James Lind (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Sir James Lind KCB
(fl.
1 August 1765 – 12 June 1823) was an officer of the Royal Navy
who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
. The son of James Lind, a distinguished naval physician, Lind also embarked on a career at sea, but served in a more front line role. After serving on a number of different ships he finally received his own command in 1800, but his first chance to show his ability came only in 1803 when in command of . Here he captured a French privateer
after his imitation of a merchant ship encouraged the privateer to actually attack his heavily armed frigate. He then revealed the true nature of his ship and the hapless privateer had no choice but to swiftly surrender. Promoted to command the 50-gun Lind had another opportunity to distinguish himself, when the convoy under his protection was attacked in the harbour of Vizagapatnam by a heavily armed French squadron under Rear-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois
. Despite being on shore at the time Lind hurried back to take command and supervise operations to resist the French, who though were able to capture one of the merchants, decided not to risk pressing the attack on the Centurion and withdrew. The survival of the Centurion in the face of overwhelming forces was hailed as a great achievement back home in Britain, with Lind being knighted
for his efforts.
at Haslar
and a pioneer into the use of lemon juice as a treatment for scurvy
. His mother was Isabel Lind, née Dickie. He embarked on a naval career, joining Captain Samuel Thompson's 54-gun on 1 August 1765. Lind spent the first part of his career serving in North American waters, but returned to British waters with his transfer on 20 September 1769 to Captain Michael Clements's 70-gun . His advancement to midshipman
occurred during this time, and by early 1770 he was aboard the 28-gun . His service on the Carysfort only lasted a few months, and was followed by a transfer to the 20-gun under Captain Digby Dent. Dent was succeeded by Captain Henry Lloyd, who took the Dolphin to the East Indies
with Lind still aboard her. Lind transferred again on 10 March 1772, joining the 68-gun , which at that time was the flagship
of Admiral Sir Robert Harland.
Lind's service on the Northumberland lasted until 29 May 1775, and was followed by service in the English Channel
aboard the 32-gun , by now under his old captain, Digby Dent. Lind joined Captain Mark Robinson's
64-gun on 13 February 1776, moving again on 21 April that year to Commodore
William Hotham's
. Hotham and Lind served on the North American station, with Lind being promoted to master's mate
during this time. Late January 1778 brought another new ship for Lind, when he joined Captain George Elphinstone's 20-gun as an acting-lieutenant. He was still an acting-lieutenant by the time he joined , but whilst he was aboard her his commission was confirmed and he joined the 74-gun under Captain William Baines on 31 October 1780.
in 1790 led to a general rearmament, and Lind joined the 80-gun HMS Gibraltar
under Captain Samuel Goodall
. Goodall was promoted to rear-admiral in October, and raised his flag aboard the 90-gun , taking Lind with him when he did so. Lind spent the next few years serving with Goodall on his flagships, the 50-gun from 22 March 1792, and the 98-gun from 24 May 1793. He was second lieutenant aboard the Princess Royal, which was stationed in the Mediterranean, and two years after the start of the French Revolutionary Wars
, Lind was promoted to commander on 2 November 1795. Despite this he had to wait five years before he received a ship of his own to command, the troopship
on 26 August 1800.
to pass through the Red Sea
and attack the French in Egypt. After this operation Lind remained in the East Indies, transferring to the 44-gun on 16 March 1803. He was promoted to post-captain
on 6 March 1804, taking command of the Sheerness. On 5 May 1804 the 14-gun French privateer
Alfred spotted the Sheerness, but mistaking her for a merchant, closed on her. Realising his opponent's mistake Lind pretended to make an attempt to escape, imitating the actions of a merchant ship. The Alfred caught up, and firing a broadside at the Sheerness demanded that she strike her colours. Lind promptly returned a broadside of his own which killed three of the Alfreds crew and wounded six, revealing the Sheerness to be a fully armed frigate. The crew of the Alfred realised their mistake, but trapped under the Sheernesss guns had no choice but to immediately surrender.
The commander of the East Indies station, Admiral Peter Rainier
had initially assigned Lind's old command, , to escort a convoy of two East Indiamen
. News of the convoy and its light escort reached Rear-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois
, who was in command of a squadron raiding merchant shipping in the area, and deciding the odds were favourable, decided to attempt to capture the convoy. Unbeknownst to Linois, Rainier had decided to upgrade the convoy's escort and replaced the Wilhelmina with the 50-gun , placing Lind in temporary command, as Centurions nominal commander Captain John Sprat Rainier had been taken ill. Lind took command on 9 September, but had gone ashore during a stop at Vizagapatam when Linois's forces, consisting of the 74-gun Marengo
and the frigates Sémillante
and Atalante
appeared. Lieutenant James Robert Phillips had been left in command while Lind was on shore, and opened fire on the approaching French. As soon as Lind realised what was happening he tried to return to his ship, but the Indian boatmen refused to row him out, until the French moved further away. A brief lull in the fighting allowed Lind to return to his ship, but he found the Centurions rigging had been too badly damaged to allow him to pursue the French. Instead he anchored between the French and the merchants, placing himself between them but out of range of supporting fire from the shore batteries. He attempted to arrange for cannon to be brought to the beach to provide covering fire, but this proved to be impractical.
