Vice-Admiral Samuel Reeve (c. 1733 – 5 May 1803) was an officer of the British
Royal Navy who saw service in the
American Revolutionary War and the
French Revolutionary Wars.
in 1779 he was captain of
HMS ''Surprize'', seizing American
privateers
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare 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 or deleg ...
''Monmouth'', ''Wild Cat'' and ''Jason'' off the coast of
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
. On 20 January 1780 ''Surprize'' captured French privateer ''Duguay Trouin'', and in January 1781 captured ''Les Sept Freres''.
In the French Revolutionary Wars, Reeve was captain of with the Mediterranean Fleet under
Lord Hood. In October 1793 he was ordered, along with and , to attack a French frigate anchored in the harbour at
Genoa. The
Raid on Genoa
The Raid on Genoa was a minor naval engagement fought in the harbour of the Italian city of Genoa during the first year of the French Revolutionary Wars. French Republican forces in the Mediterranean, under pressure from Austrian and Spanish a ...
was a success, and six days later Reeve discovered and captured the abandoned French ship
''Impérieuse'' at
La Spezia
La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy.
La Spezia is the second largest city ...
.
Reeve was promoted to vice-admiral in 1799,
and retired to his home near
Ipswich. On 5 May 1803 Reeve was riding in a
chaise near his home when the horse bolted. Reeve was flung from the chaise and was killed immediately, suffering a broken neck.
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Notes
1730s births
1803 deaths
Royal Navy admirals
Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
Road incident deaths in England
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