John Lawford Sir John Lawford KCB ( c . 1756 – 22 December 1842 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . He had a long and distinguished career , seeing action during the war with America at the Battle of the Saintes , and was commanding small ships during the interwar years and by the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France . He graduated to larger ships , despite the loss of a frigate under his command in 1794 , and was commanding in British waters by 1798 . His interception of a Swedish convoy in the English Channel further strained relations between Britain and Sweden , though Lawford was also to be involved in the breakup of the League of Armed Neutrality , when he formed part of Rear - Admiral Horatio Nelson ' s fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen . Another highlight was the capture of a Spanish frigate carrying an immensely valuable cargo of specie . Lawford commanded several ships of the French and Spanish coasts throughout the rest of the wars , until being promoted to flag rank in 1811 . He received further promotions throughout his long life , and the award of the KCB for his actions at Copenhagen , the only captain who fought at the battle to receive any honours related to it . He died three years later at the age of 86 , having by then spent 65 years serving the navy . Early career . Lawford was born c . 1756 and entered the navy at an early age . He served during the war with America , and was first lieutenant aboard the 90 - gun at the Battle of the Saintes . In October 1788 he commissioned the brig and commanded her for the next two years . Lawford then took command of the 16 - gun sloop during the Spanish Armament and was stationed initially in the English Channel , before departing for Jamaica on 22 October 1790 , where he spent the next two years . He was promoted to post - captain on the outbreak of war with France in 1793 , and took command of the newly captured 36 - gun . He sailed as an escort for a convoy to Britain on 5 February the following year , but his command was short - lived as " Convert " was wrecked three days later on a reef off the East End of Grand Cayman ; the wreck later referred to as the Wreck of the Ten Sail . While court martialled as a result of the shipwreck , Lawford was acquitted and the event did not adversely affect his career . Lawford remained in service to the Royal Navy and in January 1798 took command of the 64 - gun . His time aboard her was brief , and in March he handed her over to Captain John Bligh and took up command of Bligh ' s old ship , the 50 - gun . Command . Lawford and " Romney " became involved in an incident with a convoy of Swedish merchants sailing from the Mediterranean with cargoes of pitch , hemp , iron , deals and tar . Lawford intercepted the convoy in the English Channel on 30 June , suspecting that the supplies were bound for French forces . The convoy resisted , but Lawford brought them to after a short action and took them to a British port . There most of the ships were condemned , though some were allowed to sail to Portugal . The question of the right of belligerent powers to stop and search neutral merchants on the high seas was firmly upheld by Britain , though incidents such as this strained relations with the northern Kingdoms of Sweden , Denmark and Russia , and was a contributing factor to the formation of the League of Armed Neutrality two years later . Lawford took " Romney " to join Vice - Admiral Andrew Mitchell ' s squadron in Den Helder in August 1799 , and was present at the Vlieter Incident on 30 August . Lawford took command of the 64 - gun in August 1800 , and went out with the fleet sent out under Sir Hyde Parker to compel the Danes to abandon the League of Armed Neutrality . " Polyphemus " was part of Rear - Admiral Horatio Nelson ' s squadron sent in to attack the Danish fleet at anchor at the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801 . " Polyphemus " was not part of Nelson ' s original plan , but he had to improvise when ran aground on shoals at the entrance to the harbour , and could not free herself . " Polyphemus " was signalled to take her place , and she anchored at the south of the line , opposite the " Provestenen " and engaged for the rest of the battle . She eventually sustained casualties of six killed and twenty - five wounded . " Polyphemus " returned to Britain and was paid off into ordinary in April 1802 , and after being refitted at Chatham Dockyard between March and September 1804 , was recommissioned under Lawford . Lawford served with the Channel Fleet and on 7 December 1804 engaged the Spanish 36 - gun " Santa Gertruyda " off Cape St Mary . The " Santa Gertruyda " was captured , and found to be shipping 1 , 125 , 000 dollars of specie from Peru and Mexico to Spain . Lawford commissioned the 74 - gun in June 1805 , and moved from there to command the 74 - gun HMS " Impetueux " in October 1806 . He served initially in the English Channel , followed by service in the North Sea in 1809 and then off Portugal from March 1810 . Lawford was superseded on 1 August 1811 , when he was promoted to rear - admiral . Later life . Lawford was advanced to vice - admiral in 1819 , and a full admiral in 1832 . In August 1838 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath . His award of the KCB was the only honorary reward specifically for gallantry at Copenhagen 37 years previously , made to any of the captains who were present . Admiral Sir John Lawford died at his home at Grove Road , St John ' s Wood on 22 December 1842 at the age of 86 . He had married in 1803 , and on his death had served in the navy for 65 years .