Anthony James Pye Molloy Anthony James Pye Molloy ( c . 1754 – 25 July 1814 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy . He served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars . Molloy rose through the ranks to command a number of ships during the war with America , and saw action in most of the naval engagements of the conflict , both off the North American coast and in the Caribbean . He commanded several ships during the peace that followed , and after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars , he served with the fleet in the Atlantic . He was part of Lord Howe ' s fleet at the Glorious First of June , but was sharply criticised by Howe in the aftermath . Molloy was then tried by court martial for failing to obey orders , or to do his utmost to engage the enemy . The charges were subsequently proved and Molloy was dismissed from his ship . Molloy ' s personal life was later the subject of some speculation , with rumours that he had acted dishonourably to a woman , who had then cursed him , resulting in his disgrace at the Glorious First of June . He married a daughter of Admiral Sir John Laforey , but it was imputed that his weak nature on the battlefield extended to his house , and that he was dominated by his wife . He died in 1814 at the age of 60 , having never again served at sea . Early years and American War of Independence . Molloy was born c . 1754 and embarked on a naval career . He was the nephew of another Royal Navy officer , Thomas Pye , who later became an admiral . He rose through the ranks and was promoted to his first commands during the American War of Independence , commanding the bomb vessel HMS " Thunder " off North America from June 1776 . He was with Peter Parker ' s squadron at the Battle of Sullivan ' s Island on 28 June 1776 , and was succeeded as commander of " Thunder " by Commander James Gambier in April 1778 . Molloy was promoted to post - captain on 11 April 1778 , and given command of the 64 - gun , flying the broad pennant of Commodore John Elliot . " Trident " sailed for North America on 16 April , and Molloy was present with Lord Howe ' s force at Sandy Hook on 22 July 1778 , where the comte d ' Estaing was successfully repulsed without an action being fought . Molloy was present at Howe ' s next encounter with the comte d ' Estaing , during the Battle of Rhode Island in August that year , and on Elliot ' s return to Britain in December , Molloy took " Trident " to join Vice - Admiral John Byron ' s forces in the West Indies . " Trident " was part of Byron ' s fleet at the Battle of Grenada on 6 July 1779 and then at the Battle of Martinique on 17 April 1780 . Molloy followed this up with service in the two actions off St Lucia on 15 and 19 May 1780 , before handing over " Trident " to Captain John Thomas . Molloy ' s next ship was the 64 - gun , which he commissioned in 1781 . He was with Sir George Brydges Rodney during the Dutch West Indies campaign in early 1781 , and was present at the capture of Sint Eustatius on 3 February , and at the Battle of Fort Royal on 29 / 30 April . He returned to North America with Sir Samuel Hood ' s fleet , and was present at the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781 . Molloy was commended for his efforts during the battle , being described as having ' behaved most gallantly ' , and for having assisted . Molloy returned to the West Indies with Hood , arriving there on 5 December 1781 . He took part in the Battle of St . Kitts on 25 and 26 January 1782 . Having served in many of the naval engagements of the American War of Independence , Molloy sailed to Jamaica in May that year , and then back to Britain with a convoy , where he paid " Intrepid " off in August . Peace . Molloy commissioned the 74 - gun as the Chatham guardship in March 1783 , and remained with her until 1785 , when she was moved to Plymouth . He is recorded as commissioning the 74 - gun in October 1787 , though she was paid off again in December 1787 . He briefly commanded the Plymouth guardship , the 74 - gun , until she was paid off to be fitted for sea again the following year . His last command during the peace was the 74 - gun , which he recommissioned in December 1792 . French Revolutionary Wars . Molloy and " Ganges " were part of the fleet under Lord Howe which encountered and then pursued Pierre Jean Van Stabel ' s squadron in the Atlantic on 18 November 1793 . Molloy left " Ganges " in late 1793 , commissioning the newly built 80 - gun in December that year . Molloy was attached to Lord Howe ' s fleet , hunting for the French convoys during the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 . When the French fleet , under Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse , was sighted , Howe ordered an attack , with Molloy leading the column into battle at the Glorious First of June . " Caesar " sustained casualties of 18 men killed and 71 wounded , but in the aftermath Molloy was strongly criticised by Howe for failing to obey orders and break the French line . Court martial . Accordingly a court martial was convened aboard at Portsmouth on 28 April 1795 , and Molloy was charged with ' [ his failure to ] cross the enemy ' s line , in obedience to the signal of the admiral ' , and ' that he did not use his utmost endeavours to close with and defeat the enemy . ' Speaking for the prosecution was Rear - Admiral Sir Roger Curtis , the captain of the fleet during the battle . Molloy argued that the ship had been thrown into confusion after a ball had struck the stern - beam and left her unmanageable , but after three weeks of deliberations , the charges were found to have been proved . The court tempered the findings with the observation that his courage was unimpeachable , but nevertheless he was sentenced to be dismissed from his ship . Family and later life . Molloy never again held another command . He had married Juliana Laforey , one of the daughters of Admiral Sir John Laforey , and the couple had at least three children , Charles , John and Mary . Mary married Sir John Beresford , another naval officer . In time a story began to circulate that before his marriage to Juliana , he had been engaged to marry another woman , but had behaved dishonourably . Her friends had pressed her to bring an action for breach of promise , but she refused , saying that God would judge him . The two happened to meet accidentally at Bath , whereupon she said to him " Captain Molloy , you are a bad man . I wish you the greatest curse that can befall a British officer . When the day of battle comes , may your false heart fail you ! " Molloy ' s actions at the Glorious First of June , and his subsequent disgrace at the court martial were then presumed to be the result of her curse . Molloy ' s problems with women were not over , with the suggestion that he was dominated by his wife . A short refrain appeared in print , running : I , Anthony James Pye Molloy < br > Can burn , take , sink and destroy ; < br > There ' s only one thing I can ' t do , upon my life ! < br > And that is , to stop the d - d tongue of my wife . Molloy died at Cheltenham on 25 July 1814 , having sustained a fall down some stairs at Montpelier House and injured his back . He was 60 years old . Notes . a . President of the court martial was Admiral Joseph Peyton , with Vice - Admirals Sir Richard King and Charles Buckner , Rear - Admiral John Colpoys , and Captains Francis Parry , Charles Powell Hamilton , Alexander Graeme , Charles M Pole , Christopher Parker , Lord Charles FitzGerald , Andrew Mitchell , Sir Erasmus Gower and James Richard Dacres .