Richard Rodney Bligh
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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 ...
Sir Richard Rodney Bligh, GCB ( bap. 8 November 1737 – 30 April 1821) was a
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 ...
officer who served in 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
French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (sometimes called the Great French War or the Wars of the Revolution and the Empire) were a series of conflicts between the French and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompas ...
. Eventually rising to the rank of admiral, he served as Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica Station and Commander-in-Chief, Leith.


Family and early life

Bligh was born into a naval family, probably in 1737, since he was baptised on 8 November 1737 at
Holy Trinity Church, Gosport Holy Trinity is a Church of England church in the Anglo-Catholic tradition in Gosport, Hampshire, within the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth. It is the civic church for the Gosport deanery and hosts commemorative events and the annual Mayors in ...
. His godfather was
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 ...
George Brydges Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a Royal Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularl ...
, later to win fame during the American War of Independence, rising to the rank of admiral. Bligh's father was Richard Bligh, a lieutenant in the navy, while
William Bligh William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was a Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), Royal Navy vice-admiral and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from 1806 to 1808. He is best known for his role in the Muti ...
, of later HMS ''Bounty'' fame, was a third cousin.. The younger Richard also embarked on a naval career, joining in 1750 aboard Rodney's ship, the 44-gun . By 1756 he had risen to
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 was serving aboard the 90-gun HMS ''Ramillies'', then flying the flag of Admiral Sir
John Byng Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral John Byng (baptised 29 October 1704 – 14 March 1757) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who was court-martialled and executed by firing squad. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen, he participate ...
. Bligh saw action at Byng's unsuccessful attempt to relieve Minorca, after which he was commissioned a lieutenant on 30 September 1757 aboard the 24-gun . He remained with the fleet of his patron Rodney, whom he accompanied to 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 ...
. Rodney duly appointed him Master and Commander of the sloop on 22 October 1762. He carried out various cruises aboard her against enemy
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
s. He followed this by being made
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 ...
aboard on 6 December 1777. In January 1780 he commissioned the newly built . By 1782 he was in command of the 64-gun during the Relief of Gibraltar by Admiral
Richard Howe Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe (8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. After serving in the War of the Austrian Succession, he gained a reputation for his role in amphibious operations agai ...
.


Command

On the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France, Bligh was initially commissioned to command the 74-gun before being moved to in 1794. He was present during the events around the
Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was fought on 1 June 1794 between the British and French navies during the War of the First Coalition. It was the first and largest fleet a ...
as part of the attached squadron under George Montagu, but did not actively participate in the engagement. By late 1794 the ''Alexander'' and the had been assigned to escort a convoy from England to
Cape St Vincent Cape St. Vincent (, ) is a headland in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, southern Portugal. It is the southwesternmost point of Portugal and of mainland Europe. History Cape St. Vincent was already sacred ground in Neolithic ...
. While the two warships were returning they were spotted by a French squadron under Joseph-Marie Nielly, consisting of five 74 gun
ships 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 ...
, three large
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 ...
s and a
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 ...
. Outnumbered the British ships attempted to escape, but began to be overhauled by the French. Bligh eventually turned and engaged the French, allowing ''Canada'' to escape. After an unequal engagement during which ''Alexander'' was reduced to a sinking condition, Bligh struck his colours. The French took possession of ''Alexander'', but owing to the damage both they and their prize had sustained, were compelled to abandon their cruise and return to port, thus allowing several approaching British convoys to reach port unhindered.


Flag rank

Bligh was taken as a prisoner of war, but unknown to him he had been promoted to the rank of rear-admiral of the blue on 23 October 1794. He was eventually exchanged and returned to England in May 1795, where he faced the customary court-martial for the loss of his ship. He was honourably acquitted, and allowed to take up a position under Sir Peter Parker. He was then appointed as second-in-command to Sir
Henry Harvey Admiral Sir Henry Harvey KB (Bef. 4 Aug 1737 – 28 December 1810) was a long-serving officer of the British Royal Navy during the second half of the eighteenth century. Harvey participated in numerous naval operations and actions and espe ...
, then commander in the
Windward Islands The Windward Islands are the southern, generally larger islands of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean islands or the West Indies. Located approximately between latitudes 10° and 16° N and longitudes 60° and 62° W, they extend from D ...
, with Bligh flying his flag aboard the 74-gun . Bligh arrived on station in September, but was then given new orders from Sir Hyde Parker, instructing him to go to the Jamaica Station and take command until Parker arrived the following month. Bligh remained as Parker's second, being promoted to vice-admiral on 14 February 1799. Bligh however incurred the wrath of Parker when, following a major mutiny, he granted pardons to two members of the crewThe two crew members pardoned by Bligh were the captain's elderly servant and his twelve-year-old son – a ship's boy on the Hermione. Neither had participated in the mutiny and Bligh concluded that they could not reasonably have been expected to have opposed armed mutineers. of and recommended mercy for a third. Acting against regulations Parker forced Bligh to resign his command and return to Britain in the summer of 1799. In late 1803 Bligh was made Commander-in-Chief at Leith, and on the Coast of Scotland, serving under Lord Keith, before being promoted to the rank of
Admiral of the Blue 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 ...
on 23 April 1804. He then resigned and retired from active service.


Family and later life

Bligh married Ann Worsley, daughter of Sir Edward Worsley in 1765. They had one son,
George Miller Bligh Captain George Miller Bligh (1780–1834) was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Captain. He was present aboard at the Battle of Trafalgar, and was ...
, who went on to become a captain in the Navy. The couple also had four daughters, two of whom married naval officers, and three of whom went on to have children who became naval officers. Ann died in 1797, Richard remarrying on 28 June 1800. He was appointed a GCB on 16 May 1820, and died on 30 April 1821 at his home, Bell Vue, near
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
,
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, ...
.


Notes


References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bligh, Sir Richard 1737 births 1821 deaths Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Sea captains Military personnel from Portsmouth