Fleetwood Pellew
Encyclopedia
Admiral
Sir Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew CB
KCH
(13 December 1789 – 28 July 1861) was an officer of the Royal Navy
who served during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
. He was the son of Captain Edward Pellew
, who later became an admiral and first Viscount Exmouth
. The elder Pellew used his influence within the navy to secure positions for his two eldest sons in the service . Fleetwood received his first command when he was just 17, but seemed to justify it with his gallantry and daring, which won him the admiration of his father. His career was noted for a brief incident in Nagasaki
harbour while in command of the frigate , an incident that was to have important implications for Anglo-Japanese relations. Fleetwood's doting father helped him rise through the ranks, but a tendency towards excessive harshness in command proved his downfall. He provoked a mutiny in 1814 and though he returned to sea in 1818, he received no further active commands after 1822 for thirty years. He briefly returned to service with the rank of rear-admiral and a post as commander-in-chief in the East Indies and China, but soon provoked another mutiny aboard his flagship
, and was recalled. He never again served at sea, and died in 1861 with the rank of admiral.
and his wife Susannah Frowde. His father was promoted through the ranks of the service during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
, and used his influence to find positions at sea for Fleetwood and his elder bother Pownoll
. Fleetwood joined his father's ship, the 74-gun HMS Impetueux
as a midshipman
in March 1799, and followed him to and then to . The two sailed for the East Indies
aboard the Culloden, where on 8 September 1804 Sir Edward made Fleetwood a lieutenant aboard .
Fleetwood was soon back aboard the Culloden, where he distinguished himself in 1806 by leading an attack on the Dutch anchored at Batavia. Sir Edward, writing to his friend Alex Broughton in England recorded:
Sir Edward promoted Fleetwood to his first command, that of the 18-gun sloop
in 1807. He was just 17 at the time. Service on the frigates and HMS Psyche
followed. Fleetwood was described by his father during this time as being 'beyond comparison the finest youth of the Squadron, universally beloved', 'a real treasure' and 'the flower of my flock and the flower of my fleet'. He was confirmed in the rank of commander by his father on 12 October 1807, and was appointed acting commander of the 74-gun , followed by command of in 1808. He moved to the 38-gun in July 1808. He caused a brief incident in Nagasaki
harbour when he anchored there in October, captured several Dutch officials and demanded supplies for his ship. The Japanese were unable to resist him, and sent the supplies. Fleetwood was confirmed in his rank of post captain on 14 October 1808, and went on to see action in the Invasion of Île de France
in 1810 and the reduction of Java
in 1811. Fleetwood sailed the Phaeton home in August 1812, escorting a convoy of East Indiamen
. For his services he received a present of 500 guineas and the thanks of the East India Company
.
and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order
in January 1836. He was made a naval aide-de-camp
to the Queen
, promoted to rear-admiral on 9 November 1846, and in December 1852 he finally returned to active service with his appointment as commander-in-chief of the East Indies and China Station
. His appointment caused some concern, with questions raised over the suitability of sending Pellew, considering his age and past background, and the unhealthy climate and tense diplomatic situation following the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Burmese War
. Pellew raised his flag aboard in April 1853, and by September 1854 he was off Hong Kong
. Here he seems to have decided that he would not allow shore leave until the dangerous season for fevers and infections had passed, but neglected to make his reasoning known to his men. The crew were apparently in a mutinous mood, so Pellew ordered them to beat to quarters. When they refused, he sent the officers onto the lower deck to force them up at sword point. Several of the crew were wounded and the nascent mutiny was quashed. The news of these events was poorly received in Britain, The Times
included several leading articles drawing attention to the mutiny on the Winchester, and the one on the Resistance many years before. Pellew was duly recalled by the Admiralty
, never to serve at sea again. He had been promoted to vice-admiral on 22 April 1853, and a full admiral on 13 February 1858.
Sir Fleetwood Pellew died at Marseilles on 28 July 1861 at the age of 71. He had married Harriet Webster, daughter of Sir Godfrey Webster in 1816, and the couple had a single daughter, Lady Orford. Harriet died in 1840, and Fleetwood married Cecile de Melfort in 1851, but the two divorced in 1859.
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
Sir Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew CB
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...
KCH
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
(13 December 1789 – 28 July 1861) was an officer of 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...
who served 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...
. He was the son of Captain Edward Pellew
Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary, and the Napoleonic Wars...
, who later became an admiral and first Viscount Exmouth
Viscount Exmouth
right|thumb|Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount ExmouthViscount Exmouth, of Canonteign in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1816 for the prominent naval commander Edward Pellew, 1st Baron Exmouth...
. The elder Pellew used his influence within the navy to secure positions for his two eldest sons in the service . Fleetwood received his first command when he was just 17, but seemed to justify it with his gallantry and daring, which won him the admiration of his father. His career was noted for a brief incident in Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
harbour while in command of the frigate , an incident that was to have important implications for Anglo-Japanese relations. Fleetwood's doting father helped him rise through the ranks, but a tendency towards excessive harshness in command proved his downfall. He provoked a mutiny in 1814 and though he returned to sea in 1818, he received no further active commands after 1822 for thirty years. He briefly returned to service with the rank of rear-admiral and a post as commander-in-chief in the East Indies and China, but soon provoked another mutiny aboard his flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
, and was recalled. He never again served at sea, and died in 1861 with the rank of admiral.
