Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

James Alms (15 July 1728 – 8 June 1791) was an officer of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

who served during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

, the

Carnatic Carnatic may refer to: *Carnatic region, Southern India *Carnatic music, the classical music of Southern India *, the name of several ships *, a minesweeper of the Royal Indian Navy *, the name of several ships of the Royal Navy See also *Karnata ...

and

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

and the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Alms rose to the rank of

post-captain Post-captain or post captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term "post-captain" was descriptive only; it was never used as a title in the form "Post-Captain John Smith". The term served to dis ...

in the Royal Navy. Alms served in the Navy from an early age, seeing his first action in the Mediterranean Sea and off the French coast before getting assigned to the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

. He narrowly survived a shipwreck that killed most of his shipmates. He was awarded the rank of lieutenant. After a return to England, he sailed back in the East Indies for service during the early years of the Seven Years' War. Following this, Alms was stationed in the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

in acting-command of a

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

. After being involved in a number of important actions in the Caribbean, he returned to Britain after the end of the war, and retired ashore. Alms returned to active service after the outbreak of the

. He again went back to the East Indies in command of his own ship. He was in action at most of the engagements between Sir Edward Hughes and the Bailli de Suffren, when he particularly distinguishing himself at the

Battle of Providien The Battle of Providien was the second in a series of naval battles fought between a British fleet, under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, and a French fleet, under the Bailli de Suffren, off the coast of India during the Anglo-French War. The ...

. Alms retired ashore after the end of the war, and died in 1791.

Family and early life

Alms was born in

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

on 15 July 1728, to John and Mary Alms. His father was said to be a servant of the

Duke of Richmond Duke of Richmond is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created four times in British history. It has been held by members of the royal Tudor and Stuart families. The current dukedom of Richmond was created in 1675 for Charles ...

. After a period working in merchant ships, he entered the navy in 1740, joining the 74-gun , and by the age of 14 was rated

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

and serving as aide de camp to Captain Charles Watson, of the 60-gun in the Mediterranean. He saw action at the Battle of Toulon on 22 February 1744 and was praised by his commander for his actions in the engagement. He then joined the 74-gun , serving with Admiral George Anson's fleet off the French coast. Anson's fleet engaged the French at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre on 14 May 1747, winning a decisive victory and capturing a number of French warships and merchants. Alms remained in ''Namur'', and went out in her in October the following year to the

with Admiral

Edward Boscawen Admiral of the Blue Edward Boscawen, Privy Council (United Kingdom), PC (19 August 171110 January 1761) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He is known principally for his various naval commands during the 18th century and the engagements ...

. ''Namur'' was one of three ships wrecked on the

Coromandel coast The Coromandel Coast is a coastal region along the southeastern front of the Indian peninsula. Its delimitations are numerous, but generally admitted to be bounded by the Krishna River, Krishna river River mouth, mouth to the north, the Bay of B ...

in a storm on 12 April 1749, with Alms being one of just 23 who survived. He was promoted to lieutenant on 14 May 1749 in the aftermath of the disaster and was assigned to , a frigate returning to England in the spring of 1752.

East and West Indies

Alms took up the command of the former

East Indiaman East Indiamen were merchant ships that operated under charter or licence for European trading companies which traded with the East Indies between the 17th and 19th centuries. The term was commonly used to refer to vessels belonging to the Bri ...

''Hardwick'', where he worked trading between

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

and China. The ''Hardwick'' was requisitioned by the government to carry stores in the Carnatic Wars, and was present with his old commander, now Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Watson, at the capture of Gheria on 12–13 February 1756. In 1758, after the outbreak of the

, Alms returned overland to England and offered his services. He was appointed lieutenant of the 74-gun under Captain James Young, and was present at the

Battle of Quiberon Bay The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as the ''Bataille des Cardinaux'' by the French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off ...

on 20 November 1759. Alms continued in ''Mars'' for a further two years, and was promoted to master and commander in June 1761. He was made commander of on 10 July 1761, and in November became acting captain of the 32-gun , which he sailed to the

with Admiral Sir George Pocock's fleet in February 1762, arriving in time to take part in the capture of Martinique. While cruising in Caribbean waters, he captured two armed sloops, one of 18 guns and one of 12 guns. He had further success on 3 June, when, while sailing to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. The two ships put up a fierce resistance, and in the ensuing engagement several musket balls passed through Alms' hat, and he was wounded in the knee. On arriving at Havana he handed ''Alarm'' over to the captain appointed to her, and took up a post as commander of the sloop , moving to command in November that year. He was subsequently heavily involved in the operations to capture Havana, and was on several occasions entrusted with important tasks. Admiral Augustus Keppel said of him that he was an 'alert, forceful man', and he was given the task of carrying the dispatches home, with Keppel's recommendation that he be promoted. However he was not promoted to post-captain until 20 June 1765, after the end of the Seven Years' War.

