Sir Thomas Rich, 5th Baronet: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 22:24, 26 January 2019
Sir Thomas Rich, Bt | |
|---|---|
| Born | c.1733 Sonning, Berkshire, UK |
| Died | 6 April 1803 Sonning, Berkshire, UK |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | American War of Independence ; Napoleonic Wars |
Admiral Sir Thomas Rich, 5th Baronet (c.1733 – 6 April 1803) was a British naval officer.
He was born the eldest son of Sir William Rich, 4th Baronet of Sonning, Berkshire and his wife, Elizabeth Royall. He joined the British Royal Navy and was commissioned lieutenant on 25 March 1758. He succeeded as 5th Baronet on the death of his father on 17 July 1762. [1]
In 1763 he commissioned the 6-gun cutter HMS Anson for service in the English Channel until 1766. He was then promoted commander of the 14-gun sloop HMS Senegal in March 1769 for service on the Halifax, Nova Scotia station. This was followed by command in North America of the 24-gun HMS Gibraltar from February 1771 to 1773. [1]
In April 1775 he took command of the new 28-gun frigate HMS Enterprise and sailed to the Mediterranean, where in March 1778 he captured the 16-gun American vessel Hope. The following year they drove a French privateer ashore, captured an American schooner laden with tobacco and escorted supplies into the beleaguered port of Gibraltar, remaining there for several months.
After the Moonlight Battle of 16 January 1780, when Rodney's fleet captured a number of Spanish vessels off Portugal as prizes, Rich was sent home in command of the captured 70-gun Princesa. He took her out to the Leeward Islands in November and took part in the Battle of Port Royal on 29 April 1783, returning to England after a difficult voyage in the HMS Princess Royal.[1]
In 1786 he was asked to recommission the 74-gun guard ship HMS Culloden for three years, in 1790 the 74-gun HMS Vengeance and Culloden again in 1792.
He was promoted vice-admiral on 1st June 1795 and advanced in retirement to admiral on 1 January 1801.