Thomas Pakenham (Royal Navy officer)
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Sir Thomas Pakenham GCB
(29 September 1757–1836), styled The Honourable from birth to 1820, was a British naval officer and politician.
Pakenham, third son of Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford
(1713–1766), was born in 1757. He entered the Royal Navy
in 1771 on board the , with Captain John MacBride
, with whom he moved to the in 1773. In 1774 he was on the coast of Guinea
with William Cornwallis
in the , and in 1775 was acting lieutenant of the on the coast of North America.
In the following year he was promoted by Lord Shuldham
to be lieutenant of the frigate , and while in her saw much boat service, in the course of which he was severely wounded. In 1778 he joined the , commanded by Lord Mulgrave
, in the fleet under Keppel
, and was present in the Battle of Ushant
on 27 July.
In the following spring he was moved into the Europe, going to North America with the flag of Rear-Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot, and on 21 September 1779 was promoted to the command of the sloop , newly captured from the enemy. He was then sent to the Jamaica station, where, on 2 March 1780, he was posted by Sir Peter Parker
the elder to the . His old wound, received while in the Greyhound, broke out again, and compelled him to return to England in the autumn.
In December 1780 he was appointed to the of 28 guns, attached to the fleet under George Darby
, which relieved Gibraltar
in April 1781, and was sent on to Minorca
in company with the under William Peere Williams-Freeman
. On their way back, in passing through the straits, they fell in, on 30 May, with two Dutch frigates. In the ensuing Battle of Cape St Mary, one of the Dutch frigates, the Castor (commanded by Pieter Melvill van Carnbee
), struck to the Flora, while the other, the Den Briel, overpowered and captured the Crescent. The Crescent was immediately recaptured by the Flora, the Den Briel making her escape; but both Crescent and Castor had received so much damage in the action that they fell into the hands of two French frigates on the way home, 19 June, the Flora escaping. Pakenham had, however, refused to resume the command of the Crescent, maintaining that by his surrender to the Den Briel his commission was cancelled, and that when recaptured the ship was on the same footing as any other prize.
For the loss of his ship he was tried by court-martial and honourably acquitted, it being proved that he did not strike the flag till, by the fall of her masts and the disabling of her guns, further resistance was impossible. He was therefore at once appointed to the frigate , which he commanded in the following year at the relief of Gibraltar by Lord Howe
.
In 1793 he commissioned the , and in her took part in the Glorious First of June
, when his conduct was spoken of as particularly brilliant (JAMES, Nav. Hist. i. 176–7), and he was recommended by Howe for the gold medal (→ James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier
). In 1795 he was turned over to the 84-gun ship Juste
, in the capture of which, on 1 June, he had had a principal hand. He was afterwards for some time master-general of the ordnance in Ireland, and had no further service in the navy. In 1783, Pakenham entered the Irish House of Commons
for Longford Borough
and sat until 1790. Subsequently he represented Kells
until 1798 and again Longford Borough until the Act of Union in 1801.
On 14 February 1799, Pakenham was promoted to be rear-admiral, vice-admiral on 23 April 1804, and admiral on 31 July 1810. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
on 20 May 1820, and died on 2 February 1836. He married in 1785 Louisa, daughter of the Right Hon. John Staples, and had a large family. His fifth son Sir Richard Pakenham
(1797–1868) is separately noticed.
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...
(29 September 1757–1836), styled The Honourable from birth to 1820, was a British naval officer and politician.
Pakenham, third son of Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford
Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford
Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford was an Irish peer and politician.He was born in 1713 at Pakenham Hall, County Westmeath, Ireland...
(1713–1766), was born in 1757. He entered 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 1771 on board the , with Captain John MacBride
John MacBride (Royal Navy officer)
John MacBride was an officer of the Royal Navy and a politician who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral of the Blue.MacBride entered the navy after serving on merchant vessels and...
, with whom he moved to the in 1773. In 1774 he was on the coast of Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
with William Cornwallis
William Cornwallis
Admiral the Honourable Sir William Cornwallis GCB was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, governor-general of India...
in the , and in 1775 was acting lieutenant of the on the coast of North America.
In the following year he was promoted by Lord Shuldham
Molyneux Shuldham, 1st Baron Shuldham
Molyneux Shuldham was an officer of the British Royal Navy. He served for a time as colonial governor of Newfoundland.-Family and early life:...
to be lieutenant of the frigate , and while in her saw much boat service, in the course of which he was severely wounded. In 1778 he joined the , commanded by Lord Mulgrave
Constantine Phipps, 2nd Baron Mulgrave
Constantine John Phipps, 2nd Baron Mulgrave, PC was an English explorer and officer in the Royal Navy. He served during the Seven Years War and the American War of Independence, seeing action in a number of battles and engagements...
