James Saumarez , 1st Baron de Saumarez Admiral James Saumarez , 1st Baron de Saumarez ( or Sausmarez ) , GCB ( 11 March 1757 – 9 October 1836 ) was an admiral of the British Royal Navy , notable for his victory at the Battle of Algeciras . Early life . He was born at St Peter Port , Guernsey to an old island family , the eldest son of Matthew de Sausmarez ( 1718 - 1778 ) and his second wife Carteret , daughter of James Le Marchant . He was a nephew of John de Sausmarez ( 1706 - 1774 ) of Sausmarez Manor and the elder brother of General Sir Thomas Saumarez ( 1760 - 1845 ) , Equerry and Groom of the Chamber to the Duke of Kent , and afterwards Commander - in - Chief of New Brunswick . Their sister married Henry Brock , the uncle of Major - General Sir Isaac Brock and Daniel de Lisle Brock . Many of de Sausmarez ' s ancestors had distinguished themselves in the naval service , and he entered it as midshipman at the age of thirteen . Upon joining the navy , he dropped the second ' s ' to become de Saumarez . Naval service . Early service in the Mediterranean and American Revolutionary War . In 1770 , Saumarez joined the in the Mediterranean . In 1775 he transferred to Sir Peter Parker ' s flagship in North America . Saumarez distinguished himself under Parker , showing his courage at the attack of Charleston in 1776 . He was promoted to lieutenant in 1778 . He commanded the 8 - gun galley , but had to run her ashore and burn her on 30 July 1778 when the French fleet under Admiral d ' Estaing arrived at Narrangansett Bay . Saumarez then served on the " Victory " , then Vice Admiral Hyde Parker ' s flagship , , in which he was present at the Battle of Dogger Bank on 5 August 1781 , when he was wounded . He was promoted commander for his gallant services and appointed to the fireship " Tisiphone " . In 1782 , Saumarez sailed his ship to the West Indies with despatches for Samuel Hood and arrived in time to witness the closing stages of Hood ' s operations at St Kitts on 25 January 1782 . Battle of the Saintes . While commanding the ( 74 guns ) , he contributed to Rodney ' s victory over de Grasse at the Battle of the Saintes on ( 12 April 1782 ) . During the battle and under his own iniative , Saumarez took his ship out of line to assist in the capture of De Grasse ' s flagship , Ville de Paris . This action prompted Admiral Rodney to remark that , " The Russell ' s captain is a fine fellow , whoever he is . " When the war in America finished , Saumarez went ashore and did not go to sea again until 1793 when he was given command of the frigate , , a 36 - gun fifth rate frigate . Action of 20 October 1793 . It was in " Crescent " that Saumarez was involved in one of the first major , single ship actions of the war when he captured the French frigate " La Reunion " , in the Action of 20 October 1793 . British casualties were exceptionally light , with only one man wounded during the engagement . In reward , Saumarez was knighted by King George III and given a presentation plate by the City of London , although Saumarez later received a bill for £103 6s 8d ( the equivalent of £9 , 700 as of 2011 ) , from a Mr . Cooke for " the honour of a knighthood " . Saumarez refused to pay , telling Cooke to charge whomever had paid for Edward Pellew ' s knighthood after his successful action . Saumarez later wrote to his brother that " I think it hard to pay so much for an honour which my services have been thought to deserve " . Battle of Cape St Vincent . While in command of a squadron consisting of three frigates and a lugger and cutter , on 8 June 1794 on the way from Plymouth to Guernsey , he encountered a superior French force of two razees , three frigates , and a cutter . The French squadron outgunned the British , but Saumarez , with some masterful maneuvering , succeeded in getting his frigates to safety in Guernsey harbour . ( The British lugger and cutter had returned to Plymouth at the start of the action . ) After being promoted in 1795 he was appointed to the 74 - gun , in the channel fleet , where he took part in the defeat of the French fleet at the Battle of Groix off Lorient , on 22 June . " Orion " was one of the ships sent to reinforce Sir John Jervis in February 1797 , when Saumarez distinguished himself in the Battle of Cape St . Vincent . During the early stages he helped repel a sustained attack on the British line and covered the retreat of when she was forced to retire from the action . " Colossus " had sustained serious damage , her sails being virtually shot away and it looked as though she would be raked by Spanish warships , until " Orion " intervened . Later , when the engagement had turned to a general melee , Saumarez forced the " Salvador del Mundo " to surrender before attacking the " Santissima Trinidad " with the help of . Saumarez was certain he had forced her surrender too when the arrival of the remainder of the Spanish fleet forced Jervis to break off the engagement . Blockade of Cadiz and the Battle of the Nile . Saumarez remained with Jervis ' s fleet and was present at the blockade of Cadiz from February 1797 to April 1798 . In May 1798 , the " Orion " joined the squadron , under Nelson ' s command , that was