Command

Alms spent a number of years ashore after this, living with his family at

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

. Through the interest of

George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (6 October 1716 – 8 June 1771) was a British statesman of the Georgian era. Due to his success in extending commerce in the Americas, he became known as the "father of the colonies". President of the B ...

, he was given command of in the Mediterranean in 1770, commanding her for three years. He became captain regulating the impress service for the Sussex district in 1776, but severe

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

prevented him accepting any more active service until September 1780, when he was appointed to command the 64-gun . He went out to the East Indies again with a squadron under Commodore George Johnstone, becoming involved on the way in the

Battle of Porto Praya The Battle of Porto Praya was a naval battle that took place during the American Revolutionary War on 16 April 1781 between a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone and a French squadron under Pierre André de Suffren. Both squadr ...

on 16 April 1781 against the Bailli de Suffren. After arriving at the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

, Johnstone put Alms in command of the reinforcements and East India ships bound for India. Alms struggled with adverse winds and a high incidence of sickness, eventually forcing him to leave the

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

s on the coast of Arabia in order to bring his warships to India in time for the campaigning season. Dominic Serres - The fourth action off Trincomalee between the English under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes

Dominic Serres - The fourth action off Trincomalee between the English under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes

The British fleet rendezvoused with Sir Edward Hughes at

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

on 11 February 1782, and Alms went on to be involved in a number of indecisive clashes between Hughes and the Bailli de Suffren at

Sadras Sadras is a fortress town located on India's Coromandel Coast in Chengalpattu district, 70 km south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu state. ''Sadras'' is the anglicised form of the ancient town of ''Sadurangapattinam''. History and etymology An in ...

on 17 February, Providien on 12 April,

Negapatam Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam district. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...

on 6 July, and

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; , ; , ), historically known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Located on the east coast o ...

on 3 September 1782. It was at Providien on 12 April 1782 that he particularly distinguished himself.

Battle of Providien

On the day of the battle, 12 April 1782, ''Monmouth'' was second in line to Sir Edward's

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

. At one point in the action, Alms saw that Suffren had put up his helm with a view of boarding Hughes's ship, and luffed his ship into the "very eye of the wind," threw into the Frenchman's bows a raking broadside, and frustrated the enemy's plan. Subsequently to this manoeuvre, the ''Monmouth'' sustained heavy fire from Suffren and his two seconds, which continued until the main and mizzen-masts of the former fell over the side. The British colours had already been twice shot away, but they were now nailed to the stump of the mizzen-mast, with Alms's direction, "never to be struck." In this engagement, the ''Monmouth'' had seven guns dismounted—the wheel twice cleared—and two seamen only, besides the captain, left alive on the quarterdeck. 45 men were killed and 102 wounded. Alms himself received two splinter-wounds in the face, and two musketballs went through his hat. His eldest son, George Pigot, who was serving as lieutenant of the ''Superb'', the flagship of Sir Edward Hughes, died early in the action.

Death

Alms's health declined during the winter, and he was forced to go ashore at Madras for several months. This marked the end of his active service, and he returned to England, arriving at

Spithead Spithead is an eastern area of the Solent and a roadstead for vessels off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast, with the Isle of Wight lying to the south-west. Spithead and the ch ...

in June 1784. Alms retired to his house at Chichester and died there on 8 June 1791 at the age of 64, survived by his wife and five children. His eldest son on his death was a lieutenant aboard , serving Rear-Admiral Sir Richard King, one of Alms's friends from his days in India. Alms was buried at

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of th ...

on 14 June 1791.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alms, James 1728 births 1791 deaths People from Gosport Royal Navy personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy captains