Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth (April 9, 1757 – January 23, 1833) was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary, and the Napoleonic Wars. April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... The French Revolutionary Wars occurred between the outbreak of war between the French Revolutionary government and Austria in 1792 and the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. ... The Napoleonic Wars was a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule of France. ...

Childhood

Pellew was born at Dover, but grew up in Penzance and attended Truro Grammar School. He was a pugnacious youth, which did not endear him to his headmaster. He ran away to sea at the age of 14, but soon deserted because of unfair treatment to another midshipman. Map sources for Dover at grid reference TR315415 Arms of Dover Borough Council This article is about the English port town. ... Location within the British Isles. ... A street in Truro, with Truro Cathedral in the background. ...

Early career

Pellew entered the Royal Navy in 1770. He saw service in the American War of Independence where, as a Master's Mate he took an active part in the campaign on Lake Champlain, performing well in the Battle of Valcour Island and the Battle of Saratoga. After the surrender of General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, he was repatriated and was promoted to lieutenant. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... Master is a term that indicates a consummate level of skill, proficiency, superiority or power. ... Landsat photo Lake Champlain, named for the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who encountered it 1609, is a large lake in North America, mostly within the borders of the United States (states of Vermont and New York) but partially situated across the US-Canada border in Quebec. ... The Battle of Valcour Island, 11 October 1776, also known as Battle of Valcour Bay, was a naval engagement fought on Lake Champlain in a narrow strait between the New York mainland and Valcour Island. ... The Battle(s) of Saratoga are considered by many historians to have been the turning point of the American Revolutionary War and one of the most decisive battles in history. ... John Burgoyne John Burgoyne (February 24, 1723–August 4, 1792) was a British general during the American Revolutionary War. ... A Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary or police officer. ...

Captaincy and the French Revolutionary War

He was Captain of HMS Nymph which took the first French warship, the Cleopatre, during the Revolutionary war with France in 1793. For this action he was knighted. By 1794 he was Commodore of the Western Frigate Squadron. In 1795, he took command of HMS Indefatigable, the ship with which he is most closely associated. The French Revolutionary Wars occurred between the outbreak of war between the French Revolutionary government and Austria in 1792 and the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The military rank of Commodore is used in some navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a Captain, but is less than that of a flag officer. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... HMS Indefatigable was originally build as a 64-gun two-decked ship of the line for the British Royal Navy. ...

His most famous action started on January 13, 1797 when cruising in company with HMS Amazon, a French 74 gun ship of the line, Les Droits de l'Homme, was sighted. Normally a ship of the line would outmatch two frigates, but by skilful sailing in the stormy conditions, the British frigates avoided bearing the brunt of the superior fire power of the French. In the early morning of January 14, 1797, the three ships were embayed on a lee shore in Audierne Bay. Both Les Droits de l'Homme and Amazon ran aground, but Indefatigable managed to claw her way off the lee shore to safety. January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1797 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Numerous ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Amazon, after the mythical female warriors. ... Ships of the line were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ... Frigate is a name which has been used for several distinct types of warships at different times. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Admiralcy and Peerage

Pellew was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1804. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies. It took six months to sail out to Penang so he took up the appointment in 1805. On his return from the east, he was appointed, in succession to the positions of Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean from 1811 to 1814, and of the North Sea in 1820. 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Commander-in-Chief in the Royal Navy was the Admiral assigned to have overall command of all Royal Navy ships in a geographic location. ... The Indies, on the display globe of the Field Museum, Chicago The Indies or East Indies (or East India) is a term used to describe lands of South and South-East Asia, occupying all of the former British India, the present Indian Union, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and... State motto: Penang Leads Capital George Town Governor Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Abbas Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon Area 1,056 km2 Population  - Est year 2000 1,225,501 State anthem Pulau Pinang State Anthem Penang (Malay: Pulau Pinang, Simplified Chinese: 槟城, Malay (Jawi script): بينانج) is a Malaysian state located... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1814, he was made Baron Exmouth of Canonteign. He led an Anglo-Dutch fleet against the Barbary states and was victor of the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816 and secured the release of the 1,000 Christian slaves in the city. For this action he was created 1st Viscount Exmouth. In 1832 he was appointed Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom. 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Baron is a specific title of nobility or a more generic feudal qualification. ... The states along the Barbary Coast, Algiers, Morocco, Tripoli, and Tunis, were collectively known as the Barbary States. ... The Bombardment of Algiers took place on August 27, 1816. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A viscount is a member of the European nobility, especially, as in the British peerage, ranking above a baron, below a (British) earl or (his continental equivalent) count. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom is an (now honorary) office generally held by a senior retired Royal Navy admiral. ...

He was also a good swimmer and noted for saving many lives. The most striking event was on January 26, 1796 when the East Indiaman Dutton, which was carrying troops, ran aground under Plymouth Hoe. Due to the heavy seas, the crew and soldiers aboard were unable to get to shore. Pellew swam out to the wreck with a line and helped rig a lifeline which saved almost all aboard. For this feat he was made a baronet. January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... An East Indiaman was a ship belonging to the British East India Company. ... Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large public space in Plymouth, adjacent to the seafront, commanding magnificent views across Plymouth Sound, of Drakes Island, and across the Hamoaze to Mount Edgcumbe Park in Cornwall. ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) is the holder of a title, similar to a knighthood except that it is hereditary, known as a baronetcy. ...

Geographical namesakes

The Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands, situated in the Gulf of Carpentaria. They were named for Pellew by Matthew Flinders who visited them in 1802. Other Australian geographical features named after Sir Edward include Cape Pellew (adjacent to the islands) and Exmouth Gulf. The Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands is situated in the south-west corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria, off the northern coast of Australia. ... The Gulf of Carpentaria viewed from orbit. ... Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 - 19 July 1814) was one of the most accomplished navigators and chartmakers of his age. ... 1802 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Pellew Island, Jamaica, and the Republic of Belau (formerly the Pellew or Pelew Islands), east of the Philippines, are also named after Edward Pellew.

Fictional appearances

Pellew is featured as the Captain of Indefatigable in some of C. S. Forester's fictional Horatio Hornblower novels; in the television adaptations, as portrayed by Robert Lindsay, he is given a more prominent role. HMS Indefatigable was originally build as a 64-gun two-decked ship of the line for the British Royal Navy. ... Cecil Scott Forester is the pen name of Cecil Smith (August 27, 1899 - April 2, 1966), an English novelist whose rose to fame with tales of adventure with military themes, notably the 11-book Horatio Hornblower series (being filmed with Ioan Gruffudd as Horatio Hornblower) about naval warfare during the... Horatio Hornblower is a fictional officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, originally the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester, and later the subject of films and television programs. ... Hornblower is the umbrella title of an acclaimed series of television drama programmes loosely based on C. S. Foresters novels about the character Horatio Hornblower, a British naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. ... Robert Lindsay (real name Robert Lindsay Stevenson, born December 13, 1949) is a British actor. ...

As a midshipman, he appears in the novel Jack Absolute by C. C. Humphreys.

External links

• The Pellew Family website
• Biography of Pellew by C. Northcote Parkinson