Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

James Vashon (9 August 1742 – 20 October 1827)Memorial plaque in St. Laurence Churchyard, Ludlow. Find a Grave memorial I
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/ref> was a British 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 ...

. He saw service during the

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 ...

, 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 ...

and the French Revolutionary and

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. He was first captain of HMS ''Dreadnought'', between 1801 and 1802. Previously, he had commanded ''Alert'' (1781), ''Europa'' (1786), and ''Formidable''.

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Vashon Island Vashon () is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon–Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. Before the constru ...

was named after him by the explorer

George Vancouver Captain (Royal Navy), Captain George Vancouver (; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for leading the Vancouver Expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Uni ...

, who had been Vashon's subordinate in ''Europa''. Vashon rose to the rank of Admiral of the White. He is reported to have been stationed for many years 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 ...

Family and early life

James Vashon was born on 9 August 1742 in the village of

Eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

, near

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...

, Herefordshire. He was the son of the Vicar of Eye, the Reverend James Volant Vashon. The family was descended from Peter Vashon, a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...

c. 1636, who had immigrated from Paris. The family name is of French origins and became English. James Vashon entered the

at age thirteen, in 1755, and first served aboard the 28-gun frigate under Captain Cornwall. As a

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 ...

he served on a number of vessels and saw combat service in the Mediterranean, the coast of North America, and in the Caribbean. In 1763 he passed his examination for lieutenant, but continued to serve as a midshipman until 1772 for lack of a lieutenant's posting. Vashon was serving on when the

ended and went ashore on

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the E ...

until 1774 when the Navy began re-arming for the approaching

American War of Independence

He was appointed lieutenant on the frigate and was assigned to the West Indies. He was quickly promoted to first-lieutenant when Lieutenant Peter Rainier (for whom

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier ( ), also known as Tahoma, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With an off ...

was named) was promoted and transferred off the ''Maidstone''. He achieved recognition with his action during the capture of the French ship ''Lion'', when he was given command of the prize and over 200 prisoners, and successfully reached the British naval base at

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

. As a reward, he was returned to England, promoted to commander, and given command of the 14-gun

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

. During 1780–81, ''Alert'' served on convoy duty in the North Atlantic and in the Caribbean. During the second tour in the Caribbean for the ''Alert'', Joseph Baker (after whom

Mount Baker Mount Baker (; ), also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan, is a active glacier-covered andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State in the United States. Mount Baker has the second-most ...

was named) served as cabin boy for Commander Vashon. Because of distinguished action as commander of the ''Alert'' during the

battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

, Vashon was promoted to captain and given command of the 64-gun

ship-of-the-line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two column ...

. He then served as

flag captain In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a " captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "Firs ...

aboard , and then the frigate . With the end of the American wars, Vashon again went ashore on half pay in 1783. He and his wife Jane Bethell, who married in 1779, had a son in 1784, but Jane died suddenly in 1786. Vashon then married Sarah Rainier, the sister of his earlier shipmate Peter Rainier.

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

In late 1786 Vashon was recalled to service and took command of the 50-gun , where serving under him were Midshipmen James Baker and

Peter Puget Peter Puget (1765 – 31 October 1822) was an officer in the Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of Puget Sound, which is named for him. Midshipman Puget Puget's ancestors had fled France for Britain during Louis XIV's persecution of the ...

, and Lieutenant

, who would become significant in future explorations of the area of

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. Vashon commanded a series of ships during the period from 1789 to 1804 including the 64-gun ships , , , and the 80-gun . It was during this period that George Vancouver commanded the Pacific Northwest expedition that bears his name and during which Vancouver named a number of prominent features of the Northwest after his colleagues and friends in the Royal Navy. On 28 May 1792 Vancouver named Vashon's Island in honour of Captain Vashon. In 1842

Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and List of explorers, explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). During the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865 ...

of the

United States Exploring Expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...

named Maury Island as a separate island and the usage began to change to Vashon Island. In April 1804 Vashon was promoted to Rear-Admiral in command of the

Leith Station The Commander-in-Chief, Leith formally known as the Commander-in-Chief at Leith and on the Coast of Scotland was a military commander and formation of the Royal Navy from 1745 to 1825. History Royal Navy forces first began operating from Leith bet ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

with his flag aboard . He instituted a formal convoy system out of Leith to protect this vital shipping route, and was so successful that he was promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1808. When Vashon decided to retire in late 1808, the merchants and leaders of Leith were so pleased that they gave him a public dinner, awarded him two commemorative plates, and honoured him as a

Freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

of the City of

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

After the Navy

Vashon retired to Ludlow where he lived at Number 54 Broad Street (which is marked with a Ludlow Civic Society

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

). He was promoted to Admiral in 1814, and died on 27 October 1827 at the age of 85. He was buried at St Laurence Church in Ludlow.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vashon, James 1742 births 1827 deaths Military personnel from Herefordshire Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Military personnel from Shropshire Huguenot participants in the American Revolution Burials in Shropshire