William Young ( 1761 – 1847 ) William Young ( 27 August 1761 – 11 February 1847 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence , and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . He served on several ships during the American War of Independence , rising steadily through the ranks . With the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France he was first engaged in recruiting seamen for the service , after which he became involved in the transport and logistics side of naval warfare , which was to remain his forte for the rest of his career . His service in the West Indies , in home waters and in the Mediterranean brought him to the attention of influential army and navy leaders , who helped him to find postings and be promoted . He mixed with royalty , garnering accolades for his services , and enjoyed the friendship of kings and dukes . Advanced to flag rank in the years after the end of the war , he fathered a large family , and died in 1847 after seventy years of naval service , and with the rank of Vice - Admiral of the blue . Family and early life . Young was born in Borrowstoness , Scotland on 27 August 1761 , the second son of David Young . William Young entered the navy on 16 May 1777 as an able seaman aboard the 50 - gun , under Captain Thomas Dumaresq . The " Portland " was at this time the flagship of Vice - Admiral James Young , commanding in the Leeward Islands . Young was advanced to midshipman during his time on the " Portland " , and moved to the tender to the 32 - gun . Here he participated in the capture of over 50 vessels , including several privateer s of superior force . Young was then briefly aboard the 74 - gun , based at Chatham under Captain Hugh Dalrymple , before returning to his old captain , Thomas Dumaresq , in May 1779 as master ' s mate aboard , a frigate armed en flûte and serving in home waters and in the West Indies . After leaving the " Ulysses " , Young served aboard the 64 - gun , the flagship of Sir Peter Parker at Jamaica , before being promoted to an acting - lieutenancy on 5 February 1781 . He went on to serve aboard , carrying the flag of Rear - Admiral Joshua Rowley , and then aboard the 32 - gun under Captains the Honourable Thomas Windsor , Robert Montagu , and George Stoney . During this time he was sent to Jamaica in charge of a Spanish privateer captured near St . Domingo , and in February 1783 took part in a short action in which " Fox " captured the Spanish frigate " Santa Catalina " , with the loss of four men killed and one wounded aboard " Fox " . French Revolutionary Wars . With the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France , Young was at first engaged in raising upwards of 1000 seamen through voluntary subscriptions from the merchants , bankers , and others of the city of London , and in December 1794 he joined the navy ' s Transport department . He was the Principal Agent overseeing the embarking of the troops and civilians during the evacuation of Port - au - Prince in May 1798 , where his services brought him to the attention of Brigadier - General Thomas Maitland . Maitland recommended he be promoted to Acting - Commander , and Young received confirmation of the promotion on 3 July 1799 . In October he was put in charge of the transports in the Downs and Ramsgate and took them to the Texel , after which , in July 1800 he oversaw the embarkation of troops for the expedition to Ferrol , which he accompanied as Principal Agent . Young was appointed by Lord Keith to serve on his flagship , , on 17 November 1800 . He was made captain of the fleet and given the task of overseeing the details of the shipping assembled at Port Mahon for the expedition to Egypt . Young went to Egypt with the expeditionary force , but became ill with repeated bilious attacks and was forced to return to Britain in June 1801 . His service in the Mediterranean was noticed and praised by Sir Ralph Abercromby and Lord Keith , and on their recommendations Young was advanced to Post - rank on 29 April 1802 . He was presented with the gold medal of the Turkish Order of the Crescent and received a gold - hilted sword from the masters of the ships of the expedition . Napoleonic Wars . With the resumption of hostilities in 1803 Young was sent to Hanover by Lord St . Vincent to provide an escort to the Dukes of Cambridge and Gloucester . He was then employed under Rear - Admiral James Hawkins - Whitshed in fitting out gun - vessels at Dublin , embarking troops at Cork , and establishing signal - posts on the south - west coast of Ireland , in preparation for a threatened French invasion . In October 1805 Young became the Inspecting Agent for Transports on the Thames , a post he held for the next 25 years , until his retirement in February 1830 . During his time in the post he became friends with King William IV , and the Dukes of York , Kent , Cambridge and Gloucester . On his retirement the different Transport - Lieutenants who had served under him presented him with a silver vase . Later life . Young was advanced to rear - admiral on the retired list on 10 January 1837 , and was restored to the active list on 17 August 1840 . He was promoted to vice - admiral on 9 November 1846 . Young had married Ann Spencer on 15 February 1789 , with the union producing 13 children . His eldest son , William Hall Young , followed his father into the navy , and served as a midshipman in the West Indies , but died at Plymouth in October 1809 . His second son , George Frederick Young , was MP for UK Parliament constituency between 1832 and 1837 . Young died at Denmark Hill , Camberwell , Surrey on 11 February 1847 , after spending 70 years in the navy . Notes . a . O ' Byrne has the acting - lieutenancy accompanied with a posting to a 50 - gun ship named " Gratton " . No ship of this name appears in J . J . Colledge ' s " Ships of the Royal Navy " , nor Rif Winfield ' s " British Warships in the Age of Sail : 1714 - 1792 " . This may be , which was in the West Indies at the time , though she was a 74 - gun ship .