The Marengo then returned to the scene, anchoring out of the range of all but Lind's largest guns on Centurions lower deck. Linois now used his longer range guns to pound the Centurion while the frigate Atalante moved in to harass her at close range. While Lind was thus occupied, the second frigate, Sémillante evaded Centurion and took possession of one of the East Indiamen, sailing her out of the harbour. Having grabbed a prize Linois moved his ships away from the harbour and departed, declining to continue to press the attack on Centurion. The British had lost both merchants, one to the French, while the other had been run aground and wrecked to prevent her capture. However the survival of the Centurion and her spirited fight against overwhelming odds was widely hailed as a victory in itself back in Britain. Lind returned to Britain and received a knighthood
on 5 April 1805 for his services.
on 2 January 1815, and died on 12 June 1823 at Southampton
.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(fl.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1 August 1765 – 12 June 1823) was an officer of the 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 served during the American War of Independence and 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...
. The son of James Lind, a distinguished naval physician, Lind also embarked on a career at sea, but served in a more front line role. After serving on a number of different ships he finally received his own command in 1800, but his first chance to show his ability came only in 1803 when in command of . Here he captured a French privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
after his imitation of a merchant ship encouraged the privateer to actually attack his heavily armed frigate. He then revealed the true nature of his ship and the hapless privateer had no choice but to swiftly surrender. Promoted to command the 50-gun Lind had another opportunity to distinguish himself, when the convoy under his protection was attacked in the harbour of Vizagapatnam by a heavily armed French squadron under Rear-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linois was a French admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. He won a victory over the British at the Battle of Algeciras in 1801 and was reasonably successful in a campaign against British trade in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea in...
. Despite being on shore at the time Lind hurried back to take command and supervise operations to resist the French, who though were able to capture one of the merchants, decided not to risk pressing the attack on the Centurion and withdrew. The survival of the Centurion in the face of overwhelming forces was hailed as a great achievement back home in Britain, with Lind being knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
for his efforts.
Family and early life
Lind was the son of Dr James Lind, who was at that time the physician of the Royal Naval HospitalRoyal Hospital Haslar
The Royal Hospital Haslar in Gosport, Hampshire, England was one of several hospitals serving the Portsmouth Urban Area. The Royal Hospital Haslar officially closed as the last military hospital in the UK in 2007...
at Haslar
Haslar
Haslar is place in England, at the southern tip of Alverstoke, on the Gosport peninsula, Hampshire. It takes its name from Anglo-Saxon hæsel-ōra = "hazel - landing place"...
and a pioneer into the use of lemon juice as a treatment for scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
. His mother was Isabel Lind, née Dickie. He embarked on a naval career, joining Captain Samuel Thompson's 54-gun on 1 August 1765. Lind spent the first part of his career serving in North American waters, but returned to British waters with his transfer on 20 September 1769 to Captain Michael Clements's 70-gun . His advancement to midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
occurred during this time, and by early 1770 he was aboard the 28-gun . His service on the Carysfort only lasted a few months, and was followed by a transfer to the 20-gun under Captain Digby Dent. Dent was succeeded by Captain Henry Lloyd, who took the Dolphin to the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
with Lind still aboard her. Lind transferred again on 10 March 1772, joining the 68-gun , which at that time was the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Admiral Sir Robert Harland.
Lind's service on the Northumberland lasted until 29 May 1775, and was followed by service in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
aboard the 32-gun , by now under his old captain, Digby Dent. Lind joined Captain Mark Robinson's
Mark Robinson (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Mark Robinson was an officer of the Royal Navy, one of several members of the Robinson family to serve at sea....
64-gun on 13 February 1776, moving again on 21 April that year to Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
William Hotham's
William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham
Admiral William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the son of Sir Beaumont Hotham , a lineal descendant of Sir John Hotham....
. Hotham and Lind served on the North American station, with Lind being promoted to master's mate
Master's mate
Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the master...
during this time. Late January 1778 brought another new ship for Lind, when he joined Captain George Elphinstone's 20-gun as an acting-lieutenant. He was still an acting-lieutenant by the time he joined , but whilst he was aboard her his commission was confirmed and he joined the 74-gun under Captain William Baines on 31 October 1780.
Inter-war years and return to service
The end of the American War of Independence left Lind without a ship, and he spent between 26 July 1783 and 13 May 1790 unemployed. The Nootka Sound crisisNootka Crisis
The Nootka Crisis was an international incident and political dispute between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Spain, triggered by a series of events that took place during the summer of 1789 at Nootka Sound...
in 1790 led to a general rearmament, and Lind joined the 80-gun HMS Gibraltar
Spanish ship Fenix (1749)
Fenix was an 80-gun ship of the line of the Spanish Navy, launched in 1749. She fought at the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 16 January 1780, as the flagship of Admiral Juan de Lángara....
under Captain Samuel Goodall
Samuel Goodall
Samuel Granston Goodall was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars in a career that spanned 50 years, rising to the rank of Admiral of the White.Goodall rose from obscure origins to the rank of...
