Sir Charles Knowles , 1st Baronet Sir Charles Knowles , 1st Baronet ( c . 1704 – 9 December 1777 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy , who saw service during the War of Jenkins ' Ear , the wider War of the Austrian Succession , and the Seven Years War . He also briefly served with the Imperial Russian Navy during the Russo - Turkish War . He rose to the rank of Admiral in a long and varied career , crowned with both success , and at times , controversy . He was highly educated , and particularly skilled in building and destroying fortifications . His career was mainly centred around the West Indies , where he commanded ships and squadrons in actions against both Spanish and French ships and settlements . Despite an active naval career that saw him rise to be Rear - Admiral of Great Britain , Knowles found time to devote to his studies , working on translations of foreign scientific studies , and developing his own inventions . His career at sea was blighted however by several failures , which may have been a cause of his move to Russia during the later part of his life to oversee the development of the Russian fleet . Family and early life . Knowles was probably born c . 1704 , though some sources date his birth to as early as 1697 . He was reputed to be an illegitimate son of Charles Knollys , the titular fourth Earl of Banbury . His education was overseen by his half - brother , Lord Wallingford , and Knowles entered the navy in March 1718 , having been recommended to Admiral Sir George Byng by Wallingford . Knowles went aboard one of the ships of Byng ' s fleet , the 70 - gun HMS " Buckingham " , under Captain Charles Strickland , though he moved in April aboard as a captain ' s servant . He remained aboard the " Lenox " until December 1720 , serving with Byng ' s fleet in the Mediterranean . He was present at the Battle of Cape Passaro on 11 August 1718 , where he may have temporarily been aboard Byng ' s flagship . Knowles then moved aboard in June 1721 , initially serving as a servant to Captain Vere Beauclerk , and after the first eighteen months as an able seaman . Knowles remained on the " Lyme " s books throughout her commission in the Mediterranean , discharging in June 1726 . This appears to have been a titular posting only , and he probably spent most of his time ashore in studies . On his return to Britain Knowles was appointed to serve aboard the guard ship at Portsmouth , and then Sir Charles Wager ' s flagship at Kinsale , under the command of Vere Beauclerk . He went on to serve aboard and until his promotion to be lieutenant of the sloop on 30 May 1730 . He returned to serve aboard the " Lion " in March the following year , when she went to the West Indies as the flagship of Rear - Admiral Charles Stewart . West Indies . Having by now established a reputation as an engineer it appears that after his return to Britain he was given an advisory and supervisory role in the drawing up of plans for Westminster Bridge , for which he travelled to France to study the Pont Neuf . He had been promoted to commander of the 40 - gun in 1732 , but the position appears to have been for rank only , as he did not become post - captain until 4 February 1737 , when he was appointed to command . He was ordered to reinforce Admiral Edward Vernon ' s West Indies fleet in 1739 , as the War of Jenkins ' Ear developed . Knowles rendezvoused with the admiral at Port Royal , having captured two Spanish ships en route , one of which was a register ship carrying 120 , 000 pieces of eight , and clothing for 6 , 000 men . Knowles was unable to sail with Vernon when he sailed the fleet to Portobelo , but arrived there on 27 November , five days after Vernon ' s victory there . Vernon gave Knowles the task of destroying the Spanish forts , which owing to their solid construction eventually took three weeks and 122 barrels of gunpowder . When the task was completed the British withdrew , Knowles having impressed Vernon with his competent command of land operations . Vernon next appointed Knowles to cruise off Cartagena , watching the Spanish forces and interdicting any enemy supply ships . Knowles was then moved into the fireship and ordered to examine the approaches to the port of Chagres . Having completed the mission and formulated a plan of attack , Knowles was given command of the bomb vessel s , fireships and other small boats , and duly bombarded the fortress of San Lorenzo , at the mouth of the Chagres River . The town and castle surrendered on 24 March 1740 and Knowles was appointed Governor of the castle . Vernon ordered the removal of the goods gathered at the port for shipping to Spain , and the sinking of several privateer vessels . Knowles was given the task of demolishing the castle , which he achieved by detonating several mines under the bastions , and burning the