George Wellesley Admiral Sir George Greville Wellesley GCB ( 2 August 1814 – 6 April 1901 ) was a Royal Navy officer . As a junior officer he took part in the capture of Acre during the Oriental Crisis in 1840 and , as Captain of HMS " Cornwallis " in the Baltic Fleet , he took part in the Bombardment of Sveaborg in August 1855 during the Crimean War . He went on to be Commander - in - Chief of the North America and West Indies Station and then Commander - in - Chief of the Channel Squadron but was relieved of the latter post by a court - martial after an incident in which an armoured frigate , which had been under his command at the time , ran aground at Pearl Rock off Gibraltar in July 1871 . He was appointed First Naval Lord in November 1877 and in that capacity he secured a considerable increase in naval construction , for example on the Colossus class battleships , although some of these ships were of doubtful quality . Naval career . Born the son of Gerald Valerian Wellesley ( brother of the Arthur Wellesley , 1st Duke of Wellington ) and Lady Emily Mary ( daughter of Charles Cadogan , 1st Earl Cadogan ) , Wellesley joined the Royal Navy in 1828 . After initial training at the Royal Navy College at Portsmouth and promotion to lieutenant on 22 April 1838 , he was posted to the first - rate HMS " Princess Charlotte " in the Mediterranean Fleet . He transferred to the fifth - rate HMS " Castor " in March 1939 and took part in operations on the coast of Syria taking part in the capture of Acre in November 1840 during the Oriental Crisis . He joined the fifth - rate HMS " Thalia " on the East Indies Station in November 1841 and , having been promoted to commander on 16 April 1842 , he transferred to the brig HMS " Childers " also on the East Indies Station . Promoted to captain on 2 December 1844 , Wellesley was given command of the fifth - rate HMS " Daedalus " on the Pacific Station in July 1849 and then became Captain of HMS " Cornwallis " in the Baltic Fleet in February 1855 taking part in the Bombardment of Sveaborg in August 1855 during the Crimean War . He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in February 1856 . He remained in command of HMS " Cornwallis " when she moved to the North America and West Indies Station in 1856 and then commanded the Indian Navy from 1857 until it became the " Bombay Marine " in 1862 . Promoted to rear - admiral on 3 April 1863 , he became Admiral Superintendent at Portsmouth in June 1865 and then Commander - in - Chief of the North America and West Indies Station , hoisting his flag in the ironclad frigate HMS " Royal Alfred " , in June 1869 . Promoted to vice - admiral on 26 July 1869 , Wellesley went on to be Commander - in - Chief of the Channel Squadron , hoisting his flag in the armoured frigate HMS " Minotaur " , in October 1870 but was relieved of that post by a court - martial after an incident in which the armoured frigate HMS " Agincourt " , which had been under his command at the time , ran aground at Pearl Rock off Gibraltar in July 1871 . It was not until the fourth day after the incident that the central battery ironclad HMS " Hercules " commanded by Captain Lord Gilford , using full engines and hauling on the anchors , managed to pull HMS " Agincourt " free using two chains . After that Wellesley was made Commander - in - Chief of the North America and West Indies Station again , this time hoisting his flag in the central battery ironclad HMS " Bellerophon " , in September 1873 . Promoted to full admiral on 11 December 1875 , Wellesley was appointed First Naval Lord in November 1877 . In that capacity he secured a considerable increase in naval construction , for example on the Colossus class battleships , although some of these ships were of doubtful quality . He retired in August 1879 and was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 23 April 1880 . In retirement Wellesley was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 21 June 1887 and became a Commissioner of the Patriotic Fund in June 1888 . He died at his home at Chester Square in London on 6 April 1901 . Family . In 1853 Wellesley married Elizabeth Doughty ; they had one daughter , Olivia Georgiana .