Thomas Brodrick | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1 January 1769 |
| Allegiance |  Great Britain |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1723–1769 |
| Rank | Vice-Admiral |
| Commands held | HMS Cumberland HMS Shoreham HMS Exeter HMS Dreadnought |
| Battles/wars | War of the Austrian Succession |
Thomas Brodrick (died 1 January 1769) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the War of the Austrian Succession, the War of Jenkins' Ear and the Seven Years' War.
Brodrick entered the navy about 1723. In 1739 he was a lieutenant of HMS Burford, Admiral Edward Vernon's flagship at the Battle of Porto Bello, and commanded the landing party which stormed the Castillo de Fierro. In recompense for his brilliant conduct Vernon promoted him to the command of the fireship HMS Cumberland, in which he in 1741 took part in the Battle of Cartagena de Indias. On 25 March 1741 he was "posted" (i.e. made Post Captain) into the frigate HMS Shoreham, and continued actively employed during the rest of that campaign, and afterwards in the expedition to Cuba. After other service he returned to England in 1743, and early in the following year was appointed to the 60-gun HMS Exeter. In March of the following year he was appointed to HMS Dreadnought, which was sent out to the Leeward Islands, and continued there until after the peace in 1748.
In May 1756 Brodrick was sent out to the Mediterranean in command of reinforcements for Admiral John Byng, whom he joined at Gibraltar just before the admiral was ordered home under arrest. He had meantime been advanced on 4 June to the rank of Rear admiral, in which rank he served under Sir Edward Hawke until towards the close of the year, when the fleet returned home. In January 1757 he was a member of the court-martial on Admiral Byng; and was afterwards, with his flag in HMS Namur, third in command in the expedition against Rochefort. Early in 1758 Brodrick was appointed as second in command in the Mediterranean, with his flag on board the 90-gun HMS Prince George. On 13 April, being then off Ushant, the Prince George caught fire, and out of a complement of nearly 800, some 250 only were saved; the Rear admiral himself was picked up, stark naked, by a merchant-ship's boat, after he had been swimming for about an hour. Brodrick and the survivors of his ship's company were taken by HMS Glasgow to Gibraltar, where he hoisted his flag in HMS St George.
On the following 14 February (1759) he was promoted to the rank of Vice admiral, and was shortly afterwards superseded by Admiral Edward Boscawen, under whom he commanded during the blockade of Toulon, and in the action of 18–19 August, culminating in the burning or capture of the French ships in Lagos Bay. When Boscawen returned to England, Brodrick blockaded the French ships at Cadiz so closely, that even the friendly Spaniards could not resist making them the subject of insolent ridicule. They are said to have stuck up a notice in some such terms as "For sale, eight French men-of-war. For particulars apply to Vice-admiral Brodrick". The French ships did not stir out till the passage was cleared for them by a gale of wind, which compelled the blockading squadron to put into Gibraltar. Brodrick then returned to England. He had no further employment, and died 1 January 1769 of cancer in the face.
Admiral of the Blue Edward Boscawen, PC was a British Admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall, England. He is known principally for his various naval commands during the 18th century and the engagements that he won, including the siege of Louisburg in 1758 and Battle of Lagos in 1759. He is also remembered as the officer who signed the warrant authorising the execution of Admiral John Byng in 1757, for failing to engage the enemy at the Battle of Minorca (1756). In his political role, he served as a Member of Parliament for Truro from 1742 until his death although due to almost constant naval employment he seems not to have been particularly active. He also served as one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty on the Board of Admiralty from 1751 and as a member of the Privy Council from 1758 until his death in 1761.
Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, KB, PC, of Scarthingwell Hall in the parish of Towton, near Tadcaster, Yorkshire, was a Royal Navy officer. As captain of the third-rate HMS Berwick, he took part in the Battle of Toulon in February 1744 during the War of the Austrian Succession. He also captured six ships of a French squadron in the Bay of Biscay in the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in October 1747.
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke was an English naval officer. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Solebay and again at the Battle of Schooneveld during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. As a captain, he conveyed Prince William of Orange to England and took part in the Battle of Bantry Bay during the Williamite War in Ireland.
