William Hotham ( 1772 – 1848 ) Sir William Hotham GCB ( 12 February 1772 – 31 May 1848 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . Born into a military family Hotham joined the navy as a captain ' s servant and able seaman , rising through the ranks with service in the Caribbean and Newfoundland . A lieutenant by the outbreak of war with revolutionary France in 1793 , Hotham served initially in the Mediterranean , and had been promoted to his first command by 1794 . He saw action with his uncle Lord Hotham ' s fleet at the Battle of Hyères Islands in 1795 , after which he returned home , taking command of the 50 - gun shortly before the mutiny at the Nore . His ship and Admiral Adam Duncan ' s flagship were the only two deckers to remain loyal , and the only two ships left to enforce the blockade of the Dutch coast . Despite their severe disadvantage in numbers , Hotham and Admiral Duncan were able to trick the Dutch to stay in port through use of false signals . After this , Hotham continued to serve with Duncan in the North Sea , and took part in his victory at the Battle of Camperdown in October 1797 . After further service in the English Channel Hotham went out to the Cape of Good Hope , taking part in the blockade of the French possessions in the Indian Ocean , and in 1799 helping to destroy the French frigate " Preneuse " . Taking command of shortly after the end of the temporary Peace of Amiens , Hotham served in the Channel until ill health forced him to resign his command and go ashore . Though he briefly commanded a unit of Sea Fencibles , and later the yacht , no seagoing command could be found for him . He spent the rest of the wars ashore , being promoted through the ranks , and being appointed first a Knight Commander and then a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath . William Hotham died in 1848 at the age of 76 . Family and early life . Hotham was born into a military family on 12 February 1772 , with strong connections to the nobility . He was the second son of General George Hotham , and his wife Diana , the youngest daughter of baronet Sir Warton Pennyman - Warton . His uncle was Admiral Lord Hotham , while his first cousin , Henry Hotham , became a vice - admiral . He was educated at Westminster School , with his name being entered on the books of the yacht on 21 December 1779 . He later attended the Royal Naval Academy , and by January 1786 was aboard the 50 - gun as a captain ' s servant and ordinary seaman . " Grampus " s commander , Captain Edward Thompson , was commodore in charge on the African coasts , and Hotham went out to the Guinea coast with him . Hotham was back in Portsmouth by the middle of the year , where he transferred to the 64 - gun on 17 June 1786 , joining her as an able seaman . His service on " Ardent " was short - lived , on 20 September he joined the 32 - gun as a midshipman , serving under Captain John Holloway , and went out to the Leeward Islands . He was re - rated at his former rank of able seaman on 30 September 1788 during his service in the Caribbean , but on 11 September 1789 the following year , he was back as a midshipman , serving aboard the yacht " Royal Charlotte " , under Sir Hyde Parker . Hotham ' s next ship was the 38 - gun , which he joined 20 January 1790 , serving under Captain Alexander Hood in the English Channel . He transferred again on 2 June 1790 , back under his old captain John Holloway , now commanding the 90 - gun as flag captain to Hotham ' s uncle , Rear - Admiral William Hotham . The younger Hotham received his commission as a lieutenant on 27 October 1790 while serving with his uncle , and remained in " Princess Royal " until 26 January 1791 , when he joined the 20 - gun under Captain Isaac Coffin . Coffin and Hotham went out to Halifax , where Hotham served until his return on 20 October . After a short period spent ashore , he was appointed on 18 February 1792 to serve aboard the 32 - gun under Captain Richard Fisher . The " Winchelsea " returned Hotham to Halifax , followed by service in the Leeward Islands . French Revolutionary Wars and first commands . The outbreak of war with revolutionary France in early 1793 brought opportunities for Hotham to distinguish himself . On 29 May that year he joined the 90 - gun and served under Commodore John Murray . Transferring to Captain Augustus Montgomery ' s 36 - gun on 11 October , Hotham went out to the Mediterranean to join Lord Hood ' s fleet . On 13 January the following year Hotham became lieutenant aboard Hood ' s flagship , the 100 - gun , and took part in the evacuation of the French port of Toulon . The following year Hotham took part in the siege of Bastia , serving onshore with the forces led by Horatio Nelson . On 12 August he was appointed to his first command , the sloop . Two months later , on 7 October , he was advanced to post - captain , and given command of the 28 - gun . Hotham continued to serve in the Mediterranean , taking part