Admiral Mark Robinson (25 April 1722 – 23 November 1799) was an officer of the British

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, one of several members of the Robinson family to serve at sea. He entered the Royal Navy in 1742, and was examined for his lieutenancy on 14 May 1747, after having been promoted to the rank of fourth lieutenant of on 30 March 1746. After serving as lieutenant on several ships, Mark Robinson was promoted to

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 ...

of the 70-gun

third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Rating When the rating system was f ...

on 13 August 1760. In the mid-1770s he was captain of the 64-gun, third-rate . During the

American Revolutionary War 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 ...

he participated in several fleet actions against the French. As captain of ''Worcester'' he was at the First Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778. ''Worcester'' was heavily engaged in the rear division under command of Sir

Hugh Palliser Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, 1st Baronet (26 February 1723 – 19 March 1796) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. As captain of the 58-gun HMS ''Eagle'' he engaged and defeated the French 50-gun ''Duc d'Aquitain'' off Ushant in May 1757 du ...

. Subsequently, he was made captain of in March 1779. He distinguished himself at the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1 ...

on 5 September 1781. In the course of the engagement, ''Shrewsbury'' lost fourteen men killed, and fifty-two wounded, including Robinson, who lost a leg from cannon shot. Unable to return to sea, he was granted a pension. When he became, by seniority, entitled to a flag, he was placed on the list of superannuated rear admirals.

Robinson and Horatio Nelson

Nelson served under Robinson on ''Worcester'' as acting fourth lieutenant (8 October 1776 – April 1777). The experience of escorting

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s in the wintery seas to and from

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completed Nelson's

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 ...

training. On ''Worcester''s return to England on 3 April, Nelson then completed his lieutenancy examination on 9 April. Nelson was to subsequently write about this period: "But although my age might have been a sufficient cause for not entrusting me with the charge of a Watch, yet Captain Robinson used to say,'he felt as easy when I was upon deck, as any Officer in the ship".

References

* Jenkins, E H (London 1973) "History of the French Navy", * Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson Sketches of My Life * Knight, Roger (2005). "The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson". Basic Books. * Sugden, John Nelson "A Dream of Glory". Jonathan Cape. London. * John Charnock "Biographica Navalis", Volume VI, London, 1798, pp 404–406 * Mahan, A. T. "The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence",

External links

Mark Robinson letter National Archives

Gutenberg on line edition of A. T Mahan's works {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Mark 1722 births 1799 deaths Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War