George Montagu ( Royal Navy officer ) Admiral Sir George Montagu ( 1750 – 1829 ) was a Royal Navy officer , the second son of Admiral John Montagu , and the brother of Captain James Montagu and Lieutenant - Colonel Edward Montagu . Early career . In 1763 Montagu entered the Royal Academy at Portsmouth , and was then appointed to with Captain Alan Gardner ( afterwards Admiral Lord Gardner ) , going out to the Jamaica station with the flag of Rear Admiral William Parry . He served in " Preston " for three years , before following Captain Gardner to HMS " Levant " . He finally returned to England in 1770 . He passed his lieutenant ' s examination on 2 October 1770 , and on 14 January 1771 was appointed lieutenant of HMS " Marlborough " . In February he was moved into HMS " Captain " , going out to North America as the flagship of his father . On 9 April 1773 he was appointed commander in the 18 gun sloop , and on 15 April 1774 ( Pay - book of the " Fowey " ) he was posted to . In her he continued on the North American station during the early years of the war of independence , actively co - operating with the army in the embarkation at Boston in March , and in the reduction of New York in October 1776 . Shortly after he returned to England in bad health . From 1777 to 1779 he commanded , as flag captain to his father at Newfoundland . On his return he was appointed to the 32 - gun frigate HMS " Pearl " , which when cruising near the Azores on 14 September 1779 , captured the Spanish frigate " Santa Monica " of equal force . In December " Pearl " sailed with the fleet under Sir George Rodney , and assisted in the capture of the Caracas convoy ; but having sprung her foremast , was ordered home with the prizes . She was afterwards sent out to North America , and on 30 September 1780 , while on a cruise off the Bermudas , captured the " Espérance " , a frigate - built privateer of 32 guns . In the battle of Cape Henry , on 16 March 1781 , she acted as repeating frigate . She was not with the fleet during the battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September , but joined it , still off Cape Henry , on the 14th , and was left to keep watch on the movements of the French till the 25th , when she sailed for New York . On 19 October she sailed again with the fleet , and on the 23rd was stationed ahead as a look - out ( Pearl ' s Log ) . She returned to England in 1782 . During the Spanish Armament of 1790 Montagu was appointed to HMS " Hector " ( 74 ) and went out to the Leeward Islands in 1793 with Rear Admiral Gardner , and thence to Jamaica , to convoy the homeward - bound trade . He was afterwards with the squadron in the Downs , under the orders of Rear Admiral MacBride , until 12 April 1794 , when he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral , and , hoisting his flag in the " Hector " , joined the grand fleet under Lord Howe . The Glorious First of June . On 4 May he was detached , with a squadron of six ships of the line , to convoy a large fleet of merchant ships as far as Cape Finisterre . His further orders were to cruise to the westward till 20 May , in the hope of meeting the French provision convoy daily expected from America . The convoy , however , did not arrive at that time , and Montagu , after making several important captures , returned to Plymouth on 30 May . He had extended his cruise for several days beyond the prescribed limit , but had not been able to communicate with Howe . On 2 June he received orders from the admiralty to put to sea again with every available ship , and to cruise off Brest in order to intercept the French provision fleet . On the 3rd the " Audacious " came in with news of the partial action of 28 May ; but Montagu , having no other orders , put to sea on 4 June with nine ships of the line . On the evening of the 8th he chased a French squadron of eight ships into Brest , and at daybreak on the 9th found a French fleet of nineteen ships of the line a few miles to the westward of him . Though several of these were under jurymasts , or in tow of others , they all appeared capable of defending themselves , and fourteen of them seemed to be ordinarily effective . Of Howe ' s success Montagu had no information . All he could hope was that by stretching to the southward , with a northerly wind , he might tempt the French so far to leeward of their port that Howe , if following them up , might be able to secure them . The French commander , Villaret , however , was not inclined to run such a risk , and , after a slight demonstration of chasing him , resumed his course and steered for Brest , while Montagu , after looking for Howe to the north - west , and failing to find him , bore away for the Channel , and on the 12th anchored in Cawsand Bay . In 1823 Captain Brenton , in relating these events in the first volume of his " Naval History , " pp . 296 – 300 , attacked Montagu ' s conduct in not bringing on a general action , and said that " " Lord Chatham and the board of admiralty expressed some displeasure at the conduct of the rear - admiral , and he was ordered or permitted to strike his flag . " " Montagu published " A Refutation of the Incorrect Statements and Unjust Insinuations contained in Captain Brenton ' s " Naval History of Great Britain , " as far as the same refers to the Conduct of Admiral Sir George Montagu ; in a Letter addressed to the Author . " Montagu was perhaps too old , too angry , and too little practised in literary fencing to punish Brenton as he deserved ; but he had no difficulty in showing that Brenton ' s facts were untrue . Howe and the Admiralty fully approved of Montagu ' s conduct ; and when , in bad health , rendered worse by the shock of his brother ' s death during the battle , he applied for permission to resign his command , they both expressed their regret and a hope that his absence might be short . On 1 June 1795 he was promoted to Vice Admiral , and in March 1799 he was offered the command at the Nore , which he declined , as beneath his rank . In April 1800 Lord St . Vincent offered him the post of second in command in the Channel ; but other officers were appointed by the admiralty , and there was no vacancy ( Addit . MS . 31158 , ff . 113 , 117 ) . On 1 January 1801 he was made admiral ; but when shortly afterwards he applied for a command , St . Vincent , who had become first lord of the admiralty , replied that he had learned there was " " an insuperable bar " " to his " " being employed in any way " . " He refused to say what the bar was ; but it would appear to have been some misunderstanding of his conduct in 1794 , as it gave way on a perusal of the official letters which Montagu had received at the time , and in 1803 he was appointed Commander - in - Chief , Portsmouth . He held this post for five and a half years , and in August 1810 was presented with " " a superb piece of plate " " as " " a tribute of respect and esteem " " by the captains who had fitted out at Portsmouth during his command . On 2 January 1815 he was nominated a G . C . B . , but had no service after the peace . He died on 24 December 1829 . Family . In 1783 Montagu married his first cousin , Charlotte , the daughter and co - heiress of George Wroughton of Wilcot , Wiltshire , and had a daughter and four sons . The eldest son , George , adopted the name of Wroughton in 1826 , and died a lieutenant - colonel in the army in 1871 . The second , John William , died an admiral on the retired list in 1882 ; the third , James , was also a retired admiral at his death in 1868 ; the fourth , Edward ( d . 1820 ) , was in holy orders . His daughter , Georgiana ( d . 1836 ) , married Admiral Sir John Gore .