.gif)
Patrick Campbell (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Vice-Admiral Sir Patrick Campbell, KCB
(1773 – 13 October 1841) was a senior British Royal Navy
officer of the early nineteenth century who was distinguished by his service in the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
. During his service in a number of ships in the Mediterranean and English Channel
, Campbell saw several small ship actions and was successful in every one, even surviving a double shipwreck in 1805. Following the war, Campbell retired for ten years before returning to service, later commanding at the Cape of Good Hope
.
. One of his younger brothers was to become the celebrated British Army
general Sir Colin Campbell
. Patrick Campbell went to sea at a young age, and following the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War was promoted to lieutenant
in 1794. In 1797, Campbell was again promoted to commander
and two years later took over the sloop
HMS Dart in the English Channel.
Dart was an experimental ship, designed to operate in coastal waters at close range, she carried 30 carronades but no long guns, and her armament proved highly successful in an attack on Dunkirk in 1800 in which Dart was able to come alongside the larger and better armed French frigate Désirée
, fire into her and bring her out of the harbour successfully, despite the enemy having numerous advantages over the British sloop. For this operation, Campbell was promoted to post captain and given command of the frigate HMS Ariadne.
In 1803, Campbell moved to HMS Doris
and commanded her until she was wrecked in 1805 on a rock in Quiberon Bay
. The crew successfully escaped to the nearby ship of the line HMS Tonnant, but in transferring from Tonnant to the blockading squadron's flagship, the small boat he was in overturned and Captain Jervis of Tonnant was drowned. Campbell was rescued from the water and later took over the frigate HMS Unite, commanding her in the Adriatic.
In 1811, Campbell was given command of the ship of the line HMS Leviathan
in the Mediterranean, in which he saw out the war. In 1815, Campbell entered temporary retirement and was made a Companion of the Bath. He remained at his estate in Warwickshire
until 1824, when he returned to the sea as captain of the ship of the line HMS Ganges
with the Home Fleet. The following year he married Margaret Wauchope, with whom he would have two children; Patrick John Campbell who became a general in the Royal Artillery
and Colin Campbell who served in the Royal Navy.
In 1827, Campbell took HMS Ocean
to reinforce Edward Codrington
in the Mediterranean but arrived too late to take part in the Battle of Navarino Bay. In 1830, Ocean was paid off and the same year Campbell was promoted to rear-admiral. Between 1834 and 1837, he flew his flag in HMS Thalia
as the commander at the Cape of Good Hope
and was knighted in 1836. Following retirement in 1837, Campbell settled at Leamington Spa
and was raised to vice-admiral. He died on 13 October 1841 at his home.
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...
(1773 – 13 October 1841) was a senior 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...
officer of the early nineteenth century who was distinguished by his 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...
. During his service in a number of ships in the Mediterranean and 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...
, Campbell saw several small ship actions and was successful in every one, even surviving a double shipwreck in 1805. Following the war, Campbell retired for ten years before returning to service, later commanding at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
.
Naval career
Campbell was born in 1773, the son of Colonel John and Colina Campbell of ArgyllArgyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
. One of his younger brothers was to become the celebrated British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
general Sir Colin Campbell
Colin Campbell (politician)
Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell KCB was a British Army officer and colonial governor.-Military career:In February 1792, at the age of 16, Campbell ran away from Perth Academy to join a vessel bound for the West Indies...
. Patrick Campbell went to sea at a young age, and following the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War was promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1794. In 1797, Campbell was again promoted to commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
and two years later took over the sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
HMS Dart in the English Channel.
Dart was an experimental ship, designed to operate in coastal waters at close range, she carried 30 carronades but no long guns, and her armament proved highly successful in an attack on Dunkirk in 1800 in which Dart was able to come alongside the larger and better armed French frigate Désirée
French frigate Désirée (1796)
The Désirée was a Romaine class frigate of the French Navy.She was captured in a Raid on Dunkirk by HMS Dart, under Patrick Campbell, on 8 July 1800.-References:...
, fire into her and bring her out of the harbour successfully, despite the enemy having numerous advantages over the British sloop. For this operation, Campbell was promoted to post captain and given command of the frigate HMS Ariadne.
In 1803, Campbell moved to HMS Doris
HMS Doris (1795)
HMS Doris was a 36-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, which saw service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Doris was built by Cleveley, of Gravesend and was launched on 31 August 1795. She entered service in November 1795, operating as part of the Channel Fleet during the...
and commanded her until she was wrecked in 1805 on a rock in Quiberon Bay
Quiberon Bay
The Baie de Quiberon is an area of sheltered water on the south coast of Brittany. The bay is in the Morbihan département.-Geography:The bay is roughly triangular in shape, open to the south with the Gulf of Morbihan to the north-east and the narrow peninsular of Presqu'île de Quiberon providing...
. The crew successfully escaped to the nearby ship of the line HMS Tonnant, but in transferring from Tonnant to the blockading squadron's flagship, the small boat he was in overturned and Captain Jervis of Tonnant was drowned. Campbell was rescued from the water and later took over the frigate HMS Unite, commanding her in the Adriatic.
In 1811, Campbell was given command of the ship of the line HMS Leviathan
HMS Leviathan (1790)
HMS Leviathan was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 9 October 1790. At the Battle of Trafalgar under Henry William Bayntun, she was near the front of the windward column led by Admiral Lord Nelson aboard his flagship, , and captured the Spanish ship San Augustin.In...
in the Mediterranean, in which he saw out the war. In 1815, Campbell entered temporary retirement and was made a Companion of the Bath. He remained at his estate in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
until 1824, when he returned to the sea as captain of the ship of the line HMS Ganges
HMS Ganges (1782)
HMS Ganges was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 30 March 1782 at Rotherhithe. She was the first ship of the Navy to bear the name. Her first captain was Charles Fielding...
with the Home Fleet. The following year he married Margaret Wauchope, with whom he would have two children; Patrick John Campbell who became a general in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
and Colin Campbell who served in the Royal Navy.
In 1827, Campbell took HMS Ocean
HMS Ocean (1805)
HMS Ocean was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched from Woolwich Dockyard on 24 October 1805. She was the only ship built to her draught, and designed by Sir John Henslow....
to reinforce Edward Codrington
Edward Codrington
Admiral Sir Edward Codrington GCB RN was a British admiral, hero of the Battle of Trafalgar and the Battle of Navarino.-Early life and career:...
in the Mediterranean but arrived too late to take part in the Battle of Navarino Bay. In 1830, Ocean was paid off and the same year Campbell was promoted to rear-admiral. Between 1834 and 1837, he flew his flag in HMS Thalia
HMS Thalia
Three ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Thalia, after Thalia, the name of a number of figures in Greek mythology:*HMS Thalia was a 36-gun fifth rate launched in 1782 as . She was renamed HMS Thalia in 1783 and was broken up in 1814. was a 46-gun fifth rate launched in 1830 and broken...
as the commander at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
and was knighted in 1836. Following retirement in 1837, Campbell settled at Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
and was raised to vice-admiral. He died on 13 October 1841 at his home.