Rear-Admiral George Countess (died 1811) was an officer of the British Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 who saw extensive service in the French Revolutionary

French Revolutionary Wars

The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...

 and Napoleonic Wars

Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...

. Made captain in 1790, he was in command of HMS Charon

HMS Charon

Four ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Charon, after Charon, the boatman to Hades across the River Styx in Greek Mythology:* HMS Charon was a 44-gun fifth-rate launched in 1778 and destroyed at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781....

 in 1794 and witnessed the Glorious First of June

Glorious First of June

The Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...

 from her, although she was not engaged as she was a hospital ship

Hospital ship

A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....

. In 1798, Countess was instrumental in hunting down the French squadron under Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart

Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart

Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart was a French privateer, navy officer and admiral. He was related to the noted Admiral Maxime de Bompart.He took part in the American War of Independence as a young officer....

. This squadron was intending to invade Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, and it was only the perseverance of Countess in HMS Ethalion

HMS Ethalion (1797)

HMS Ethalion was a 38-gun Artois-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built by Joseph Graham of Harwich and launched on 14 March 1797...

 which led the squadron under Sir John Borlase Warren

John Borlase Warren

Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet , was an English admiral, politician and diplomat. Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, he was the son and heir of John Borlase Warren of Stapleford and Little Marlow...

 right to the French. Countess was heavily engaged at the victory of the Battle of Tory Island

Battle of Tory Island

The Battle of Tory Island, was a naval action of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought on 12 October 1798 between French and British squadrons off the northwest coast of Donegal, then in the Kingdom of Ireland...

 which followed and was given large financial rewards for this service. In 1799 he captured two French 18-gun privateers cruising off Ireland.

Countess was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1809, but died in 1811. Point Countess in Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

is named for him.