apartments . Having completed the task , Vernon ' s fleet withdrew at the end of March , returning to Port Royal by way of Portobelo . Vernon and the Battle of Cartagena de Indias . Knowles spent the next few months cruising , before returning to England in company with HMS " Torrington " as an escort for a 25 ship strong fleet of merchantmen . Knowles and the " Diamond " arrived at Spithead on 4 August 1740 , shortly after which Knowles took command of the 50 - gun . He soon moved to command the 60 - gun , and sailed with her from St Helens Roads on 24 October 1740 as part of Sir Chaloner Ogle ' s fleet to reinforce Vernon in the West Indies . Knowles formed part of Vernon ' s council of war on 16 February 1741 , which resolved to make a naval and land assault on Cartagena . Vernon placed Knowles in command of the operations to reconnoitre the Spanish defences , and subsequently draw up a plan of attack . Having done this Knowles formed a key part of the early stages of the attack , he stormed and captured one of the forts , captured the Spanish flagship and broke the boom across the entrance to the harbour , allowing the British fleet access . Several British ships entered the harbour the next day , including Knowles aboard the " Weymouth " . Under Vernon ' s orders Knowles destroyed several enemy batteries , captured the Castillo Grande and navigated further into the harbour to cut off enemy supplies . Vernon appointed him governor of Castillo Grande , and ordered him to demolish the fort as the British prepared to evacuate . Knowles duly carried the task out , rendering 59 pieces of ordnance unusable , and carrying off a large amount of lime and limestone . The failure of the British to take Cartagena led to considerable bitterness between the army and naval forces , and Knowles appears to have been the author of a pamphlet published in 1743 entitled " An Account of the Expedition to Carthegena , with Explanatory Notes and Observations " , a work that criticised the actions of the army . The fleet returned to Jamaica , whereupon Knowles returned to his previous command , the " Lichfield " . He remained based in the West Indies , and was engaged primarily in strengthening the fortifications and improving the facilities for ships at Port Antonio , Port Royal , and subsequently at Antigua . He became a commodore after this , flying his flag aboard and then . Between 1743 and 1745 , he served as the second in command on the Jamaica station under Sir Chaloner Ogle , who had replaced Admiral Edward Vernon . Battles of La Guaira and Puerto Cabello . Knowles took command of the 70 - gun in 1742 , and in 1743 received orders from Ogle to command a squadron to carry out attacks on the Spanish settlements at La Guaira and Puerto Cabello . The Spanish were well informed of the plans , and were able to recruit extra defenders , and were supplied with gunpowder by the Dutch . Consequently an attack on La Guaira on 2 March 1743 was beaten off by the defenders . Knowles withdrew his force and refitted at Curacao before attempting an assault on Puerto Cabello on 15 April , and again on 24 April , but both assaults were again beaten back . Knowles called off the expedition and returned to Jamaica . Governor of Louisbourg . Between 1743 and 1745 he captured a large number of prizes , with his success leading to a letter addressed to him and signed by 63 of the principal figures in Jamaica ; Sir , Though we are certain that the public services you have done , and are continually doing , proceed , as they always will , from the noblest principle , and without the least expectation of popular applause ; yet , being fully sensible , and having indeed been immediate partakers of them , we should think it an unpardonable neglect at least , if it did not deserve a worse appellation , should we omit to make our joint acknowledgement thereof , & c . Knowles was later appointed as captain of the newly built in 1745 . He returned to Britain later that year , and in January 1746 he was aboard as commander of a squadron in the Downs , under Vice - Admiral William Martin . He was briefly detached to examine French invasion preparations , and on his return in February he captured two French ships . He shifted his pennant to HMS " Edinburgh " on 21 March , and escorted a convoy from St Helens into the English Channel , after which he moved aboard the 50 - gun . In spring 1746 he was appointed to take over as governor of Louisbourg from Peter Warren . He sailed for his new post on 31 March 1746 , in company with HMS " Canterbury " and . He spent nearly two years as governor , and having initially complained to the Duke of Newcastle about the " confused , dirty , beastly condition " of the fortress , was largely engaged in repairing and improving the defences . During this time his troops were involved in one battle , the