page_title: James Young (Royal Navy officer, born 1717)
section_title: Flag rank
hierarchical_section_title: James Young (Royal Navy officer, born 1717) / Flag rank
context_page_description: 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.
  Young entered the navy as a midshipman and went out to the Mediterranean, where he would rise through the ranks during a long and extended cruise that saw him serve on a number of different vessels. A captain by the end of the War of the Austrian Succession, a fact that led to the caustic comment that he had been "midshipman, lieutenant, and captain in one voyage", he continued in active service after the war. He commanded several more ships during the Seven Years' War, and was one of those engaged at the controversial Battle of Minorca in 1756. The fleet's commander, Admiral John Byng, was court martialled over the affair, Young giving some damning evidence against Byng at the inquiry. Young also played a role in the more creditable performance at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759, flying a broad pennant as a commodore and participating in the decisive defeat of the French fleet. He went on to command several squadrons on the French coast before his promotion to flag rank.
context_section_description: Young was advanced to flag rank towards the end of the Seven Years' War, being promoted to rear-admiral on 21 October 1762. Further promotions followed, he attained the rank of vice-admiral on 28 October 1770, and became commander-in-chief in the Leeward Islands Station in April 1775. He raised his flag aboard the 50-gun HMS Portland and sailed to take up his post on 26 April. The American War of Independence broke out during Young's time in command, and he was tasked with using his small naval force to interdict the supply of arms and gunpowder to rebel forces, and to defend British trade from American privateers and warships. He struggled to combat the delivery of weapons to the Americans. His squadron had too few fast cruisers, and the Americans were being openly supplied from the neutral Caribbean possessions, from the Dutch-held St Eustatius and the French at Martinique. Frustrated, Young himself denounced the "very pernicious traffic carried on between his Britannic majesty's rebellious subjects ... and ... St. Eustatias." He was more successful though in ensuring British commerce remained secure, organizing convoy systems by mid-1776 to escort merchant ships to Britain, and cruising with some success against American privateers and warships. His squadron captured 205 American merchant ships and captured or destroyed seventeen American privateers and warships.
  
  Young's anger with the Dutch at St. Eustatius was further provoked when the American brig Andrew Doria entered the Dutch port on 16 November 1776 and was greeted with an 11-gun salute by the guns of Fort Orange, the first foreign salute to the flag of the United States. Young wrote a furious letter to the governor, Johannes de Graaff, informing him of his 
  surprise and astonishment to hear it daily asserted in the most positive manner that the Port of St. Eustatius for some time past has been openly and avowedly declared Protector of all Americans and their vessels, whether in private trade or armed for offensive war. ... the colours and forts of the States General have been so far debased as to return the salute of these pirates and rebels and giving all manner of assistance of arms and ammunition and whatever else may enable them to annoy and disturb the trade of His Britannic Majesty's loyal and faithful subjects and even the Governor of St. Eustatius daily suffers privateers to be manned and armed and fitted in their port.
  Young retaliated to the salute by blockading the island, though he was ordered to lift it in early 1777.
  Young and other British officials knew they were running great risks, but when confronted with clandestine French and Dutch aid to the enemy, they could see no other way to prevent Americans from obtaining munitions than to disregard diplomatic and commercial niceties.
  Further unable or unwilling to distinguish the local privateers from pirates, Young had a difficult period with the British settlers on the islands. The local authorities arrested him and brought legal proceedings against him and his officers. Privateers, strictly speaking were merchant ships, which were licensed by the authorities to attack enemy ships in time of war.
  The problem was that those same privateers in peacetime were often engaged in acts of pure piracy or smuggling, which they continued in war but in the name of the King!  Young would have got on better with the locals if he had turned a "Nelsonian blind eye."  Young felt however that he had to stamp on them as apart from anything else he was finding it next to impossible to recruit local seamen and he feared desertion from his own ships to the better conditions and lure of money of the privateers. Further the privateers were all unlicensed so the navy had no control over them at all. The dispute was finally resolved when the local governors were empowered to licence privateers, which brought some limited measure of control. In return the legal proceedings against James and his officers were dropped.
  Young also ran into problems with local administrations in relation to rebel prisoners who soon after the 
caption: Historical engraving of the island of St Eustatius. Young struggled to cope with the open assistance provided by the nominally neutral Dutch to American forces during the American War of Independence.
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