Sir John Strachan, 5th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir John Strachan was a Baronet
and chief
of Clan Strachan
. He served in the Royal Navy
, rising to the rank of captain
and commanding a number of warships. His nephew, Richard Strachan
, would also go on to have a distinguished career in the Navy.
, physician to the Greenwich Hospital, and his wife, the daughter of a Royal Navy captain. Little is known about his early life, but he appears to have entered the Navy in about 1727. It would be twenty years before he would be promoted to the rank of lieutenant
, in January 1747.
of Lord Hawke
. The following year Strachan accompanied Hawke to Gibraltar
aboard HMS Antelope
, to relieve John Byng
. On arriving he was appointed to command the 18-gun sloop
HMS Fortune and on 9 September 1756, he was posted to HMS Experiment.
Serving on the Experiment he captured the 20-gun French privateer
Télémaque off Alicante
on 8 July 1757, with the loss of 235 French and forty-eight British sailors. During the encounter Strachan came alongside and sent a boarding party onto the Télémaque under William Locker
, who secured her surrender. Strachan took the prize into Gibraltar and along with Locker, was reassigned to the 32-gun HMS Sapphire. He returned to England aboard her and in 1759 was attached to the Grand Fleet under Sir Edward Hawke. He was then assigned to the light squadron in Quiberon Bay
under Commodore
Robert Duff, and was present at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
on 20 November 1759.
Strachan remained in command of the Sapphire until 1762. Eight years later he was appointed to command HMS Orford
, one of the squadron which went with Rear-Admiral Robert Harland to the East Indies
. Ill health forced Strachan to return to England two years later and he retired from active service. He had married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Lovelace of Battersea
, but the marriage produced no children and, following his death at Bath on 28 December 1777, the baronetcy passed to his nephew, Richard John Strachan
who also became a distinguished Navy officer.
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
and chief
Scottish clan chief
The Scottish Gaelic word clann means children. In early times, and possibly even today, clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the Scottish clan. From its perceived founder a clan takes its name. The clan chief is the representative of this founder, and...
of Clan Strachan
Clan Strachan
Clan Strachan is a Scottish clan originating from Aberdeenshire. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is treated as an Armigerous clan.The Clan Strachan warcry–slogan is Clachnaben!- Highland Clan :...
. He served in 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...
, rising to the rank of captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
and commanding a number of warships. His nephew, Richard Strachan
Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet
Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Childhood:...
, would also go on to have a distinguished career in the Navy.
Career
John Strachan was born the eldest son of Patrick Strachan, M.D.Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, physician to the Greenwich Hospital, and his wife, the daughter of a Royal Navy captain. Little is known about his early life, but he appears to have entered the Navy in about 1727. It would be twenty years before he would be promoted to the rank of lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, in January 1747.
Seven Years War
In 1755 he was appointed second lieutenant of the 98-gun HMS St George, which was then serving as the flagshipFlagship
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...
of Lord Hawke
Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke
Admiral of the Fleet Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke KB, PC was an officer of the Royal Navy. He is best remembered for his service during the Seven Years' War, particularly his victory over a French fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759, preventing a French invasion of Britain...
. The following year Strachan accompanied Hawke to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
aboard HMS Antelope
HMS Antelope (1741)
HMS Antelope was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Rotherhithe on 13 March 1703. She was rebuilt once during her career, and served in the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War....
, to relieve John Byng
John Byng
Admiral John Byng was a Royal Navy officer. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen he participated at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718. Over the next thirty years he built up a reputation as a solid naval officer and received promotion to Vice-Admiral in 1747...
. On arriving he was appointed to command 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...
HMS Fortune and on 9 September 1756, he was posted to HMS Experiment.
Serving on the Experiment he captured the 20-gun French privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
Télémaque off Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
on 8 July 1757, with the loss of 235 French and forty-eight British sailors. During the encounter Strachan came alongside and sent a boarding party onto the Télémaque under William Locker
William Locker (Royal Navy)
William Locker was an officer in the Royal Navy, who served with distinction during the eighteenth century. He rose to the rank of captain and held the posts of flag captain and commodore.-Family and early years:...
, who secured her surrender. Strachan took the prize into Gibraltar and along with Locker, was reassigned to the 32-gun HMS Sapphire. He returned to England aboard her and in 1759 was attached to the Grand Fleet under Sir Edward Hawke. He was then assigned to the light squadron in Quiberon Bay
Quiberon Bay
The Baie de Quiberon is an area of sheltered water on the south coast of Brittany. The bay is in the Morbihan département.-Geography:The bay is roughly triangular in shape, open to the south with the Gulf of Morbihan to the north-east and the narrow peninsular of Presqu'île de Quiberon providing...
under Commodore
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
Robert Duff, and was present at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The naval Battle of Quiberon Bay took place on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near St. Nazaire...
on 20 November 1759.
Strachan remained in command of the Sapphire until 1762. Eight years later he was appointed to command HMS Orford
HMS Orford (1749)
HMS Orford was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment at Woolwich Dockyard, and launched in 1749....
, one of the squadron which went with Rear-Admiral Robert Harland to 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...
. Ill health forced Strachan to return to England two years later and he retired from active service. He had married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Lovelace of Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
, but the marriage produced no children and, following his death at Bath on 28 December 1777, the baronetcy passed to his nephew, Richard John Strachan
Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet
Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Childhood:...
who also became a distinguished Navy officer.