, in the fleet under Keppel
Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel
Admiral Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel PC was an officer of the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the War of American Independence...
, and was present in the Battle of Ushant
Battle of Ushant (1778)
The Battle of Ushant took place on 27 July 1778, during the American War of Independence, fought between French and British fleets 100 miles west of Ushant, a French island at the mouth of the English Channel off the north-westernmost point of France...
on 27 July.
In the following spring he was moved into the Europe, going to North America with the flag of Rear-Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot, and on 21 September 1779 was promoted to the command of the sloop , newly captured from the enemy. He was then sent to the Jamaica station, where, on 2 March 1780, he was posted by Sir Peter Parker
Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet was a British naval officer.-Naval career:Peter Parker was born probably in Ireland. He became a lieutenant in the Royal Navy in 1743 and captain in 1747. In 1761, he took command of HMS Buckingham and helped cover operations on Belle Île...
the elder to the . His old wound, received while in the Greyhound, broke out again, and compelled him to return to England in the autumn.
In December 1780 he was appointed to the of 28 guns, attached to the fleet under George Darby
George Darby
Vice Admiral George Darby was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the second son of Jonathan Darby III Esq. , of Leap Castle, in King's County, Ireland.-Early career:Darby joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer...
, which relieved Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in April 1781, and was sent on to Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
in company with the under William Peere Williams-Freeman
William Peere Williams-Freeman
William Peere Williams-Freeman was an officer in the Royal Navy, eventually becoming admiral of the fleet for a brief period before his death at the age of 90.-Family and early life:Williams was born in Peterborough on 6 January 1742, the son of Frederick Williams,...
. On their way back, in passing through the straits, they fell in, on 30 May, with two Dutch frigates. In the ensuing Battle of Cape St Mary, one of the Dutch frigates, the Castor (commanded by Pieter Melvill van Carnbee
Pieter Melvill van Carnbee (1743-1810)
Pieter baron Melvill van Carnbee was a Dutch naval officer from a military family of Scottish descent, who rose to the rank of vice admiral. His name was sometimes spelled Melville van Carnbée. His grandson Pieter Melvill van Carnbee was a notable geographer.-Life:He is most noted for his...
), struck to the Flora, while the other, the Den Briel, overpowered and captured the Crescent. The Crescent was immediately recaptured by the Flora, the Den Briel making her escape; but both Crescent and Castor had received so much damage in the action that they fell into the hands of two French frigates on the way home, 19 June, the Flora escaping. Pakenham had, however, refused to resume the command of the Crescent, maintaining that by his surrender to the Den Briel his commission was cancelled, and that when recaptured the ship was on the same footing as any other prize.
For the loss of his ship he was tried by court-martial and honourably acquitted, it being proved that he did not strike the flag till, by the fall of her masts and the disabling of her guns, further resistance was impossible. He was therefore at once appointed to the frigate , which he commanded in the following year at the relief of Gibraltar by Lord Howe
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
.
In 1793 he commissioned the , and in her took part in the Glorious First of June
Glorious First of June
The 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...
, when his conduct was spoken of as particularly brilliant (JAMES, Nav. Hist. i. 176–7), and he was recommended by Howe for the gold medal (→ James Gambier, 1st Baron 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...
). In 1795 he was turned over to the 84-gun ship Juste
French ship Deux Frères
The Deux Frères was a 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was offered to King Louis XVI by his two brothers.On 29 September 1792, she was renamed Juste. She took part in the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2, where she was captured....
, in the capture of which, on 1 June, he had had a principal hand. He was afterwards for some time master-general of the ordnance in Ireland, and had no further service in the navy. In 1783, Pakenham entered the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
for Longford Borough
Longford Borough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Longford Borough was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-1692–1801:-References:...
and sat until 1790. Subsequently he represented Kells
Kells (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Kells was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Kells was not represented.-1689–1801:...
until 1798 and again Longford Borough until the Act of Union in 1801.
On 14 February 1799, Pakenham was promoted to be rear-admiral, vice-admiral on 23 April 1804, and admiral on 31 July 1810. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross 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 20 May 1820, and died on 2 February 1836. He married in 1785 Louisa, daughter of the Right Hon. John Staples, and had a large family. His fifth son Sir Richard Pakenham
Sir Richard Pakenham
Sir Richard Pakenham was a British diplomat.Pakenham, the fifth son of Admiral Sir Thomas Pakenham, by his wife, Louisa, daughter of the Right Hon...
(1797–1868) is separately noticed.