Vice-Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

Sir Richard Saunders Dundas, (11 April 1802 – 3 June 1861) 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. As a

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 ...

, he took part in the capture of the Bogue forts in January 1841, during the

First Opium War The First Opium War ( zh, t=第一次鴉片戰爭, p=Dìyīcì yāpiàn zhànzhēng), also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, was a series of military engagements fought between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1 ...

. He was appointed to the command of the Fleet in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

, in succession to Sir Charles Napier, in February 1855 and led the naval support during the latter stages of the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, enforcing a strict blockade and carrying out the bombardment of Sveaborg in August 1855. He was appointed

First Naval Lord First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

in the

first Palmerston ministry Lord Palmerston, of the Whigs, first formed a government by popular demand in 1855, after the resignation of the Aberdeen Coalition. Initially, the government was a continuation of the previous coalition administration but lost three Peelites ...

in November 1857 and then, after stepping down to be Second Naval Lord during the

second Derby–Disraeli ministry The Conservative government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that began in 1858 and ended in 1859 was led by Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby in the House of Lords and Benjamin Disraeli in the House of Commons. History ...

, he stepped up again to become First Naval Lord in the

second Palmerston ministry The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...

in June 1859, remaining in office until his death. The prime minister (Viscount Palmerston) described Dundas as "a most distinguished officer".

Early career

The son of

Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville, (14 March 1771 – 10 June 1851) was a British statesman, the son of Henry Dundas, the 1st Viscount. Dundas was the Member of Parliament for Hastings in 1794, Rye in 1796 and Midlothian in 1801. He was ...

and his wife

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

(née Huck-Saunders), Dundas was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and joined the

in 1817. After initial training at the Royal Navy College at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, he joined the

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 ...

HMS ''Ganymede'' in the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

. Promoted to lieutenant on 16 June 1821 and to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

on 23 June 1823, he was given command of the sloop HMS ''Sparrowhawk'' on the

North America and West Indies Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956, with main bases at the Imperial fortresses of Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ...

in June 1823. Promoted to

on 17 July 1824, Dundas took command of the sixth-rate HMS ''Volage'' on the North America and West Indies Station in September 1825 and then of the third-rate HMS ''Warspite'' on the

East Indies Station The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. Even in official documents, the term ''East Indies Station'' wa ...

in December 1826. He became secretary to his father, who was serving a second term as

First Lord of the Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

, in 1828. He went on to take command of the fifth-rate HMS ''Belvidera'' in the

in November 1830 and the third-rate HMS ''Melville'', flagship of the

, in September 1837. In HMS ''Melville'' he took part in the capture of the Bogue forts in January 1841 during the

. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

on 29 June 1841. Dundas returned to the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

as secretary to Lord Haddington, First Lord of the Admiralty, in January 1845 and became captain of the second-rate HMS ''Powerful'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in January 1848.

Senior command

Promoted to

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

on 4 July 1853, Dundas was appointed Third Naval Lord in the

Aberdeen ministry After the collapse of Lord Derby's minority government, the Whigs and Peelites formed a coalition under the Peelite leader George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen. The government resigned in early 1855 after a large parliamentary majorit ...

in January 1853 and then Second Naval Lord in the same ministry in June 1854. He was appointed to the command of the

Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet w ...

in the

, hoisting his flag in the first-rate HMS ''Duke of Wellington'', in succession to

James Dundas James Dundas may refer to: * James Dundas (VC) (1842–1879), Scottish VC recipient * James Dundas (MP), MP for Linlithgowshire (1770–74) * James Dundas, Lord Arniston (1620–1679), Scottish politician and judge * James Whitley Deans Dundas (178 ...

in February 1855. Dundas led the naval support during the latter stages of the

enforcing a strict

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...

in the Baltic. Dundas was hesitant but the French admiral Charles Penaud persuaded him to attack the Russian fleet in the harbour of Sveaborg on 9–10 August 1855. The British provided most of the attacking force. Much of the bombardment was done with smaller vessels that the shore batteries found hard to hit. Six Russian ships of the line and 17 smaller warships were destroyed, and the Russians suffered 2,000 casualties. The allies suffered one death, 15 wounded, and damage to only one British sloop. Dundas was advanced to

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

on 5 February 1856 and became Second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet, hoisting his flag in HMS ''Duke of Wellington'', in April 1856. He was also appointed a Grand Officer of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on 2 August 1856. Dundas was appointed Second Naval Lord in the

First Palmerston ministry Lord Palmerston, of the Whigs, first formed a government by popular demand in 1855, after the resignation of the Aberdeen Coalition. Initially, the government was a continuation of the previous coalition administration but lost three Peelites ...

in April 1857 and then

in the same ministry in November 1857. Promoted to

vice-admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

on 24 February 1858, Dundas stepped down to be Second Naval Lord in the Second Derby ministry in March 1858. He stepped up again to become First Naval Lord in the

Second Palmerston ministry The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...

in June 1859 remaining in office until his death. He died, unmarried, of a heart attack at Spring Gardens in London on 3 June 1861. Later that day, the prime minister (Viscount Palmerston) described Vice Admiral Dundas as: :"a most distinguished officer, who was for forty-five years in the service of his country, and who equally distinguished himself in every sphere in which he was called upon to act. He was eminent for the good discipline and order of the ships which he commanded, he was distinguished by the gallantry and good judgment with which he conducted every naval operation in which he was engaged, he was most valuable as a public servant in the direction of naval affairs at the Admiralty. Whether at the Council Board or on the quarter deck his merits were equally eminent, and his services were equally valuable to the country." His body was returned to the family home, and he is buried beside his father and grandfather in the Dundas Vault in Old

Lasswade Lasswade is a village and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River North Esk, south of Edinburgh city centre, contiguous with Bonnyrigg and between Dalkeith to the east and Loanhead to the west. Melville Castle lies to the north ...

Kirkyard, close to

Melville Castle Melville Castle is a three-storey Gothic mansion situated less than a mile (>2 km) west-south-west of Dalkeith, Midlothian, near the North Esk. History An earlier tower house on the site was demolished when the present structure, desig ...

References

Sources

William Loney RN
Career History * *

Early career

Senior command

See also

References

Sources

Further reading