Sir Peter Halkett , 6th Baronet Admiral Sir Peter Halkett , 6th Baronet ( " c . " 1765 – 7 October 1839 ) was a senior Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who is best known for his service in the French Revolutionary Wars . The younger son a Scottish baronet , Halkett joined the Navy and by 1793 was a lieutenant , becoming a post captain after service at the Siege of Williamstadt in the Netherlands . He later commanded the frigate HMS " Circe " during the Battle of Camperdown in 1797 and later achieved success in the Caribbean in command of HMS " Apollo " . He was made a rear - admiral in 1812 , but his first major command was in the West Indies in 1836 , lasting two years . Shortly before his death he inherited the Halkett Baronetcy from his brother Charles , later passing it to his son John . Life . Peter Halkett was born in 1765 , the second son of Sir John Halkett , the 4th Halkett Baronet of Pitfirrane in Fife . At a young age , Halkett entered the Royal Navy and as a lieutenant achieved his first command , that of the tiny sloop in 1789 . By 1793 was serving on HMS " Syren " , which conveyed the Duke of York to the Netherlands for service in the French Revolutionary Wars . During the campaign , Halkett served in gunboats assisting the Dutch garrison during the Siege of Williamstadt and impressed the Duke with his activity , being rewarded with a promotion to post captain and an expensive medal from the Prince of Orange . On his return to Britain , Halkett was given command of the frigate HMS " Circe " in the North Sea , and in 1797 his ship was one of the few not to suffer from the effects of the Nore Mutiny that brought the fleet to a standstill . For his conduct during the crisis , Halkett was praised by the Admiralty and later in the year " Circe " acted as a signal frigate for the fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan that destroyed a Dutch fleet at the Battle of Camperdown . In the aftermath of the battle , Halkett moved to the larger frigate HMS " Apollo " , but his ship was lost on the Dutch coast , Halkett and his men rescued by a Prussian ship . At the subsequent court martial Halkett was cleared of any blame in the loss of his ship and he was given command of a new frigate , also named HMS " Apollo " . In " Apollo " , Halkett sailed for the West Indies and remained there for two years , capturing a number of French and Spanish vessels , including privateers . He returned to Britain in 1802 and subsequently joined the ship of the line HMS " Ganges " . At the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807 " Ganges " carried commodore Richard Goodwin Keats ' flag . Halkett remained in command of " Ganges " until 1812 when he was made a rear - admiral . Halkett did not see a lot of subsequent high command , although he remained in service during the Napoleonic Wars , stationed at Portsmouth aboard HMS " Gladiator " . After the war Halkett remained in service , becoming a vice - admiral in 1821 and a full admiral in 1837 . In 1837 he inherited his father ' s baronetcy from his brother . In 1836 he got his only major seagoing command when he spent two years as Commander in Chief of the North America and West Indies Station , before returning to Britain . Halkett died at home in Pitfirrane in October 1839 . His wife Elizabeth , whom he had married in 1802 , had died in 1814 , but Halkett was survived by his son John , who inherited the baronetcy . References . < br >