Family and early life
Fleetwood Pellew was born on 13 December 1789, the second son and fourth child of Captain Edward PellewEdward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary, and the Napoleonic Wars...
and his wife Susannah Frowde. His father was promoted through the ranks of the 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...
, and used his influence to find positions at sea for Fleetwood and his elder bother Pownoll
Pownoll Pellew, 2nd Viscount Exmouth
Pownoll Bastard Pellew, 2nd Viscount Exmouth was an English peer and officer of the Royal Navy. He was the eldest son of Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth. Like his father, and his younger brother Fleetwood Pellew, he served in the Royal Navy and attained the rank of Post Captain in 1806...
. Fleetwood joined his father's ship, the 74-gun HMS Impetueux
French ship America (1788)
America was a Téméraire-class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. The Royal Navy captured her in 1794 at the Battle of the Glorious First of June. She then served with the British under the name HMS Impetueux until she was broken up in 1813...
as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
in March 1799, and followed him to and then to . The two sailed for the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
aboard the Culloden, where on 8 September 1804 Sir Edward made Fleetwood a lieutenant aboard .
Fleetwood was soon back aboard the Culloden, where he distinguished himself in 1806 by leading an attack on the Dutch anchored at Batavia. Sir Edward, writing to his friend Alex Broughton in England recorded:
Sir Edward promoted Fleetwood to his first command, that of the 18-gun sloop
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
in 1807. He was just 17 at the time. Service on the frigates and HMS Psyche
French frigate Psyché (1804)
Psyché was a 36-gun vessel built between February 1798 and 1799 at Basse-Indre as a privateer. As a privateer she had an inconclusive but bloody encounter with HMS Wilhelmina of the Royal Navy, commanded by Commander Henry Lambert, off the Indian coast in April 1804. The French then brought her...
followed. Fleetwood was described by his father during this time as being 'beyond comparison the finest youth of the Squadron, universally beloved', 'a real treasure' and 'the flower of my flock and the flower of my fleet'. He was confirmed in the rank of commander by his father on 12 October 1807, and was appointed acting commander of the 74-gun , followed by command of in 1808. He moved to the 38-gun in July 1808. He caused a brief incident in Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
harbour when he anchored there in October, captured several Dutch officials and demanded supplies for his ship. The Japanese were unable to resist him, and sent the supplies. Fleetwood was confirmed in his rank of post captain on 14 October 1808, and went on to see action in the Invasion of Île de France
Invasion of Île de France
The Invasion of Île de France was a complicated but successful amphibious operation in the Indian Ocean, launched in November 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. During the operation, a substantial British military force was landed by the Royal Navy at Grand Baie on Île de France...
in 1810 and the reduction of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
in 1811. Fleetwood sailed the Phaeton home in August 1812, escorting a convoy of East Indiamen
East Indiamen
An East Indiaman was a ship operating under charter or license to any of the East India Companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries...
. For his services he received a present of 500 guineas and the thanks of the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
.
The Mediterranean
Fleetwood was given command of the 36-gun and sailed her to the Mediterranean. He left the Iphigenia to take command of the 46-gun in January 1813 and in October that year was part of an attack that silenced the batteries around Port d'Anzo and captured a convoy of 29 merchants that had taken refuge there. By February 1814 though the Resistance had been ordered to return to Britain. A mutiny had broken out, which though it was quashed, led to several of the crew being condemned to death or to be flogged. The proceedings eventually broke down on a technicality, but it was widely commented on that Fleetwood's harshness had provoked the men. This marked the beginning of the decline of Pellew's career. He was appointed a Companion of the Bath in June 1815, and went on to command in the Mediterranean from August 1818 to June 1822. He was not given an active command, and spent the next thirty years on half-pay.Later years
Pellew continued to receive promotions and awards according to his seniority. He was given a knighthoodKnight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
in January 1836. He was made a naval aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Queen
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, promoted to rear-admiral on 9 November 1846, and in December 1852 he finally returned to active service with his appointment as commander-in-chief of the East Indies and China Station
East Indies and China Station
The East Indies and China Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1831 to 1865.-History:The Station was formed in 1831; it ceased to exist when it was separated into the East Indies Station and the China Station in 1865. Its area covered the Indian Ocean and the coasts of China and...
. His appointment caused some concern, with questions raised over the suitability of sending Pellew, considering his age and past background, and the unhealthy climate and tense diplomatic situation following the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Burmese War
Second Anglo-Burmese War
The Second Anglo-Burmese War was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and the British Empire during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty and independence....
. Pellew raised his flag aboard in April 1853, and by September 1854 he was off Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Here he seems to have decided that he would not allow shore leave until the dangerous season for fevers and infections had passed, but neglected to make his reasoning known to his men. The crew were apparently in a mutinous mood, so Pellew ordered them to beat to quarters. When they refused, he sent the officers onto the lower deck to force them up at sword point. Several of the crew were wounded and the nascent mutiny was quashed. The news of these events was poorly received in Britain, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
included several leading articles drawing attention to the mutiny on the Winchester, and the one on the Resistance many years before. Pellew was duly recalled by the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
, never to serve at sea again. He had been promoted to vice-admiral on 22 April 1853, and a full admiral on 13 February 1858.
Sir Fleetwood Pellew died at Marseilles on 28 July 1861 at the age of 71. He had married Harriet Webster, daughter of Sir Godfrey Webster in 1816, and the couple had a single daughter, Lady Orford. Harriet died in 1840, and Fleetwood married Cecile de Melfort in 1851, but the two divorced in 1859.