Admiral Sir George Ayscue (ca 1616–1671) was an English naval officer who served in the
Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
and the
Anglo-Dutch WarsThe Anglo–Dutch Wars were fought in the 17th and 18th centuries between England and the United Provinces for control over the seas and trade routes...
.
In 1648, during the
Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
, while serving as a captain in the navy of the English Parliament, he prevented the fleet from defecting to the Royalists, and was promoted to General at Sea. In 1651 he served with General at Sea
Robert BlakeRobert Blake was one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England, and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century....
in the capture of the
Scilly IslesThe Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of the British Isles. Traditionally administered as part of the county of Cornwall, the islands have had a unitary authority council since 1889...
from Sir John Grenville. Later that year he captured
BarbadosBarbados , situated just east of the Caribbean Sea, is an independent West Indian Continental Island-nation in the western Atlantic Ocean. For over three centuries Barbados was a colony and protectorate of the United Kingdom; and still currently maintains Queen Elizabeth II as head of state...
from
Lord WilloughbyFrancis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham was a member of the House of Lords, the upper house of Parliament, and an early supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War but later became a Royalist...
and the other English colonies in the Americas.
In the
First Anglo-Dutch WarThe First Anglo–Dutch War was the first of the four Anglo–Dutch Wars. It was fought entirely at sea between the navies of the Commonwealth of England and the United Provinces of the Netherlands...
he was defeated by the Dutch Commodore
Michiel de RuyterMichiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter is the most famous and one of the best admirals in Dutch history. De Ruyter is most famous for his role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th century. He fought the English and French in these wars and scored several major victories, the best known probably being the...
at the
Battle of PlymouthThe Battle of Plymouth was a naval battle in the First Anglo-Dutch War. It took place on 26 August, 1652 and was a short battle, but had the unexpected outcome of a Dutch victory over England. General-at-Sea George Ayscue of the Commonwealth of England attacked an outward bound convoy of the Dutch...
. Relieved of his command, he went into service in the Swedish Navy, returning after the
RestorationThe English Restoration, often shortened to the Restoration, began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Commonwealth of England that followed the English Civil War...
of
Charles IICharles II was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father King Charles I was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War. The English Parliament did not proclaim Charles II king at this time. Instead they passed a statute making such a...
.
In the
Second Anglo-Dutch WarThe Second Anglo–Dutch War was fought between England and the United Provinces from 4 March, 1665 until 31 July, 1667. England tried to end the Dutch domination of world trade. After initial English successes, the war ended in a Dutch victory...
he commanded a squadron at the
Battle of LowestoftThe naval Battle of Lowestoft took place on 13 June 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size commanded by James Stuart, Duke of York forty...
in 1665. At the Four Days' Battle in 1666 his flagship, the Prince Royal, ran aground on the Galloper Shoal and he was forced to surrender his ship to Lieutenant-Admiral
Cornelis TrompSir Cornelis Maartenszoon Tromp, 1st Baronet was a Dutch naval officer. He was the son of Lieutenant Admiral Maarten Tromp. He became Lieutenant Admiral General in Dutch Navy and briefly Admiral General in the Danish Navy...
, earning the unfortunate distinction of being the last admiral of the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
to have been captured by the enemy. He was held prisoner during the war in the Dutch state prison of
LoevesteinCastle Loevestein is a medieval castle built by the knight Dirc Loef van Horne in 1361. It was built in a strategic location in the middle of the Netherlands, where the Maas and Waal rivers come together...
.
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