Edward Sneyd Clay Edward Sneyd Clay ( c . 1768 – 3 February 1846 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence , and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . Clay entered the navy just before the end of the American War of Independence . He found continued employment during the drawdown of the navy in peacetime , and was in the Mediterranean during the first naval campaigns against Revolutionary France . He saw action at the Siege of Toulon and the capture of Corsica during 1793 and 1794 , and was promoted to lieutenant . Back in British waters by 1798 he took part in the Battle of Camperdown , and was wounded in the heavy fighting . Having impressed his commander , Admiral Adam Duncan , he was given the task of carrying the despatches of the Anglo - Russian invasion of Holland back to Britain , and was then promoted to his first command . He continued to be involved in the major naval actions of his age , serving at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 . Command of several ships of the line followed , and he continued his connection with the Baltic , serving in the Gunboat War against the Danes . His career nearly came to an end when his ship , a 36 - gun frigate , was wrecked at the entrance to the Firth of Forth after a confusion over signal lights . The subsequent court - martial acquitted him of blame , and he spent the last years of the Napoleonic Wars commanding a receiving ship . He never again served at sea after the wars , but received several promotions , finally dying in 1846 as rear - admiral of the red . Early life . Clay was born c . 1768 and entered the Navy towards the end of the American War of Independence , on 15 April 1783 . He was initially a midshipman aboard the 74 - gun , under Captain Sir John Hamilton , but later moved to a number of different ships after the end of the war . In the years of peace between 1783 and 1792 , Clay served in succession on the Home , West India and Mediterranean stations . He was first aboard the 50 - gun , the flagship of Vice - Admiral James Gambier , but moved to the yacht HMY " Catherine " under Captain Sir George Young , the 38 - gun under Captain George Dawson , and the 32 - gun under Captain William Squire . By September 1793 , after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars , Clay was serving aboard the 74 - gun , under Captain Robert Linzee . Clay saw action aboard " Alcide " in the Mediterranean , and was present at the occupation and siege of Toulon . Linzee later was posted as a commodore , and " Alcide " supported the operations to capture Corsica , working alongside Corsican General Pasquale Paoli . Clay was promoted to lieutenant during these operations , on 19 May 1794 , and was appointed to the 20 - gun sloop , at first under Captain Joseph Bullen , and later under Captain Richard Goddard . He then moved to the 74 - gun , which was then being commanded by Clay ' s old captain , William Squire . Clay soon changed ships , serving aboard the 74 - gun under Captain John Knight , and then the 74 - gun . " Venerable " was at this time the flagship of Admiral Adam Duncan , commander of The Downs squadron . On 11 October 1797 Duncan ' s fleet engaged a Dutch fleet under Vice - Admiral Jan Willem de Winter and decisively defeated it at the Battle of Camperdown . " Venerable " was heavily engaged in the fighting , losing 13 seamen and two marines , and having a further 62 men wounded . Clay was one of the two of " Venerable " s lieutenants wounded , apparently severely . He nevertheless recovered and resumed his service , joining Duncan ' s new flagship , the 74 - gun . Aboard the " Kent " he was involved in the Anglo - Russian invasion of Holland , and was chosen by Duncan to deliver his despatches detailing the successful invasion to Britain . In his despatch Duncan advised the Lords of the Admiralty to apply for any further details they required to Lieutenant Clay , describing him as ' an intelligent and deserving officer ' . Command . The deliverer of important despatches was usually marked out for special favour by the Admiralty , and Clay ' s reward was a promotion to be master and commander of the bomb vessel on 3 December 1799 . He spent 1800 serving in the North Sea , and the following year was assigned to the fleet dispatched to Copenhagen under Vice - Admiral Archibald Dickson to support a diplomatic mission led by Lord Whitworth . The subsequent negotiations over matters such as Britain ' s position on the searching of neutral warships for contraband , ended in Britain ' s favour , given that Whitworth was backed up by a strong force , and the Danes had not yet completed fortifying their capital . The Danes remained disgruntled , and by early 1801 had concluded a treaty with Russia and Sweden to form the League of Armed Neutrality . Concerned by these developments , the British dispatched a fleet under Sir Hyde Parker to take action against the members of the league . " Zebra " was again sent out to the Baltic , and took part in the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801 . After serving on this station , Clay was promoted to post - captain on 29 April 1802 . He served from 20 July 1805 until May 1808 as the Regulating Officer at Belfast , and then joined the 98 - gun as her commanding officer . During this time " St George " was the flagship of Rear - Admiral Sir Eliab Harvey . Clay then moved to take command of the 98 - gun on 6 February 1809 , with orders to return to the Baltic as the flagship of Rear - Admiral Sir Manley Dixon . War had broken out with the Danes after the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807 , and a British fleet was stationed in the Baltic under Sir James Saumarez . " Temeraire " arrived in May 1809 and was sent to blockade Karlskrona on the Swedish coast . " Temeraire " carried out several patrols , including one with the 64 - gun and the frigate . During this patrol the " Melpomene " was attacked by a flotilla of thirty Danish gunboats . Clay immediately dispatched boats to her assistance , which helped to fight off the Danish gunboats , and then towed the damaged frigate to safety . " Temeraire " s later Baltic service involved being dispatched to observe the Russian fleet at Revel , during which time she made a survey of the island of Nargen . After important blockading and convoy escort work , " Temeraire " was ordered back to Britain as winter arrived , and she arrived in Plymouth in November 1809 . Clay left her at this point and was appointed to the 36 - gun . " Nymphe " and wreck . Clay had some success against privateer s during his time in command , capturing the 2 - gun Danish privateer " Norwegian Girl " on 26 October 1810 . Clay then returned to Leith in December 1810 after a month cruising off the Norwegian coast , in company with the 32 - gun . Returning at night the two frigates had difficulty distinguishing their exact location , and the pilot aboard " Nymphe " mistook the light of a lime kiln burning at Broxmouth , for the signal light marking the Isle of May . Though the May light was visible , it was instead mistaken for the Bell Rock light . The master of " Nymphe " agreed with the pilot , with the consequence that both frigates ran aground at the entrance to the Firth of Forth on the night of 18 December , with the " Nymphe " striking a rock known as the Devil ' s Ark , near Skethard . Both " Pallas " and " Nymphe " had to be abandoned . The crew of " Nymphe " were taken off without loss of life . Clay received the customary court martial for the loss of his ship . The court acquitted Clay and his officers of blame for the loss , instead placing responsibility on the master , Mr G . Scott and the pilot , Mr C . Gascoigne , determining that they had been ' very incautious ' , and severely reprimanding both . Later life . Clay ' s final command was a posting to the 64 - gun on 16 July 1812 , which by this time was a receiving ship at Sheerness Dockyard . He commanded " Raisonnable " until June 1814 , when she was paid off as the Napoleonic Wars drew to a close . He never received another seagoing command , being placed on half - pay in 1823 , though he was advanced to flag rank on 10 January 1837 . He was restored to full pay in 1840 and was in receipt of a pension for his wounds to the value of £250 . Further promotions followed , until he died at the rank of rear - admiral of the red on 3 February 1846 at Southwell , Nottinghamshire , at the age of 78 . He had been married , though his wife had predeceased him on 20 April 1837 .