Admiral of the Red James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez, (11 March 1757 – 9 October 1836) was a Royal Navy officer known for his victory at the Second Battle of Algeciras.

Early life

Saumarez was born at Saint Peter Port, Guernsey, to an old island family, the eldest son of Matthew de Saumarez (1718–1778) and his second wife Carteret, daughter of James Le Marchant. He was a nephew of Captain Philip Saumarez and John de Sausmarez (1706–1774) of Sausmarez Manor. He was also the elder brother of General Sir Thomas Saumarez (1760–1845), Equerry and Groom of the Chamber to the Duke of Kent, and afterwards Commander-in-Chief of New Brunswick and of Richard Saumarez (1764–1835), a surgeon and medical author. Their sister married Henry Brock, the uncle of Major-General Sir Isaac Brock and Daniel de Lisle Brock. Many of de Sausmarez's ancestors had distinguished themselves in the naval service, and he entered it as midshipman at the age of thirteen. Upon joining the Navy, he dropped the second 's' to become de Saumarez.

Early service in the Mediterranean and American Revolutionary War

In 1767, Saumarez was entered as a volunteer on the books of although he never set foot in the ship, studying at a school near London until in 1770, Saumarez joined the in the Mediterranean. Placed on board , he was rated midshipman in November 1770. A transfer to in February 1772 until she returned to Spithead in 1775 gave an opportunity to take his examination for lieutenant.

Battle of the Saintes

While commanding (74 guns), Saumarez contributed to Rodney's victory over de Grasse at the Battle of the Saintes on 12 April 1782. In reward, Saumarez was knighted by King George III and given a presentation plate by the City of London, although he later received a bill for £103 6s 8d (equivalent to £ in ), from a Mr. Cooke for "the honour of a knighthood". Saumarez refused to pay, telling Cooke to charge whoever had paid for Edward Pellew's knighthood after his successful action. Saumarez later wrote to his brother that "I think it hard to pay so much for an honour which my services have been thought to deserve".

Channel Islands Station (1794)

right|250px|thumb|Frieze of HMS Crescent escaping from the French squadron

While in command of a Guernsey-based squadron consisting of three frigates, , , and , and some smaller vessels a planned invasion by 20,000 French soldiers of the Channel Islands scheduled for February 1794 was frustrated and cancelled due to Saumarez's vigilant eye. The British threat to any invasion force stayed intact.

Battle of Cape St Vincent

In 1795, Saumarez was appointed to the 74-gun in the Channel fleet, where he took part in the defeat of the French fleet at the Battle of Groix off Lorient on 22 June.

Battle of Algeciras and Gut of Gibraltar

thumb|Saumarez's fleet preparing to set sail from Gibraltar on 12 July 1801

On his return from Egypt Saumarez received the command of , of 80 guns, with orders to watch the French fleet off Brest during the winters of 1799 and 1800. In 1801 he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral of the Blue, was created a baronet, in the Second Battle of Algeciras. During the Peace of Amiens, 1802–3, Saumarez remained at home with his family in Guernsey, and when war broke out again he was given command of the naval forces defending the Channel Islands. He therefore was not present at the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar.

Channel Islands Station (1806–1808)

On 9 November 1805 he was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral of the Red. While in command he was promoted Vice-Admiral in April 1807, his flagship was . On 13 July 1810 he was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Red. The public bar at the Duke of Normandie Hotel in Saint Peter Port was named after Saumarez and features a portrait of him.

Relationship with Nelson

Saumarez and Nelson served together in 1797 and 1798, but their relationship was not a close one. In fact on a number of occasions it became quite strained. They first clashed after the Battle of Cape St Vincent. Saumarez had forced the surrender of the Santissima Trinidad but was unable to capture her because Jervis was forced to break off the engagement. Nelson attempted to console Saumarez by telling him that the Spanish had confirmed that the Trinidad had indeed surrendered. Saumarez tersely replied "Whoever doubted it, sir? I hope there is no need for such evidence to establish the truth of a report of a British officer."

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • Sir John Ross, Memoirs of Admiral Lord de Saumarez (2 vols, 1838)
  • Shayer, David James Saumarez: The Life and Achievements of Admiral Lord de Saumarez of Guernsey (La Société Guernesiaise 2006)
  • The Naval Chronicle, Volume 6. J. Gould, 1801. (reissued by Cambridge University Press, 2010. )
  • Nelson and His Captains Dr W H Fitchett (Smith, Elder & Co. 1911 5th Edition pages 200–231)

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