Sumares James - British naval commander (1757)

[Anatol]

James Sumarez (11 March 1757 - 9 October 1836) was a British sailor of the Age of Sail, admiral, participant in several wars, from the American Revolutionary to Napoleonic, commander of the Order of the Bath. Subsequently Vice Admiral of Great Britain. Born in 1757 in St. Peter Port, Guernsey. Son of Matthew de Sausmarez, a landowner, and his second wife Carteret. In 1770, at the age of 13, he entered the Royal Navy as a midshipman on the frigate HMS Montreal. He changed his last name, dropping the second “s”, and became Sumarez. The Montreal served in the Mediterranean. In 1775 he was transferred to North America on the 50-gun HMS Bristol, the flagship of Rear Admiral Parker. Promoted to lieutenant in 1778, he commanded the galley HMS Spitfire. On August 5, 1778, near Newport, in order to avoid French captivity, he burned a galley. The team went ashore. He then served on HMS Victory and on HMS Fortitude, the flagship of Vice-Admiral Hyde-Parker, with whom he was at Dogger Bank, where he was wounded. For his bravery he was promoted to commander and given command of the Tisiphone fireship. In 1782, he delivered reports to Vice Admiral Hood in the West Indies and on January 25 was present at the final stage of St. Kitts. After this, he was appointed to command the battleship HMS Russell, on which Rodney was part of the fleet at the All Saints Islands and participated in the capture of the French flagship Ville de Paris. At the end of the American War he was written off. Returned to the navy in 1793 and was appointed to command the frigate HMS Crescent. It was used by the French frigate La Reunion in battle on October 20, 1793. For this battle he received a knighthood from the king and a gift dish from the city of London. On June 5, 1794, at the head of a small squadron in the Canal, he repelled an attack by superior French forces. In 1795 he received the battleship HMS Orion, with which he was off the island of Groix on June 22. In February 1797, he joined the fleet of Vice Admiral Jervis, and distinguished himself at San Vicente, forcing the surrender of the 112-gun Salvador del Mundo. In the winter of 1797–1798, he was with Jervis at the blockade of Cadiz. In May 1798 he joined Nelson's squadron, with whom he was at Aboukir and again distinguished himself by taking Peuple Souverain and Franklin. Upon returning from Egypt, he received the 80-gun HMS Caesar, with which he participated in the blockade of Brest. in 1801 he was promoted to rear admiral of the blue squadron and granted a baronetcy. At the head of a small squadron he monitored the Spanish-French fleet in Cadiz. On July 6, having discovered the French fleet anchored in Algeciras Bay, Saumarez unsuccessfully attacked it in light winds. The ship "Hannibal" ran aground under longitudinal fire from the Sant Iago battery and the Almirante tower. The attempt to help out failed. Sumarez, having serious damage and having lost hope of coping with the batteries and getting close to the French, ordered an end to the battle and retreated to Gibraltar with 5 ships, leaving the «Hannibal» to its fate. But on July 13, he defeated a superior Franco-Spanish squadron in the Bay of Gibraltar. For this campaign he received the Order of the Bath and the right of free entry into London, and in 1803 a Parliamentary pension. During the Peace of Amiens he was at home in Guernsey. With the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars, he was entrusted with the defense of the islands. In 1808, with the rank of vice admiral, he was appointed to command the specially formed Baltic Fleet, holding the flag on HMS Victory. Blocked Russia, Denmark and Sweden. For his diplomatic tact, the Swedish king later awarded him the military Order of the Sword. Beginning in 1812, he acted against Napoleonic satellites, in alliance with Sweden and Russia. After the conclusion of peace in 1814, he became a full admiral. After 1821 he did not serve at sea. In 1821-1827 he was commander-in-chief in Plymouth. As his years of service progressed, he received honorary titles and thus in 1831 reached the rank of vice admiral of Great Britain. He died in 1836 at his home in Guernsey. He left behind three sons and two daughters.
The stamp depicts a portrait of the admiral against the background of a fragment of a painting by the artist Alfred Morel-Fatio: “The Battle of Algeciras, July 6, 1801.”
See also: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11414
PMR 2019; [R]
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Saumarez._