sent into the Mediterranean to seek and destroy the French . Saumarez was Admiral Nelson ' s second in command at the Battle of the Nile where he distinguished himself once more , forcing the surrender of the " Peuple Souverain " and the 80 gun " Franklin " . Battle of Algeciras and Gut of Gibraltar . On his return from Egypt , he received the command of , of 80 guns , with orders to watch the French fleet off Brest during the winters of 1799 and 1800 . In 1801 , he was raised to the rank of Rear Admiral of the Blue , was created a baronet , and received the command of a small squadron which was destined to watch the movements of the Spanish fleet at Cadiz . Between 6 and 12 July , he performed a brilliant piece of service , in which after a first repulse at Algeciras he routed a much superior combined force of French and Spanish ships at the Battle of the Gut of Gibraltar . For his services , Saumarez received the Order of the Bath and the Freedom of the City of London . In 1803 , the United Kingdom Parliament bestowed upon him an annuity of £1200 a year ( Annuity to Admiral Saumarez Act 1803 ) . During the Peace of Amiens , Saumarez remained at home with his family in Guernsey , and when war broke out again , he was given command of the naval forces defending the Channel Islands . He therefore was not present at the Battle of Trafalgar . The Baltic Campaign . In 1808 he was given command of the Baltic fleet with his flag in " HMS Victory " . Saumarez ' s mission was to protect the British trade which was a vital supply of Royal Navy stores , and to blockade enemy ports such as those under French control in north Germany . The Russian fleet was also kept under blockade until Alexander I reopened Russian ports . Sweden , under pressure from France , declared war in on Britain in November 1810 but Saumarez showed conspicuous tact towards the government of Sweden and her shipping , correctly guessing that the Swedes , in common with their Russian neighbours , would eventually defy Napoleon . Charles XIII later bestowed on him the Grand Cross of the military Order of the Sword . Denmark a French satellite , also needed to be kept under observation until it was invaded by the Swedish Army in 1814 . In 1812 , furious with Tsar ' s refusal to cease trading with Britain , Napoleon invaded Russia with half a million troops and Saumarez ' s fleet was instrumental in hampering French operations . Latter years . At the Peace of 1814 , Saumarez attained the rank of Admiral ; and in 1819 he was made Rear - Admiral of the United Kingdom , in 1821 Vice - Admiral of the United Kingdom . From 1824 to 1827 he was Commander - in - Chief , Plymouth . He was raised to the peerage as Baron de Saumarez in 1831 , and died in Guernsey in 1836 . In celebration of de Saumarez ' s achievements , there is a statue of him in the National Maritime Museum in London . The public bar at the Duke of Normandie Hotel in St Peter Port was named after Saumarez and features a portrait of him . Relationship with Nelson . Saumarez and Nelson served together in 1797 and 1798 but their relationship was not a close one . In fact on a number of occasions it became quite strained . They first clashed after the Battle of Cape St Vincent . Saumarez had forced the surrender of the " Santissima Trinidad " but was unable to capture her because Jervis was forced to break off the engagement . Nelson attempted to console Saumarez by telling him that the Spanish had confirmed the Trinidad had indeed surrendered . Saumarez tersely replied " Whoever doubted it sir ? I hope there is no need for such evidence to establish the truth of a report of a British officer " . In May 1798 , when Saumarez was appointed to Nelson ' s squadron in the Mediterranean , Nelson preferred to confer with Troubridge and even though , as the senior captain , Saumarez was technically second in command , he was often left out of their conversations . After the Battle of the Nile , while in conversation with Nelson , on the quarter deck of " HMS Vanguard " ; Saumarez suggested that the tactic of doubling the French line had been a dangerous one as it meant exposing British ships to ' friendly fire ' . Before he had a chance to explain , Nelson cut him short and angrily went below . Nelson decided that Saumarez should escort the prizes home and they never served together again . Later Nelson wrote a letter saying , " I could have formed no opinion of " Orion " that was not favourable to her gallant and excellent commander ( Saumarez ) and crew " . However , the awkwardness between them remained . Family . In 1788 he married Martha le Marchant ; they had three sons and four daughters . Appearances in naval fiction . Saumerez appears as a minor character in C . S . Forester ' s Hornblower novel ' The Happy Return ' as a rear - admiral . He also appears as Admiral of the Gibraltar Squadron in " Master and Commander " and also as Admiral of the Baltic Fleet in " The Surgeon ' s Mate " , books from Patrick O ' Brian ' s Aubrey – Maturin series . In Treachery ( 2008 ) ( US title " The Privateer ' s Revenge " ) by Julian Stockwin , Saumerez ' s purported orders ( actually a forgery ) result in the disgrace of Thomas Kydd .