Sir Richard King, 2nd Baronet
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Sir Richard King, 2nd Baronet KCB
(28 November 1774 – 5 August 1834) was an officer in the Royal Navy
during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
, who fought with distinction at the battle of Trafalgar
despite being amongst the youngest captains present.
King was the son of Sir Richard King, 1st Baronet, a wealthy and high ranking member of the Navy. King was placed on board ship at fourteen thanks to the influence of his father and made Post Captain
just six years later, an achievement made possible by his father's rank of admiral. Normally an officer would be waiting double or triple that time before gaining such a prestigious rank. Nonetheless, King was no incompetent, and proved his worth as captain of HMS Sirius
, capturing four enemy privateers whilst in command, as well as sitting on the navy board which condemned Richard Parker
to death for his part in the Nore mutiny in 1797. At the Action of 24 October 1798
, King captured two Dutch ships. In 1801 he captured a French frigate
, and was rewarded with command of the large 74 gun ship of the line
HMS Achille
.
A month before the battle of Trafalgar, sensing that there was glory to be won in the coming operations off Cadiz
, King used his influence with his father in law, Admiral Sir John Duckworth
, to persuade Nelson to give him a position in the blockading fleet. Since his reputation was good, Nelson endorsed the move and King joined just in time to catch the combined fleet off Trafalgar on the 21 October 1805. The seventh ship in Collingwood's division, Achilles was heavily engaged, chasing off the Spanish Montanez and the battling alongside HMS Belleisle
with the Argonauta. Whilst chasing this ship through the melee, Achille was cut off by her namesake, the French Achille
, with whom she began a savage cannonade until joined by the French ship , whom Achille turned her attention on. An hour of savage fighting forced the French craft to eventually surrender, but at the cost of 13 dead and 59 wounded, severe losses in comparison with most of the British fleet.
King was, along with the other captains, voted many honours following the battle, and unlike several of him compatriots retained his command at sea, being engaged the following year in the action against a French frigate squadron
in an action in which Sir Samuel Hood lost an arm. The same year he inherited his fathers baronet
cy and transferred to the Mediterranean, where in 1812 he made the jump to Rear-Admiral and second in command to Edward Pellew. Continuing in service postwar in 1819 as a Vice-Admiral and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, King served as commander in chief in the East Indies and also remarried following his first wife's death to the daughter of Admiral Sir Charles Cotton, Maria Susannah. As Commander-in-Chief, The Nore from 1833 after an eventful life, King continued his successful career past the age many of his contemporaries retired at. Such devotion to duty often has a price, and King died in office in 1834 whilst at Sheerness
from a sudden outbreak of cholera
. He was buried nearby, survived by twelve children and his second wife.
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Vice Admiral (Royal Navy)
Vice admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It equates to the NATO rank code OF-8 and is immediately superior to rear admiral and is subordinate to the full admiral rank.The Royal Navy has had vice admirals since at least the 16th century...
Sir Richard King, 2nd Baronet KCB
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...
(28 November 1774 – 5 August 1834) was an officer in 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...
during 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...
, who fought with distinction at the battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
despite being amongst the youngest captains present.
King was the son of Sir Richard King, 1st Baronet, a wealthy and high ranking member of the Navy. King was placed on board ship at fourteen thanks to the influence of his father and made Post Captain
just six years later, an achievement made possible by his father's rank of admiral. Normally an officer would be waiting double or triple that time before gaining such a prestigious rank. Nonetheless, King was no incompetent, and proved his worth as captain of HMS Sirius
HMS Sirius (1797)
HMS Sirius was a 36-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. Between 1797 and 1805, the Sirius was engaged in maintaining the blockade of Napoleonic Europe...
, capturing four enemy privateers whilst in command, as well as sitting on the navy board which condemned Richard Parker
Richard Parker (British sailor)
Richard Parker was an English sailor executed for his role as president of the so-called "Floating Republic", a naval mutiny in the Royal Navy which took place at the Nore between 12 May and 16 June 1797.-Early life and career:...
to death for his part in the Nore mutiny in 1797. At the Action of 24 October 1798
Action of 24 October 1798
The Action of 24 October 1798 was a minor naval engagement of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought between a British Royal Navy frigate and two ships of the Batavian Republic. The Dutch ships were intercepted in the North Sea within hours of leaving port, northwest of the Texel, by the British...
, King captured two Dutch ships. In 1801 he captured a French frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
, and was rewarded with command of the large 74 gun ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
HMS Achille
HMS Achille (1798)
HMS Achille was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was built by Cleverley Bros., a private shipyard at Gravesend, and launched on 16 April 1798. Her design was based on the lines of the captured French ship...
.
A month before the battle of Trafalgar, sensing that there was glory to be won in the coming operations off Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, King used his influence with his father in law, Admiral Sir John Duckworth
John Thomas Duckworth
Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth, 1st Baronet, GCB was a British naval officer, serving during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as the Governor of Newfoundland during the War of 1812, and a member of the British House of Commons during his...
, to persuade Nelson to give him a position in the blockading fleet. Since his reputation was good, Nelson endorsed the move and King joined just in time to catch the combined fleet off Trafalgar on the 21 October 1805. The seventh ship in Collingwood's division, Achilles was heavily engaged, chasing off the Spanish Montanez and the battling alongside HMS Belleisle
HMS Belleisle (1795)
Lion was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the French Navy, which later served in the Royal Navy. She was built at Rochefort. She was later renamed Marat and then Formidable, with the changing fortunes of the French Revolution....
with the Argonauta. Whilst chasing this ship through the melee, Achille was cut off by her namesake, the French Achille
French ship Achille (1803)
The Achille was a 74-gun French ship of the line built at Rochefort in 1803 after plans by Jacques-Noël Sané.Under the command of Captain Louis Gabriel Deniéport, she sailed at the vanguard of the French Fleet on 20 October 1805, just before the Battle of Trafalgar, and she was the first...
, with whom she began a savage cannonade until joined by the French ship , whom Achille turned her attention on. An hour of savage fighting forced the French craft to eventually surrender, but at the cost of 13 dead and 59 wounded, severe losses in comparison with most of the British fleet.
King was, along with the other captains, voted many honours following the battle, and unlike several of him compatriots retained his command at sea, being engaged the following year in the action against a French frigate squadron
Action of 25 September 1806
The Action of 25 September 1806 was a naval battle fought during the Napoleonic Wars off the French Biscay port of Rochefort. A French convoy of five frigates and two corvettes, sailing to the French West Indies with supplies and reinforcements, was intercepted by a British squadron of six ships of...
in an action in which Sir Samuel Hood lost an arm. The same year he inherited his fathers baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cy and transferred to the Mediterranean, where in 1812 he made the jump to Rear-Admiral and second in command to Edward Pellew. Continuing in service postwar in 1819 as a Vice-Admiral and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, King served as commander in chief in the East Indies and also remarried following his first wife's death to the daughter of Admiral Sir Charles Cotton, Maria Susannah. As Commander-in-Chief, The Nore from 1833 after an eventful life, King continued his successful career past the age many of his contemporaries retired at. Such devotion to duty often has a price, and King died in office in 1834 whilst at Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
from a sudden outbreak of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
. He was buried nearby, survived by twelve children and his second wife.
Further reading
- The Trafalgar Captains, Colin White and the 1805 Club, Chatham Publishing, London, 2005, ISBN 1-86176-247-X
External links
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