Battle at Port - la - Joye . He was promoted to rear - admiral of the white on 15 July 1747 , and appointed as commander in chief on the Jamaica station . On taking up his new post he raised his flag aboard HMS " Canterbury " , but soon shifted it to . He had initially intended to take his squadron and attack Santiago de Cuba , but contrary winds led to him deciding instead to attack Fort Saint Louis de Sud . He arrived on 8 March 1748 , and after subjecting the fort to a heavy bombardment forced its surrender . Knowles was promoted to rear - admiral of the red on 12 May 1748 . He returned to Santiago de Cuba on 5 April and carried out another attack , but was unable to capture the port , and duly returned to Jamaica . Battle of Havana . After having his ships refitted Knowles sailed on a cruise , hoping to intercept a Spanish treasure fleet off Cuba . On 30 September he fell in with HMS " Lenox " , under Captain Charles Holmes , who reported that he had encountered a Spanish fleet some days earlier . The fleet was sighted the next morning but confusion over signals and a struggle to keep the weather gauge meant that the British fleet failed to attack in an organised manner . Though the Battle of Havana ended with the capture of one Spanish ship and another being badly damaged , it was not the major British victory hoped for . Knowles was accused of badly mismanaging the action and faced a court martial in December 1749 . The result was a reprimand for the poor tactics he employed , while several of the other captains involved were also reprimanded . There was considerable bad feeling between Knowles and his subordinates , and several challenges to duel were issued . In once instance Knowles exchanged shots with Holmes , and in another two of his captains , Innes and Clarke , duelled , which resulted in Innes being mortally wounded . King George II eventually intervened to forbid any more duels over the matter . Governor of Jamaica . Knowles was briefly Member of Parliament for Gatton between 1749 and 1752 , and in 1752 he was appointed Governor of Jamaica . Over his four - year period as governor he took steps to reform the legal system , and also moved the administrative capital from Spanish Town to Kingston , arguing that the latter was more defensible . His attempts to ensure the subordination of the Jamaican assembly to the British government led to calls for his removal as governor , but his policies were subsequently upheld by the British government . Knowles resigned the governorship in January 1756 and returned to England . He had been promoted to vice - admiral of the red on 4 February 1755 . Later service and Russia . Knowles was second in command under Admiral Edward Hawke ( 1705 – 81 ) in the Rochefort Expedition in 1757 , during the Seven Years War , with Knowles flying his flag aboard . Knowles oversaw a bombardment , but the expedition was judged a failure , and Knowles was one of the figures subsequently criticised for his actions . He defended himself with the publication of a pamphlet entitled " The Conduct of Admiral Knowles on the late Expedition set in a true light " . The pamphlet was unfavourably reviewed by Tobias Smollett in " The Critical Review " , in terms that led to Knowles successfully suing Smollett for libel . Knowles briefly flew his flag aboard HMS " Royal Anne " in the winter of 1757 , but the debacle at Rochefort meant he was soon removed from active service . He was promoted to full admiral on 3 December 1760 , and was created a baronet on 31 October 1765 . He became Rear - Admiral of Great Britain on 5 November 1765 . He resigned from the navy in 1770 and accepted an appointment from Catherine of Russia to advise on the development of the Imperial Russian Navy during the war against Turkey . He served in a mainly administrative role , being based at St Petersburg until 1774 , when he returned to England . He died at Bulstrode Street , London on 9 December 1777 , and was buried at Guildford , Surrey . Family and personal life . Knowles married the sister of John Alleyne , later a Speaker of the Barbados House of Assembly , on 23 December 1740 . The marriage produced a son , Edward Knowles , who followed his father into the navy , but was lost when his vessel , the sloop HMS " Peregrine " foundered in 1762 . He married for the second time , to Maria Magdalena Therese de Bouget ( * 1733 ; † 1796 ) in 1750 . The couple produced one son , Charles Knowles , and two daughters . He lived at Lovel Hill House at Cranbourne in Berkshire . He translated M . de la Croix ' s " Abstract of the Mechanisms of the Motions of Floating Bodies " in 1775 , noting in his preface that he had carried out experiments that validated de la Croix ' s findings . He also invented a device for measuring the pressure and velocity of wind , a fact acknowledged by Leonhard Euler .