Sir John Moore , 1st Baronet Sir John Moore , 1st Baronet KB ( 24 March 1718 – 2 February 1779 ) was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War . He eventually rose to the rank of Admiral . Childhood . Moore was born on 24 March 1718 , as the third son of Henry Moore , the rector of Malpas , Cheshire and the son of Henry Hamilton - Moore , 3rd Earl of Drogheda . John ' s mother , Catherine , was the daughter of Sir Thomas Knatchbull , baronet , and was also the widow of Sir George Rooke . Moore was initially educated at the Whitchurch grammar school , Shropshire but by age 11 he appears on the books of HMS " Lion " for her voyage to the West Indies in 1729 . The " Lion " was at this time the flagship of Rear - Admiral Charles Stewart , a relative of Moore ' s . Early naval service . Moore left the " Lion " before it sailed however , transferring first to HMS " Rupert " , and then to HMS " Diamond " . The " Diamond " came under the command in 1731 of George Anson . Moore spent a year aboard " Diamond " , before transferring to HMS " Princess Amelia " under Captain Edward Reddish . His next ship was HMS " Squirrel " , by now being captained by Moore ' s old commander George Anson . Moore spent the next three and a half years aboard the " Squirrel " off the coast of Carolina . He then moved to HMS " Edinburgh " for several months , which was at this time serving in the English Channel as the flagship of his relative , now Vice - Admiral Charles Stewart . Moore moved again , this time to HMS " Torrington " , under Captain William Parry . He passed his lieutenant ' s examination on 6 April 1738 and joined HMS " Lancaster " at his new rank . The " Lancaster " at this time was part of the fleet under Rear - Admiral Nicholas Haddock , patrolling off Cadiz and making forays into the Mediterranean . Haddock returned to England because of ill - health in 1742 , leaving the fleet under the temporary command of Richard Lestock . Lestock was relieved of the command by the arrival of Vice - Admiral Thomas Mathews . Mathews brought Moore aboard his flagship , HMS " Namur " but later returned him to England aboard HMS " Lenox " to serve under another of Moore ' s relatives , Daniel Finch , 8th Earl of Winchilsea , who by this time had become First Lord of the Admiralty . Enjoying the patronage of so highly placed a relative meant that Moore would have expected more postings and the chance of further promotions . He was duly appointed to command the new frigate HMS " Diamond " on 24 December 1743 , and sailed with her to the East Indies in May 1744 as part of a squadron under the command of Commodore Curtis Barnett . They stopped off at Madagascar , and on departing , the " Diamond " and the " Medway " were briefly detached to cruise the Strait of Malacca . Here they captured a two French ships , one a rich merchant from Manila , and the other the large privateer " Favorette " , out of Pondicherry . The privateer was taken into service as HMS " Medway Prize " . Moore was moved aboard Barnett ' s flagship HMS " Deptford " . After Barnett died on 2 May 1746 Moore returned to England with the " Deptford " . With Hawke , and during the peace . Moore was soon found another ship , being appointed in 1747 to HMS " Devonshire " . The " Devonshire " was serving as the flagship of Rear - Admiral Edward Hawke . Moore was therefore present for Hawke ' s autumn cruise in the Bay of Biscay , and was present at the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre on 14 October , where Hawke defeated a French fleet under Admiral Desherbiers de l ' Etenduère on 14 October . Moore appears to have acquitted himself in the battle , for Hawke entrusted him with taking the dispatches back to Britain . He also wrote ' I have sent this express by Captain Moore of the Devonshire … It would be doing great injustice to merit not to say that he signalized himself greatly in the action ' During the period of peace that followed the end of the War of the Austrian Succession Moore was appointed to command the yacht HMS " William and Mary " , followed by a return to the " Devonshire " in April 1756 . Seven Years War . Moore was a member of the court - martial of Admiral John Byng in January 1757 , which led to Byng ' s execution . Moore later petitioned to be released from the oath of secrecy , and it was later intimated that he was ' on intimate terms with Byng ' s family ' His next appointment was as commodore of a squadron to go with his new post as commander - in - chief on the Leeward Islands station . He subsequently raised his flag aboard HMS " Cambridge " . With the decision to distract French attention during the Seven Years War , Moore was reinforced in January 1759 with a force of eleven ships of the line , besides frigates and small craft , and a military force under General Peregrine Hopson . He was then instructed to carry out attacks on French possessions in the West Indies . Moore took his force from Barbados to Martinique and reduced the enemy stronghold of Fort Negro , after which he covered the landing of troops in Fort Royal Bay . Despite initial success the undertaking was abandoned over Hopson ' s fears that the approaches to the French towns were mined . Hopson then suggested an attack on Saint - Pierre , but Moore advised an assault on Guadeloupe instead . For the Invasion of Guadeloupe Moore transferred his flag to HMS " Woolwich " . The fleet arrived off Basseterre on 22 January , and had deployed by 23 January . The " Cambridge " , in company with HMS " Norfolk " and HMS " St George " , were ordered to attack the main citadel . The resulting attack lasted from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon , and succeeded in silencing the defences , and starting serious fires throughout the French positions . Troops were then landed and drove the French into the hills , where they maintained their resistance , secretly supplied with provisions by the Dutch . Moore then received intelligence on 11 March that a large French naval force had arrived . He consequently shifted his position to Prince Rupert ' s Bay in Dominica to be able to outflank any attempt by this enemy fleet to relieve Guadeloupe . No such attempt was made and Guadeloupe and the adjacent small islands , the Saints and Deseada , surrendered to the British . After this success Moore returned to England in 1760 . Final years . Moore was promoted to rear - admiral on 21 October 1762 , spending the rest of the war as commander - in - chief in The Downs . He then became Commander - in - Chief , Portsmouth , a post he held for the next three years . He was created a baronet on 4 March 1766 . A series of promotions followed , based upon his seniority within the service . He was made vice - admiral on 18 October 1770 , a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1772 , and admiral on 29 January 1778 . He had suffered from gout since the 1760s , and his health had been steadily declining . The attacks had become violent by 1777 . His last public duty was to join his old commander Edward Hawke in signing a protest against the holding of a court - martial against Admiral Augustus Keppel in December 1778 . John Moore died two months later , on 2 February 1779 . Family and personal life . Moore married Penelope , the daughter of General William Matthew sometime around 1756 . They had one son , who died young , and four daughters . The baronetcy became extinct on his death .