
Thomas 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:...
ordered that Suffolk Tender be surveyed. She was subsequently condemned as unseaworthy, and Collier returned to Rainer at Madras without a ship. Rainer recommended that he return to Britain, where the good report of his service would assure him further employment and promotion. Collier duly arrived in England in May 1799, and on 2 July that year received an appointment to the 64-gun , which was then under the command of Captain Thomas Parr. A further advance came shortly afterwards, when he made first lieutenant on 29 July aboard Vice-Admiral Andrew Mitchell's
Andrew Mitchell (Royal Navy officer)
Sir Andrew Mitchell KB was an Admiral of the Blue in the Royal Navy. Married to Mary Uniacke in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 3 May 1805.-Career:...
flagship, the 50-gun . He was present at the capture of the Dutch squadron in the Vlieter Incident
Vlieter Incident
The Vlieter incident was the surrender without a fight of a squadron of the navy of the Batavian Republic, commanded by Rear-Admiral Samuel Story, during the Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland to the British navy on a sandbank near the Channel known as De Vlieter, near Wieringen, on August 30,...
in August, and was chosen by Mitchell to carry the despatches back to Britain.
Battle with the Flèche
As was customary Collier received a promotion, to master and commander on 3 September 1799, and a command, the 18-gun sloopSloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
, on 21 October. Collier commanded the Victor for the next couple of years, escorting convoys and on one occasion a convoy of troop transports to the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, bringing troops to defeat the French forces in Egypt. He stopped briefly at Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia is a tropical, footprint-shaped coral atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean at 7 degrees, 26 minutes south latitude. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory [BIOT] and is positioned at 72°23' east longitude....
to take on supplies, whereupon he fell in with the 22-gun French corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
Flèche. The two ships fought a brief engagement on 1 September 1801, during which the Flèche damaged the Victors rigging and managed to escape. After repairing the damage, Collier searched the surrounding area before coming across his opponent on 5 September, sheltering in Mahé Roads
Mahé, Seychelles
Mahé is the largest island of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 90% of the country's total population...
. The channel was very narrow, and the wind unfavourable, but Collier managed to warp the Victor into the harbour, and with the aid of her staysail
Staysail
A staysail is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit or to another mast....
s, closed on the French ship. After enduring raking fire for sometime, he was finally able to haul his ship around and the two vessels exchanged broadsides for over two hours. By then the Flèche was observed to be in a sinking condition, and her captain ran her aground. A party of men were sent over from the Victor, but having boarded the French vessel, found her crew had set her on fire and then abandoned ship. The men were temporarily evacuated while further assistance was sent across, after which they re-boarded and managed to extinguish the fire. Just as this had been achieved, the Flèche slipped off the reef into deeper water and sank.
Collier therefore came away without his prize, but his exploit came to the attention of the First Lord of the Admiralty Earl St Vincent
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral 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...
. Impressed by Collier's daring, St Vincent promoted him to post-captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
, with the 50-gun as his command. As a further mark of favour, St Vincent antedated his commission to 22 April 1802, giving him greater seniority over the officers promoted a week later in the general promotion that followed the Peace of Amiens. With the paying off of the Leopard in 1803 Collier moved ashore, spending until 20 January 1806 in command of the Sea Fencibles
Sea Fencibles
The original Sea Fencibles were a naval militia established to provide a close-in line of defense to protect the United Kingdom from invasion by France during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. On 18 May 1805 he married Maria Lyon, a resident of the city. The couple did not have any children. It was during this period ashore that Collier devised and presented the plans for a blockade of the Texel
Texel
Texel is a municipality and an island in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the biggest and most populated of the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea, and also the westernmost of this archipelago, which extends to Denmark...
, in the hopes of being appointed to lead the expedition. Nothing had come of the scheme by the time he received his next sea-going command, that of the 42-gun in February 1806.
Napoleonic Wars
The Minerva was sent south to the Spanish and Portuguese coasts, where Collier found himself busy suppressing privateerPrivateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
ing, and the Spanish coastal forts. He was moved on 22 April 1807 to take up command of the 38-gun , and duly took part in the expedition to Copenhagen
Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
The Second Battle of Copenhagen was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet and in turn originate the term to Copenhagenize.-Background:Despite the defeat and loss of many ships in the first Battle of Copenhagen in...
. He received approbation for his services, and the British commander, Admiral James Gambier
James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier
Admiral 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...
sent him back to Britain with his despatches. Collier received a knighthood, and by 1812 was back in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
. He was active off the coast of Spain that year, supporting the guerrillas in the countryside under Admiral Sir Home Popham
Home Riggs Popham
Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham KCB was a British Royal Naval Commander who saw service during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars...
, and was personally involved in some of the land-based operations of the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. He was wounded on 1 August 1812 in an attack on the castle at Santander
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
, but though the attack failed, it led to the Spanish withdrawing from the castle, considering it too exposed.
