Francis Augustus Collier Rear Admiral Sir Francis Augustus Collier , CB , KCH ( c . 1783 – 28 October 1849 ) was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy during the early nineteenth century . Born into a naval family , Collier served in the French Revolutionary Wars and fought at the Battle of the Nile on Horatio Nelson ' s flagship . During the Napoleonic Wars he was engaged in campaigns in the West Indies and in 1819 he commanded an operation against pirates in the Persian Gulf . He remained in service for the next thirty years , holding several commands before his death in 1849 as commander of the China Squadron at Hong Kong . Early life . Collier was born in approximately 1783 , the son of Admiral Sir George Collier and his wife Elizabeth Fryer . In 1794 he entered the Royal Navy aged 11 and served with the Channel Fleet for several years before being transferred to the Mediterranean to served aboard Admiral Horatio Nelson ' s flagship HMS " Vanguard " . In 1798 , " Vanguard " and Collier were engaged at the Battle of the Nile , and he subsequently moved with Nelson to HMS " Foudroyant " , serving aboard until 1802 and the Peace of Amiens . Command . In 1803 he was promoted to Lieutenant and in 1805 to Commander . Pearl Rock and Martinique . On 12 December 1808 , Commander Collier was captain of was in charge of a squadron that included , and . The vessels joined together to attack the French 16 - gun brig " Cygne " and two schooners off Saint - Pierre , Martinique . " Circe " sent in her boats , which the French repelled , causing 56 casualties , dead , wounded and missing . That evening , under the command of Captain Edward Pelham Brenton , joined " Circe " and " Stork " . The next day fire from " Amaranthe " compelled the crew of " Cygne " to abandon her and " Amaranthe ' s " boats boarded and destroyed the French vessel . For her part " Amaranthe " lost one man killed and five wounded due to fire from batteries on the shore . One schooner was run ashore and destroyed . " Amaranthe ' s " boats , assisted by boats from the schooner " Express " , boarded the second schooner and set fire to her too . This expedition cost " Amaranthe " her sailing master , Joshua Jones , who was severely wounded . The other British vessels that contributed boats also had casualties . Including the losses in the earlier fighting before " Amaranthe " arrived , the British had lost some 12 men killed , 31 wounded , and 26 missing ( drowned or prisoners ) for little gain . Brenton was promoted to Post - captain soon after the battle , with the promotion being back dated to 13 December , the date of the battle . In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the award of the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp " OFF THE PEARL ROCK 13 DECR . 1808 " . For his part in this action , Collier received a promotion to post captain , with the confirmation back - dating the promotion to 13 December 1808 . As a result , he was still a commander in 1809 when as captain of he participated in the invasion of Martinique . In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the award of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp " Martinique " to all surviving claimants from the campaign . Subsequent career . Collier served as captain of from September 1810 until May 1812 . In early 1812 , a seaman named Oakey struck Collier , was charged , found guilty and sentenced to death . His plea for a stay of execution was denied , and every ship in port sent a boat of seamen to witness the hanging . Oakey came on deck with his arms tied behind him , attended by the Chaplain , and the sentence of the Court Martial was read . Then Captain Hall produced a letter from the Prince Regent that , at Collier ' s request , commuted Oakey ' s sentence to transportation . The reprieve surprised Oakey , who fell on his knees and wept . Post - war . At the end of the war in 1815 Collier was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath for his services , mainly in the West Indies . In 1818 , Collier took command of the fourth rate and joined the squadron on the East Indies Station . The following year he was given command of a joint Navy and East India Company squadron including the 20 - gun post - ship , the 18 - gun brig - sloop , several East India Company cruisers , and a number of gun and mortar boats . Several vessels belonging to the Sultan of Muscat joined them , while Major General Sir William Keir commanded 3 , 000 troops in transports . The squadron ' s task was to destroy the pirate bases in the Persian Gulf and simultaneously eliminate the Company ' s competition in the region . The operation lasted from 4 to 8 December and was a resounding success for the Royal Navy . The capture and destruction of the fortifications and ships in the pirate capital of Ras al - Khaimah was a massive blow to the local pirates . The Royal Navy suffered no casualties during the action . In 1820 the pirate states signed a treaty that effectively eliminated them as a threat to British shipping . In 1822 Collier returned to Britain , and between 1826 and 1830 he was the commodore in command of the West African Station . He raised his pennant in " Sybille " ; during the time she was engaged in anti - slavery duties off West Africa , " Sybille " captured numerous slavers and freed some 3 , 500 slaves . Late career and honours . For his varied service he was knighted and admitted to the Persian Order of the Lion and the Sun for his service in the Persian Gulf . In 1833 he was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order and in 1841 became the commandant of Woolwich Dockyard , moving in 1846 to command a squadron in the Channel Fleet as a rear - admiral . In April 1848 he was made commander on the East Indies and China Station and took up his position at Hong Kong later in the year . Death . He died in October 1849 at Hong Kong , and is buried at Hong Kong Cemetery . He was survived by his second wife , Catherine Thistlethwaite , whom he had married in 1831 , and their child , Selina Catherine Collier , although few details are known of his family life .