. Goodall was promoted to rear-admiral in October, and raised his flag aboard the 90-gun , taking Lind with him when he did so. Lind spent the next few years serving with Goodall on his flagships, the 50-gun from 22 March 1792, and the 98-gun from 24 May 1793. He was second lieutenant aboard the Princess Royal, which was stationed in the Mediterranean, and two years after the start of the French Revolutionary Wars
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...
, Lind was promoted to commander on 2 November 1795. Despite this he had to wait five years before he received a ship of his own to command, the troopship
Troopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
on 26 August 1800.
East Indies
The Wilhelmina was part of a force despatched under Sir Home PophamHome Riggs Popham
Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham KCB was a British Royal Naval Commander who saw service during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars...
to pass through the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
and attack the French in Egypt. After this operation Lind remained in the East Indies, transferring to the 44-gun on 16 March 1803. He was promoted to post-captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
on 6 March 1804, taking command of the Sheerness. On 5 May 1804 the 14-gun French privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
Alfred spotted the Sheerness, but mistaking her for a merchant, closed on her. Realising his opponent's mistake Lind pretended to make an attempt to escape, imitating the actions of a merchant ship. The Alfred caught up, and firing a broadside at the Sheerness demanded that she strike her colours. Lind promptly returned a broadside of his own which killed three of the Alfreds crew and wounded six, revealing the Sheerness to be a fully armed frigate. The crew of the Alfred realised their mistake, but trapped under the Sheernesss guns had no choice but to immediately surrender.
Centurion and Vizagapatam
Peter Rainier, junior
Peter Rainier, Jr. was a British naval officer. Mount Rainier in Washington, USA, was named after him.-Biography:Rainier was born in England, the grandson of Daniel Regnier, a Huguenot refugee, and the son of Peter Rainier of Sandwich. He enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1756 at the age of 15. He...
had initially assigned Lind's old command, , to escort a convoy of two East Indiamen
East Indiamen
An East Indiaman was a ship operating under charter or license to any of the East India Companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries...
. News of the convoy and its light escort reached Rear-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linois was a French admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. He won a victory over the British at the Battle of Algeciras in 1801 and was reasonably successful in a campaign against British trade in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea in...
, who was in command of a squadron raiding merchant shipping in the area, and deciding the odds were favourable, decided to attempt to capture the convoy. Unbeknownst to Linois, Rainier had decided to upgrade the convoy's escort and replaced the Wilhelmina with the 50-gun , placing Lind in temporary command, as Centurions nominal commander Captain John Sprat Rainier had been taken ill. Lind took command on 9 September, but had gone ashore during a stop at Vizagapatam when Linois's forces, consisting of the 74-gun Marengo
French ship Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1795)
The Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In October 1796, under captain Racord, she was part of the Villeneuve's squadron that sailed from Toulon to Brest...
and the frigates Sémillante
French frigate Sémillante (1792)
The Sémillante was a 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was involved in a number of multi-vessel actions against the Royal Navy, particularly in the Indian Ocean. She captured a number of East Indiamen before the she became so damaged that the French disarmed her and...
and Atalante
French frigate Atalante (1802)
The Atalante was a 44-gun Virginie class frigate of the French Navy.Launched in 1802, she cruised in the Indian Ocean under capitaine de frégate Gaudin, in the squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois...
appeared. Lieutenant James Robert Phillips had been left in command while Lind was on shore, and opened fire on the approaching French. As soon as Lind realised what was happening he tried to return to his ship, but the Indian boatmen refused to row him out, until the French moved further away. A brief lull in the fighting allowed Lind to return to his ship, but he found the Centurions rigging had been too badly damaged to allow him to pursue the French. Instead he anchored between the French and the merchants, placing himself between them but out of range of supporting fire from the shore batteries. He attempted to arrange for cannon to be brought to the beach to provide covering fire, but this proved to be impractical.
The Marengo then returned to the scene, anchoring out of the range of all but Lind's largest guns on Centurions lower deck. Linois now used his longer range guns to pound the Centurion while the frigate Atalante moved in to harass her at close range. While Lind was thus occupied, the second frigate, Sémillante evaded Centurion and took possession of one of the East Indiamen, sailing her out of the harbour. Having grabbed a prize Linois moved his ships away from the harbour and departed, declining to continue to press the attack on Centurion. The British had lost both merchants, one to the French, while the other had been run aground and wrecked to prevent her capture. However the survival of the Centurion and her spirited fight against overwhelming odds was widely hailed as a victory in itself back in Britain. Lind returned to Britain and received a knighthood
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
on 5 April 1805 for his services.
Later life
Lind appears to have retired from active service after this. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the BathOrder of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
on 2 January 1815, and died on 12 June 1823 at Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
.