George Coburn ( Cowburn ; English; George Cockburn ; April 22, 1772 - August 19, 1853 ) - English military and statesman, Fleet Admiral and Governor of St. Helena , First Sea Lord .
| George Coburn | |
|---|---|
| English George Cockburn | |
 Sir George Coburn | |
| Date of Birth | April 22, 1772 |
| Place of Birth | London |
| Date of death | August 19, 1853 (81 years old) |
| A place of death | Leamington (Warwickshire) |
| Affiliation |  United Kingdom |
| Type of army | Royal Navy of Great Britain |
| Rank | fleet admiral |
| Commanded | Hms minerva North American Station |
| Battles / wars | First coalition war The Battle of Cape San Vicente (1797) Fifth Coalition War War on the Iberian Peninsula The Anglo-American War of 1812-1814 |
| Awards and prizes |  |
Content
- 1 Biography
- 2 Honorable posts
- 3 notes
- 4 Sources
Biography
Born April 22, 1772 in London , was the second son of James, the 8th Baronet of Coburn.
In 1786, he entered the Royal Navy and quickly advanced through the ranks. At first he served in the metropolis, then was in sailing in the East Indies and the Mediterranean . His first combat experience was the participation in the blockade of Livorno in 1796 . The following year, he commanded a frigate in the battle of Cape San Vicente .
Commanding the ship, he distinguished himself in the storming of Martinique in 1809 and accepted surrender from the French, having received gratitude from the House of Commons for this matter.
In the campaign of 1811, he was off the coast of Spain and, having been promoted on August 12 of the following year to the rank of Rear Admiral of the Blue Squadron [1], was sent for operations to protect the Spanish colonies in America .
He participated in the war with the North American United States , as the direct assistant to Admiral John Borlaz Warren and then Alexander Cochran and was the main executor of punitive expeditions against the coastal settlements of the USA. He was the organizer of the replenishment of the English colonial corps of the Marine Corps from the liberated black slaves. Coburn's largest operation was the capture and burning of Washington on August 24, 1814 .
At the beginning of 1815, Coburn was awarded the Order of the Bath , and upon his return to Europe he was ordered to take the captured Napoleon to St. Helena , where he remained for several months as governor of the island.
Subsequently, Coburn repeatedly held the post of First Sea Lord of the Admiralty (1828-1830, 1834-1835, 1841-1846). He was elected to parliament several times (from Portsmouth in 1818β1820, from Webley in 1820β1828, from Plymouth in 1828β1832 and from Ripon 1841β1847), and was a member of the Tory party. January 10, 1837, Sir George was promoted to admiral of the white squadron [2] .
In 1852, Coburn inherited the family title of baronet, which he got after the death of a childless older brother.
He died on August 19, 1853 in Leamington ( Warwickshire ).
Honorary posts
- Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (August 10, 1847 - August 19, 1853) [3]
Notes
- β LondonGazette, August 11, 1812
- β LondonGazette, January 10, 1837
- β London Gazette, August 10, 1847
Sources
- Military Encyclopedia / Ed. V.F. Novitsky and others - St. Petersburg. : t. in I.V. Sytin, 1911-1915.
- Encyclopedia of Britannica