Sir Edward Hamilton , 1st Baronet Sir Edward Joseph Hamilton , 1st Baronet KCB ( 22 March 1772 – 21 March 1851 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy , who saw service during the American War of Independence , and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , eventually rising to the rank of Admiral . Family and early life . Hamilton was born on 22 March 1772 , the second and youngest son of Captain Sir John Hamilton who had been made a baronet in 1776 . Edward Hamilton ' s mother was Cassandra Agnes , sister of Admiral Charles Chamberlayne . Edward first appeared on the muster books of his father ' s ship , the 74 - gun , in 1777 when he was five years old . He did not actually join the ship until the age of seven , when he came aboard on 21 May 1779 at the rank of midshipman . He sailed with the " Hector " to the Jamaica station , where he was subsequently lent to . He returned to England after the end of the war and attended the Royal Grammar School , Guildford . He subsequently returned to active service in 1787 , spending the next three years aboard the 74 - gun . He took and passed his lieutenant ' s examination in 1790 , after which he moved aboard the 36 - gun frigate , under Captain Charles Pole . Early French Revolutionary Wars . Hamilton then joined the 100 - gun , which at that time was the flagship of Vice - Admiral Sir Samuel Hood . He then entered another period of retirement from active service , during which time he studied at the University of Caen , and travelled through both France and Portugal . With the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France in February 1793 Hamilton again returned to active service , being assigned to Lord Howe ' s flagship , the 100 - gun first rate . By July he had moved to his brother , Sir Charles Hamilton ' s ship , the 28 - gun , and was commissioned as a lieutenant on 29 October 1793 . While serving on the " Dido " he helped in the capture of a privateer and her crew . He took a boat , crewed by only eight sailors , and captured the grounded privateer , put out the fire that had been set by her crew to destroy her , and then went ashore to capture her escaped crew . He was later present at the siege of Bastia , and was given command of 100 British and 300 Corsican soldiers at Girolate . Here he constructed a number of batteries within pistol shot of the enemy , from which he was able to subject them to continuous bombardment . The enemy surrendered after 13 days under fire . He returned to the " Victory " on 10 July 1794 , being appointed her ninth lieutenant . Admiral Hood showed him special favour though when he exercised his right to promote whom he wished , and on 7 October he appointed Hamilton as " Victory " s first lieutenant . It was not long before Hood was ordered to return to Britain though , and after his arrival he struck his flag to spend the winter ashore . With Hood gone , " Victory " returned to being a private ship , and Hamilton returned to being a junior lieutenant . Hamilton and the " Victory " were back at sea in 1795 , returning to the Mediterranean . He was present at the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands on 13 July 1795 , shortly after which Admiral Jervis arrived to take command of the fleet . Jervis promoted Hamilton to Commander on 11 February 1796 , and appointed him to the fireship with orders to sail to the West Indies . Hamilton did so , returning to Lisbon with dispatches . Promotion to command . He was again promoted , this time to Post - Captain on 3 June 1797 , and was initially appointed to serve aboard the 114 - gun first rate , which had been captured at the Battle of Cape St Vincent . He was then transferred to the 24 - gun aboard which he sailed to Newfoundland , and then on to Jamaica , where he remained between October 1798 and January 1800 , serving with the squadrons under Sir Hyde Parker . He was a particularly effective frigate captain , capturing or destroying over 80 armed vessels , privateers and merchants , bringing in an estimated £200 , 000 in prize money . It was while serving with Parker that Hamilton carried out the most famous act of his career , the cutting - out of the former from the Spanish port of Puerto Cabello . Recovering the " Hermione " . The " Hermione " was a former frigate of the Royal Navy , commanded by Captain Hugh Pigot . In September 1797 a number of the crew had risen up against the apparently tyrannical Pigot and had murdered him and nine other officers , throwing their bodies overboard . Fearing retribution for their actions , the mutineers had sailed the " Hermione " to the Spanish port of La Guaira , and handed her over to the authorities . When news of the mutiny reached Parker , he demanded the return of the ship and the surrender of the mutineers , instigating a process that would eventually see the apprehending of 33 of them . The " Hermione " meanwhile had been renamed " Santa Cecilia " , but remained in port . News eventually reached Parker that the " Santa Cecilia " had been sighted in Puerto Cabello , and ordered the " Surprise " to intercept her , should she attempt to put to sea . Hamilton decided that the honour of the Navy depended on the recovery of the ship , and was determined to retake her . Anchoring near the port he devised a plan to cut her out of the harbour and asked for a boat and an extra 20 men from Parker . Parker declared the scheme too risky , and refused to send the men , but Hamilton went ahead anyway . He and a force of some 100 soldiers and sailors in ships ' boats approached the " Santa Cecilia " , which was heavily manned with around 400 Spanish , and lay under the guns of two shore batteries , together mounting some 200 guns . In the ensuing struggle Hamilton and his men fought their way aboard the ship , overpowered the Spanish defenders after a hard fought battle , and sailed the " Hermione " out of the port . The Spanish had lost 119 killed , while 231 were taken prisoner , 97 of whom were wounded . All but three were subsequently returned to the port the next day . Another 15 Spanish escaped by jumping overboard and swimming ashore , while 20 more escaped in a launch that had been guarding the ship . By contrast the British had not lost a single man , and had just 11 wounded , four of them seriously . One of them was Hamilton himself , who had suffered a blow to the head from a musket , and cuts from sabre , pike and grapeshot . Parker had the recaptured " Hermione " renamed HMS " Retaliation " , after which the Admiralty ordered her to be renamed HMS " Retribution " on 31 January 1800 . Rewards . Hamilton was widely lauded for his daring feat . The House of Assembly in Jamaica awarded him a £300 sword . King George III created him a Knight Bachelor on 1 February 1800 . Hamilton also received a Naval Gold Medal for the action . He was also voted a freeman of the City of London on 6 March 1800 , which was to be awarded him in a gold box with a value of 50 guineas . The wounded Hamilton was sent home to recover aboard the Jamaica packet , but on her voyage she was captured by the French and Hamilton was taken prisoner . He was sent to Paris , where he seems to have come to the attention of Napoleon Bonaparte . Hamilton spent six months in prison , before being released and repatriated , having been exchanged for four French midshipmen . He finally made it to London , in time to be present at a special banquet held by the Court of Common Council of the City of London to celebrate the anniversary of his cutting out of the " Hermione " . Here he received his gold box and the freedom of the city . He was also offered a pension of £300 a year for his wounds , which he turned down . He was both rich enough from his prize money not to need the pension , and also feared that taking it might be used as an excuse not to give him active employment again . Decline . Perhaps due to the injury to his head he had sustained in the action on the " Hermione " , or because of a degree of insanity aggravated by the hero worship he received , Hamilton soon revealed a ruthless streak . He was brought to court - martial on 22 January 1802 on a charge of having strung his gunner and the gunner ' s mates in the rigging for a trivial offence , a punishment that was both excessive and illegal . The offence proved , Hamilton was dismissed from the navy . He was restored in June 1802 but never again received employment in an operational role . Admitted as fellow - commoner to Emmanuel College , Cambridge in March 1802 , he did not take a degree at Cambridge . He married on 1 November 1804 , and in June 1806 was appointed to the royal yacht " Mary " . He moved to command the " Prince Regent " , where he remained until his resignation on 7 January 1819 . He was nominated a KCB on 2 January 1815 , and was created a baronet on 26 January 1819 . He also served for a time as Deputy Lieutenant of Brecknockshire . Through his seniority he continued to receive promotions . He became a rear - admiral on 19 July 1821 , a vice - admiral on 10 January 1837 and finally an admiral on 9 November 1846 . He died at 17 Cumberland Terrace , Regent ' s Park on 21 March 1851 at the age of 79 , his wife having predeceased him on 27 March 1840 . His son , Edward Hamilton , inherited the baronetcy .