in the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands with his uncle ' s fleet on 13 July 1795 . He was sent back to Britain with despatches in early 1796 , whereupon " Cyclops " was paid off on 8 March 1796 . Crisis at the Nore . Hotham spent nearly a year ashore , until he was appointed to command the 50 - gun on 11 January 1797 . He was based at the Nore , operating in the North Sea and blockading the Dutch fleet at the Texel with Admiral Adam Duncan ' s fleet . In May 1797 mutiny broke out among the ships at the Nore , following on from one at Spithead earlier in the year . Of the two decker ships of the fleet , only the crews of Duncan ' s flagship , and Hotham ' s crew aboard the " Adamant " remained loyal . With only two ships available to blockade the Dutch , Duncan and Hotham took their ships out to sea , remaining in sight of the Dutch coast and for several weeks implied by false signals and manoeuvres , that the rest of the fleet was just over the horizon . Convinced by the impersonation that the blockade was still in force , the Dutch remained in port . A Russian squadron based at Harwich later reinforced Duncan and Hotham and then ships abandoning the mutiny individually too joined them . Camperdown and the Cape of Good Hope . Hotham remained with Duncan ' s fleet and on 11 October 1797 was engaged at the Battle of Camperdown . He subsequently received the Naval Gold Medal for his part in the battle . " Adamant " was then attached to Sir Richard Strachan ' s squadron patrolling off Le Havre , after which she and Hotham were sent to the Cape of Good Hope , where he remained for the next three years . On 11 December 1799 Hotham was sailing off Port Louis , Mauritius , in company with Captain John Osborn ' s 74 - gun when they encountered the 44 - gun French frigate " Preneuse " , under the command of Jean - Marthe - Adrien l ' Hermite . They chased her , forcing her to run ashore three miles from Port Louis , under the cover of French shore batteries . Hotham took " Adamant " in close , and tried to work up to the grounded frigate , coming under heavy fire from the batteries and the " Preneuse " as he did so . After a period of exchanging fire , the " Adamant " forced the French frigate to strike , and that evening three boats carrying men from " Adamant " and " Tremendous " approached with orders to destroy the French vessel . Despite coming under heavy fire from the batteries , they boarded the ship , captured the remaining French crew , including Captain l ' Hermite , and removed as much of their captives ' private property , they set fire to the " Preneuse " and returned to their ships without the loss of a single man . Hotham remained off South Africa and in the Indian Ocean until being recalled to Britain as an escort for a convoy in September 1801 , returning on 14 December 1801 . The Peace of Amiens left him without a ship , but the resumption of hostilities in 1803 led to his return to active service at sea . Napoleonic Wars . Hotham was given command of the 64 - gun on 14 March 1803 and assigned to serve in the North Sea and the English Channel . He was employed in the blockade of the invasion flotilla at Boulogne , but his health declined while on this service , and he resigned the command on 8 September 1803 . He came ashore , and on 12 June 1804 married Anne Jeynes , sister - in - law of Admiral Sir Edward Thornbrough . On 25 May 1808 he returned to semi - active service commanding the Sea Fencibles at Liverpool . He held this position until 28 February 1810 . On 31 August 1812 he became commander of the yacht , received a promotion to rear - admiral on 4 December 1813 , and relinquished command of her on 2 April 1814 . He was offered the command of one or two dockyards , but declined them in the hope of being offered a command afloat . Nothing could be found for him however . He became a gentleman - in - waiting at court , later writing a manuscript book entitled " Characters , Principally Professional " , and was one of the first appointments as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on the restructuring of the order on 2 January 1815 . He was advanced to vice - admiral on 19 July 1821 , and to full admiral on 10 January 1837 . He became a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 4 July 1840 . Sir William Hotham died at New Windsor , Berkshire on 31 May 1848 at the age of 76 . He was buried on 7 June in the family vault at Binfield , Berkshire . Family and issue . Hotham had four sons and one daughter with his first wife Jayne . Two sons followed him into the navy , another entered the Church . Jayne died on 21 August 1827 , and in 1835 Hotham married Jane Seymour . Namesakes . The Royal Navy has named two ships after Hotham . The first was a Colony - class frigate constructed in 1943 initially named HMS " Hotham " , but her name was changed to prior to completion . The second was the Captain - class frigate , which served from 1944 to 1956 .