William Domett Admiral Sir William Domett , GCB ( 1752 – 19 May 1828 ) was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy who saw extensive service during the American Revolutionary , French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . Throughout his career , Domett was under the patronage of Alexander Hood , later Lord Bridport . During his service Domett was appointed as flag captain by several admirals , and saw action numerous times in this capacity , including seven years in command of . Later in life , ill - health forced early retirement from the sea and Domett retired to his country estate in Hawkchurch , Devon , close to Lord Bridport ' s estates . Early career . Little is known of Domett ' s birth or upbring , although it is thought he was born in the Hawkchurch , Devon region in 1752 . The first solid record of him available was in 1769 , when he joined the Navy and appears on the muster books of , under the patronage of Captain Alexander Hood . Domett spent the next five and a half years in the Mediterranean Sea , leaving " Quebec " in 1772 and joining . In 1775 , Domett was briefly attached to before joining on the Newfoundland Station at the start of the American Revolutionary War . At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War , Domett was in " Surprise " when she was at the relief of the Siege of Quebec . As reward for his service in this operations , Admiral John Montagu promoted Domett to lieutenant aboard . Less than a year later , Montagu returned to Britain and brought Domett with him , seconding him to Hood ' s service . Serving aboard Hood ' s ship , Domett was in action at the First Battle of Ushant in 1778 . Three years later , Domett was still aboard " Robust " , and in her took part in the Battle of Cape Henry . A few months later , Domett had moved to , under Captain Charles Saxton , and was engaged at the Battle of the Chesapeake . Following this action , Domett was again taken from his side to be the aide of an admiral , Admiral Sir Samuel Hood . Domett acted as his signal lieutenant in and in this capacity participated at the Battle of St . Kitts and the Battle of the Saintes . For his services in these actions , Domett became first lieutenant and when , a few months later , " Barfleur " captured four enemy ships in an action , Domett was given command of the small prize brig " Ceres " , which he safely brought back to Britain . On his return , Domett was made a post captain . As a captain , Domett was immediately requested by Alexander Hood to be his flag captain in . On board this ship Domett saw out the war , joining Lord Howe ' s fleet which relieved the Great Siege of Gibraltar and later fought at the Battle of Cape Spartel . The end of the war saw Domett , with many other officers , unemployed and on half - pay . French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . Domett ' s close ties with the Hood family meant that he had good connections , and so in 1786 , Domett was given the 24 - gun at Leith . Several years later , Domett moved to the and conducted a year long cruise down the coast of West Africa and through the West Indies . On his return , Domett was requested by Admiral Mark Milbanke for service in Newfoundland on but in 1790 Domett was back in Britain as Hood ' s captain on during the Spanish armament . When this emergency died down , Domett took command of and then later he took command of HMS " Romney " , a ship he had served aboard as a lieutenant , before returning to Hood ' s service as captain of in 1803 at the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars . " Royal George " was second flagship of the Channel Fleet , and Lord Howe its overall commander . In 1794 , Lord Howe embarked on the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 , which ended in the Glorious First of June , at which Domett and " Royal George " were heavily engaged and the ship badly damaged . Domett remained in command when Hood became Viscount Bridport and served under him again the following year at the Battle of Groix . Domett did not leave " Royal George " until 1800 , the seven years he spent in command being a record in the Channel Fleet at the time . When Lord St Vincent took command of the Channel Fleet , Domett was initially sceptical of his new commander , but the two soon developed a close working partnership and Domett even retained the flag captaincy over the claims of Sir Thomas Troubridge . When St Vincent stepped down a year later , his replacement Admiral Hyde Parker initially transferred Domett to but later changed his mind and made Domett his flag captain on HMS " London " for the expedition to Copenhagen . At the Battle of Copenhagen , Domett disagreed with Parker ' s tactical plan and persuaded him to change it , resulting in the attack by Nelson at which the Danish fleet was destroyed . Parker did not credit Domett in the dispatch to the Admiralty and Domett was furious , writing an angry letter to Lord Bridport on the matter . When Nelson replaced Parker , he retained Domett again and when he in turn was replaced by Admiral William Cornwallis , Domett was again flag captain , aboard . Retirement . The Peace of Amiens saw Domett briefly on the Irish station before rejoining Cornwallis at the outbreak of hostilities . In 1804 , Domett was made a rear - admiral but refused a seagoing commission due to a sudden deterioration of his health . Instead , he served as one of the commissioners for revising the civil affairs of the navy . Domett was rapidly promoted during the next eight years but was unable to rejoin the fleet at sea , his health remaining too weak for the strain of such service . Instead , Domett joined the board of the Admiralty and continued to serve in an administrative capacity , his frequent bouts of ill - health making service of any kind difficult . In 1813 , Domett became Commander - in - Chief , Plymouth but he resigned fifteen months later due to a recurring foot injury which had rendered him lame . Domett continued to gain rank in retirement , and in 1825 he reached admiral of the white . He was also made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1815 and was promoted to Knight Grand Cross in 1820 . Domett settled on his estate in Hawkchurch , Devon near the home of Lord Bridport , who had died in 1814 . He never married and had no children , but was highly esteemed in the service as a consummate sailor and brave fighter whose extremely long and dedicated sea service had earned him an excellent reputation in the Navy . He died suddenly in 1828 and was buried in the local church .