James Hope
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir James Hope, GCB
(3 March 1808 – 9 June 1881) was a Royal Navy
officer.
, KCB (1767–1818). He entered the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth
in 1820. He was given command of HMS Racer in 1833 and HMS Firebrand in 1844. He also took part in the Crimean War
as Captain of HMS Majestic
.
He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, East Indies and China Station
in March 1859 and three months later, in an action that saw the continuation of the Second Opium War
, sailed North from Shanghai
to Tianjin
and launched an assault on the Chinese Forces
occupying the Taku Forts
at the mouth of the Hai River
in order to ensure British and French ministers would have safe passage to Peking
.
He helped the Japanese repel the intrusion of a Russian fleet at Tsushima Island
in 1861 in the Tsushima Incident
.
He became Commander-in-Chief of the North America and West Indies Station in 1863. Promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1864 was made Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
in 1869. Promoted to Admiral in 1870, he retired in 1878.
, daughter of General Sir Arthur Cotton
on 6 December 1877, but died shortly afterwards.
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
Sir James Hope, GCB
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...
(3 March 1808 – 9 June 1881) was a 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...
officer.
Naval career
Hope was the son of Rear-Admiral Sir George Johnstone HopeGeorge Johnstone Hope
Rear-Admiral Sir George Johnstone Hope, KCB was a British naval officer, who served with distinction in the Royal Navy throughout the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, including service at the Battle of Trafalgar...
, KCB (1767–1818). He entered the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth
Royal Naval Academy
The Royal Naval Academy was established at Portsmouth Dockyard as a facility to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, education and admission.-Training:In 1773, a shore side...
in 1820. He was given command of HMS Racer in 1833 and HMS Firebrand in 1844. He also took part in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
as Captain of HMS Majestic
HMS Majestic (1853)
HMS Majestic was the second ship to bear the name. She was an 80-gun second rate ship of the line, built at Chatham Dockyard and launched on 1 December 1853. She spent 12 years on the stocks beforehand. She was fitted with screw propulsion and eventually broken up in 1868 after 35 years in service....
.
He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, 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...
in March 1859 and three months later, in an action that saw the continuation of the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
, sailed North from Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
to Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
and launched an assault on the Chinese Forces
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
occupying the Taku Forts
Taku Forts
The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing...
at the mouth of the Hai River
Hai River
The Hai River , previously called Bai He , is a river in the People's Republic of China which flows through Beijing and Tianjin before emptying into the Yellow Sea at the Bohai Gulf.The Hai River at Tianjin is formed by the confluence of five rivers, the Southern Canal, Ziya...
in order to ensure British and French ministers would have safe passage to Peking
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
He helped the Japanese repel the intrusion of a Russian fleet at Tsushima Island
Tsushima Island
Tsushima Island is an island of the Japanese Archipelago situated in the middle of the Tsushima Strait at 34°25'N and 129°20'E. The main island of Tsushima was once a single island, but the island was divided into two in 1671 by the Ōfunakosiseto canal and into three in 1900 by the Manzekiseto canal...
in 1861 in the Tsushima Incident
Tsushima Incident
The Tsushima Incident occurred in 1861 when the Russians attempted to establish a year-round anchorage on the coast of the island of Tsushima, a Japanese territory located between Honshu and Korea.-Arrival of the Posadnik:...
.
He became Commander-in-Chief of the North America and West Indies Station in 1863. Promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1864 was made Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Portsmouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the post.-History:...
in 1869. Promoted to Admiral in 1870, he retired in 1878.
Family
He married Frederica Kinnaird, the daughter of Charles Kinnaird, 8th Lord Kinnaird on 16 August 1838 but was widowered on 27 May 1856. He remarried, to Elizabeth CottonElizabeth Hope
Elizabeth Reid, Lady Hope, née Cotton was a British evangelist who claimed in 1915 to have visited the British naturalist Charles Darwin shortly before his death in 1882, during which interview Hope claimed Darwin had had second thoughts about publicizing the theory of evolution.- Biography...
, daughter of General Sir Arthur Cotton
Arthur Cotton
General Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton KCSI was a British general and irrigation engineer.Cotton devoted his life to the construction of irrigation and navigation canals throughout the British Empire in India, however, his dream was only partially realized, but he is still honored in parts of rural...
on 6 December 1877, but died shortly afterwards.