Admiral Sir Francis Holburne was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He served as commodore and commander-in-chief at the Leeward Islands during the War of the Austrian Succession and then took part in an operation to capture Louisbourg as part of the Louisbourg Expedition during the Seven Years' War. He went on to be Port Admiral at Portsmouth and then Senior Naval Lord. In retirement he became Governor of Greenwich Hospital. He also served as a Member of Parliament.
Admiral Edward Vernon was an English naval officer. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years service. As a vice admiral during the War of Jenkins' Ear, in 1739 he was responsible for the capture of Porto Bello, seen as expunging the failure of Admiral Hosier there in a previous conflict. However, his amphibious operation against the Spanish port of Cartagena de Indias was a disastrous defeat. Vernon also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) on three occasions and was outspoken on naval matters in Parliament, making him a controversial figure.
The naval Battle of Lagos took place between a British fleet commanded by Sir Edward Boscawen and a French fleet under Jean-François de La Clue-Sabran over two days in 1759 during the Seven Years' War. They fought south west of the Gulf of Cádiz on 18 August and to the east of the small Portuguese port of Lagos, after which the battle is named, on 19 August.
Admiral of the Fleet George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington,, of Southill Park in Bedfordshire, was a Royal Navy officer and statesman. While still a lieutenant, he delivered a letter from various captains to Prince William of Orange, who had just landed at Torbay, assuring the Prince of the captains' support; the Prince gave Byng a response which ultimately led to the Royal Navy switching allegiance to the Prince and the Glorious Revolution of November 1688.
Philip Affleck was an admiral in the Royal Navy. He was the younger brother of Sir Edmund Affleck. Affleck held various commands throughout the latter half of the 18th Century, most notably as commander-in-chief of the Jamaica Station and as a Lord of the Board of Admiralty. Early in his career he fought at the Siege of Louisbourg where he was promoted commander after carrying out a successful cutting-out mission. He was promoted to post-captain a year later after impressing Admiral Edward Boscawen during the Battle of Lagos. Later in his career he joined Admiral Sir George Rodney in the West Indies and took part in the capture of Sint Eustatius. Between 1790 and 1792 he held the position of commander-in-chief of the Jamaica Station and between 1793 and 1796 he held his position as a Lord of the Board of Admiralty. Although his career was marked with long periods of inaction and unemployment Admiral Affleck was known as a good officer and was well respected by his peers.
Admiral George Edgcumbe, 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, PC was a British peer, naval officer and politician.
Sir Francis Geary, 1st Baronet was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the American War of Independence, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.
Anse de Sablettes is a fortified bay near Toulon in France, immediately to the south of the port entrance. It was the site of the Battle of Sablettes, a 1759 battle of the Seven Years' War.
Shuldham Peard was an officer of the Royal Navy. He rose to the rank of vice-admiral after seeing service in the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was the father of John Whitehead Peard, who was known as 'Garibaldi's Englishman'.
HMS Monarch was originally the 74-gun ship of the line Monarque of the French Navy launched in March 1747. Captured on 14 October 1747, she was taken into Royal Navy service as the third rate HMS Monarch.
Admiral John Amherst was a Royal Navy officer served during the First Carnatic War and the Seven Years' War, and who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth.
John Baker was an officer of the Royal Navy and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1713 and 1716. He rose to the rank of vice-admiral after service in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession.
Arthur Forrest was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, rising to the rank of captain and the post of commodore. He also owned 3,000 acres of sugar plantations, and a considerable number of slaves, in the Colony of Jamaica.
Matthew Barton was an officer of the Royal Navy. He rose to the rank of admiral during a long and distinguished career, in which he served in the War of Jenkins' Ear, the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. He fought at several major battles, and commanded a number of amphibious assaults off the French coast and in the West Indies. Though he lived until 1795 his health was broken after service in the tropics, and he never served at sea again after 1763.
The Honourable Charles Stewart was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Nine Years' War, and the Wars of the Spanish Succession, Quadruple Alliance and Austrian Succession. He embarked on a political career, and was a Member of Parliament for the Parliaments of Ireland and Great Britain.
Sir Edward Whitaker was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the War of the Spanish Succession and is known for his role in the Capture of Gibraltar and the Battle of Málaga in 1704.
James Young was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, rising to the rank of admiral of the white.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : "Brodrick, Thomas". Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |
| Other | |
