Edward Griffith Colpoys Vice Admiral Sir Edward Griffith Colpoys KCB ( c . 1767 – 8 October 1832 ) was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy during the early nineteenth century . The nephew of a prominent admiral , John Colpoys , Edward Griffith was able to rapidly advance in the Navy , until his involvement at his uncle ' s side in a violent confrontation aboard his ship HMS " London " in 1797 left a number of men dead and the Channel Fleet in a state of mutiny . Griffith ' s career recovered from the events of the Spithead Mutiny and he enjoyed a successful period as a frigate commander off the French coast , later becoming the captain of the ship of the line HMS " Dragon " during the Trafalgar campaign . Although " Dragon " did not fight at the climactic Battle of Trafalgar , Griffith was engaged at the preceding Battle of Cape Finisterre in July 1805 . In 1812 , Griffith was advanced to rear - admiral and later that year commanded a squadron off Maine during the War of 1812 , leading a successful attack up the Penobscot River in 1814 . Griffith remained in North America until 1821 , as commander of the base at Halifax , Nova Scotia . On his return he learned of the death of his uncle and out of respect took his surname as his own . Griffith Colpoys returned to Halifax again in 1830 , but his health was failing and he died at Bermuda on his journey back to Britain in 1832 . Life . Griffith was born in the late 1760s , possibly 1767 , into a Royal Navy family . His uncle was John Colpoys , later to become a prominent admiral of the French Revolutionary Wars . In 1782 , aged 15 , Griffith entered the Navy under his uncle ' s patronage , joining the new frigate HMS " Phaeton " . He remained in the Navy during the peace of 1783 to 1793 and by the time the French Revolutionary War broke out he was a lieutenant in HMS " Boyne " , the flagship of Sir John Jervis during his campaign in the West Indies . While serving in the Caribbean , Griffith was promoted to commander and took command of the ship HMS " Avenger " , returning to Europe in May 1794 after being promoted to post captain . He immediately became the captain of the second rate HMS " London " , the flagship of his uncle and joined the Channel Fleet , fighting at the Battle of Groix in 1795 . In 1797 , Griffith lost his command of HMS " London " in highly controversial circumstances at the outbreak of the Spithead Mutiny . With disaffection spreading throughout the fleet , a delegation of admirals met with the leading mutineers on the fleet flagship HMS " Queen Charlotte " , hoping to quell the uprising . When this failed , the leaders of the mutiny met to discuss their next moves , choosing Colpoys flagship " London " as their base . As the delegates from other ships came aboard , Admiral Colpoys , with Griffith at his side , demanded that they leave . They refused and a fight broke out , during which shots were fired , although whether the first came from the mutineers or Colpoys ' Royal Marines was never firmly established . Several mutineers were killed and the firing caused the entire ship to rise in mutiny against its officers . Taken prisoner , Colpoys , Griffith and the other officers were held by the mutineers for four days before they were sent on shore . The mutiny was eventually quelled , the mutineers gaining most of their demands and returning to their ships as promised . Continued service on " London " was of course impossible for both Griffith and Colpoys , and Griffith was hastily despatched to the frigate HMS " Niger " off the French Atlantic coast , later moving to the frigate HMS " Triton " . In these ships , Griffith was successful , capturing three French privateer s . In 1800 he was attached to an expedition against Ferrol in the frigate HMS " Diamond " , in which he remained until 1804 . After the Peace of Amiens , Griffith moved to the ship of the line HMS " Dragon " and served with Sir Robert Calder ' s fleet during the Trafalgar campaign , fighting at the Battle of Cape Finisterre on 22 July 1805 . He was not present at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805 and in the aftermath of the campaign assisted in escorting troops convoys in the Mediterranean . In 1807 , Griffith took command of the new ship of the line HMS " Sultan " , participating in the blockade of Toulon . While employed in this duty on 12 August 1808 , " Sultan " was struck by lightning and badly damaged at Minorca , the blast fatally electrocuting nine sailors and injuring three more . In 1812 , Griffith was promoted to rear - admiral and given command of a squadron operating off the Maine coast following the outbreak of the War of 1812 . Griffith ' s operations were successful and in September 1814 he led an amphibious operation up the Penobscot River , seizing several towns and forcing the United States Navy to scuttle the frigate USS " Adams " at Hampden rather than see her captured by Griffith ' s forces . Griffith remained off Maine until 1816 , when he moved north to become the commander of the naval base at Halifax , Nova Scotia , a position that made him senior officer of the North American Station . He stayed in this post for five years , receiving a promotion to vice - admiral in 1820 , and on his return to Britain in early 1821 was presented with a letter from the town ' s prominent citizens thanking him for his service . When his uncle John Colpoys died shortly afterwards , Griffith added his surname to his own and became Edward Griffith Colpoys . Between 1821 and 1830 , Griffith Colpoys remained at home with his family , before returning to Halifax in 1830 to take up his old position as commander of the North American Station , which had just been merged with the Jamaica station , making Griffith Colpoys senior officer north of the Caribbean . However his health was rapidly failing and despite elevation to a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in May 1831 he was replaced in 1832 , sailing for Bermuda . During the voyage his health took a turn for the worse and he died on Ireland Island on 8 October 1832 , having selected his burial plot the day before . He left three sons , two of whom served in the Navy and one of which died just a few weeks after his father while stationed at Cape Town , and a daughter .