It was while operating off the Iberian Peninsula that Collier devised a need for an improved type of ships' boat. He developed a design based on elements of both a whaleboat
Whaleboat
A whaleboat is a type of open boat that is relatively narrow and pointed at both ends, enabling it to move either forwards or backwards equally well. It was originally developed for whaling, and later became popular for work along beaches, since it does not need to be turned around for beaching or...
and a jolly boat
Jolly boat
The jolly boat was a type of ship's boat in use during the 18th and 19th centuries. The origins of the name is the subject of debate, but it was by the 18th century one of a number of ship's boats, and was used mainly to ferry personnel to and from the ship, or for other small scale activities...
, and had one built for him at Plymouth Dockyard. The boat proved extremely useful after tests aboard the Surveillante, especially at being able to land safely on a flat beach to give close support. Collier further modified it by installing a howitzer in the bows, and soon boats of its type were being requested by other captains for their ships. In 1813 Collier received a further advancement, when he took up the post of commodore, in command of a force of twelve vessels off the Spanish coast, which he commanded from his flagship, the 32-gun . He and his squadron went on to support General Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
and General Sir Thomas Graham
Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch
General Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch, GCB, GCMG, GCTE was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and British Army officer....
in the capture of San Sebastián
Siege of San Sebastian
In the Siege of San Sebastián Allied forces under the command of General Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington captured the city of San Sebastián in northern Spain from its French garrison under Brigadier-General Louis Rey...
and the siege of Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
. Collier's raids were particularly useful in forcing the French forces in the north of the county to attempt to fortify and defend hundreds of small coastal creeks and villages, instead of supporting the forces in the south, allowing Wellington to defeat them.
War of 1812
On 15 March 1814 Collier received command of the 50-gun and was sent to North America to deal with the American super frigates that were causing losses to British merchant shipping. It was a highly sought after posting, and reflected the Admiralty's approval of his efforts off Spain. Collier sought battle with the , but the American ship escaped from BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and evaded him. He gathered a squadron consisting of the Leander, the 60-gun and the 40-gun , and set off in pursuit. He almost caught up with the Constitution off St Jago
Santiago, Cape Verde
Santiago , or Santiagu in Cape Verdean Creole, is the largest island of Cape Verde, its most important agricultural centre and home to half the nation’s population. At the time of Darwin's voyage it was called St. Jago....
, but failed to close on her, later claiming the weather frustrated his attempts. The Constitution was at the time sailing with two captured British prizes, the former and . Collier's three ships gave chase and were overhauling the Constitution, when, having allowed the Cyane to escape, the Levant broke away and Collier followed her. In doing so he retook the Levant, but allowed Constitution to escape. Collier continued to cruise in the area, capturing the on 22 June 1814, but before he had another opportunity to pursue the Constitution, news reached him that the Treaty of Ghent
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent , signed on 24 December 1814, in Ghent , was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
had been signed and that the war was over.
Years of peace
Collier returned to Britain and on 20 September 1814 was created a baronetBaronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
. He was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
on 2 January 1815. He was also appointed groom of the bedchamber to the Duke of Gloucester
Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh was a member of the British Royal Family, a great-grandson of George II and nephew of George III.-Early life:...
that day. He continued to see active service at sea, being appointed as commodore of the West Africa Squadron
West Africa Squadron
The Royal Navy established the West Africa Squadron at substantial expense in 1808 after Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act of 1807. The squadron's task was to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by patrolling the coast of West Africa...
, with the 36-gun as his flagship. Between 1818 and 1821, he played a distinguished role in anti-slavery
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
efforts, which led to his election as an honorary life member of the African Institution on 17 May 1820.
James's account and death
Collier's life was disturbed by the publication of William James'sWilliam James (naval historian)
William M. James was a British lawyer turned naval historian who wrote important naval histories of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793-1815.-Career:...
Naval History in 1823. James paid particular attention to the escape of the Constitution, and lamented Collier's failure to bring her to action and capture her. James claimed Collier's incompetence had allowed the Constitution to escape from Boston, while his failure to bring her to action when his squadron later sighted her was attributed to what amounted to cowardice on his part. James summed up the episode with
Most sincerely do we regret...that this last and most triumphant escape of the Constitution, the first frigate of the United States that had humbled the proud flag of Britain, had, not long ago, been brought under the scrutiny of a court-martial. The blame would then have fallen where it ought to have fallen...The more it is investigated, the more it will show itself to be, the most blundering piece of business recorded in these six volumes.
Collier applied to the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
for the opportunity to clear his name, but this was not satisfied. Friends and relations had become increasingly concerned about his mental state as a result. His brother took the precaution of removing the razors from his home, but Collier appears to have smuggled one to his room, and used it to cut his own throat early in the morning on 24 March 1824. His servant who was sleeping in the same room immediately brought help, but nothing could be done and Collier died less than five minutes after inflicting the injury. The inquest later determined that 'The deceased destroyed himself, being in a state of temporary mental derangement.' The baronetcy became extinct upon his death.