Samuel Goodall Samuel Granston Goodall ( died 21 April 1801 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years ' War , the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars in a career that spanned 50 years , rising to the rank of Admiral of the White . Goodall rose from obscure origins to the rank of lieutenant during the Seven Years ' War , and continued to rise through the ranks to command his own ships . He ended the war serving in the West Indies and North America , having seen action at the Battle of Havana , and then returned to Britain . He commanded several ships in the peace before the outbreak of the American War of Independence , when he commanded several ships of the line with the Channel Fleet . He was with Keppel at the Battle of Ushant in 1778 , and with Fielding at the capture of a Dutch convoy in 1780 . Goodall next took part in Darby ' s relief of Gibraltar and the Second Battle of Ushant in 1781 , after which he sailed to the West Indies to join the fleet under Sir George Rodney . Several fleet actions followed , and Goodall distinguished himself with service at the Battle of the Saintes and the subsequent Battle of the Mona Passage , where he was instrumental in the capture of two French ships of the line . After further service in North America , he returned to Britain on the conclusion of the war . The Spanish armament in 1790 provided a chance for further employment , he commissioned a ship , but stepped down with the passing of the crisis , having been promoted to rear - admiral . A brief posting to the Newfoundland command came in 1792 , but he returned in winter that year just prior to the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars . Flying his flag aboard the 98 - gun he served with Lord Hood ' s fleet , first as governor of Toulon during the occupation of that city , and then as second in command of the Mediterranean Fleet , under Hood ' s successor , Admiral William Hotham . Goodall took part in Hotham ' s two actions in 1795 , the Naval Battle of Genoa and the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands , but the nature of the battles prevented any chance of distinguishing himself . Disappointed at not being offered the command of the fleet on Hotham ' s recall , Goodall struck his flag and retired ashore . He was promoted on the basis of his seniority to admiral of the white , but saw no further active service before his death in 1801 . Early service . Details of Goodall ' s family and early life are unknown , though he is presumed to have entered the navy c . 1750 . The earliest date he is known to be active is 1 September 1756 , when he was made lieutenant . He was promoted to commander on 2 June 1760 and given the 8 - gun sloop , capturing the French privateer " Duc d ' Ayen " on 7 August 1760 while she was at anchor off Egersund , Norway . The " Duc d ' Ayen " was a dogger armed with seven 4 - pdrs and had a crew of 65 men . Her capture was alleged to have been in violation of Denmark ' s neutrality , and Goodall became involved in a lengthy correspondence on the subject . Goodall was then sent out to the West Indies where on 3 January 1762 he was promoted to the rank of post captain and on 13 January was made commander of the 24 - gun . He joined the fleet under Sir George Pocock and took part in the Battle of Havana . In June he was sent to silence a battery east of Cojimar as part of the operations to land troops . He moved to the North American Station after this , where he assisted in the protection of the trade on the coast of Georgia before returning to Britain in spring 1764 . The draw down of the navy after the Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years ' War left Goodall ashore on half - pay . He returned to service in 1769 , commissioning the 32 - gun in February and sailing to the Mediterranean in May . Goodall was then despatched in the summer of 1770 to protect British interests in Smyrna . American War of Independence . Channel Fleet . The outbreak of the American War of Independence offered further opportunities for employment as the navy built and activated ships . Goodall took command of the 64 - gun in February 1778 , and joined the fleet under Augustus Keppel in time to fight at the Battle of Ushant on 27 July . " Defiance " was heavily engaged in the fighting , losing eight men killed and seventeen wounded from her crew . She then joined the squadron under Molyneux Shuldham in December that year . In 1779 Goodall was appointed to the 74 - gun , which he would command for the next four years . Goodall spent the first three of these serving with the Channel Fleet , at first under Sir Charles Hardy , and then from December with Commodore Charles Fielding ' s squadron . He was with the squadron on 31 December 1780 when the British force intercepted a Dutch convoy , and Fielding demanded to be allowed to search the ships . Their commander , Lodewijk van Bylandt refused , and Fielding attacked . After a brief action the Dutch surrendered and the convoy was taken into Portsmouth . Goodall then served under successive commanders of the Channel Fleet , firstly Sir Francis Geary , and then Sir George Darby . On 4 January 1781 , while sailing in company with the 64 - gun under Lord Mulgrave , a squadron of three French frigates was spotted and chased . Two of them escaped , but the third was chased down and engaged in a heavy fight by " Courageux " , until being forced to surrender . She was the former , which had been captured by the French in 1778 . She had sustained losses of 49 killed and 24 wounded , while " Courageux " had 10 men killed and seven wounded . " Minerva " was taken back into the Royal Navy under the name HMS " Recovery " . Gibraltar and West Indies . Goodall was next at the relief of Gibraltar by Darby ' s fleet on 12 April 1781 , followed by service in Rear - Admiral Robert Digby ' s squadron , before returning to Darby ' s fleet in summer and autumn 1781 . He was present at the Second Battle of Ushant with Rear - Admiral Richard Kempenfelt ' s fleet on 12 December 1781 , after which he sailed to the West Indies to join the fleet there under Admiral Sir George Rodney on 28 February 1782 . Goodall was engaged at the first clash with the French fleet under the Comte de Grasse off Dominica on 9 April 1782 , and again at their decisive defeat at the Battle of the Saintes on 12 April . In the former engagement " Valiant " was part of the van , and was heavily involved in the fighting , suffering casualties of 38 men killed and wounded . At the Saintes " Valiant " was in the rear division and had nine killed and 28 wounded . After the victory at the Saintes , and during a period of calm weather , Rodney detached a squadron under his second in command , Sir Samuel Hood , to pursue some of the crippled French ships . " Valiant " was one of the ships detached with Hood , and on 19 April the squadron caught two ships of the line and three frigates at the entrance to the Mona Passage . The French force , consisting of the 64 - gun ships " Caton " and " Jason " , and the frigates " Astree " , " Aimable " and " Ceres " attempted to escape , Hood signalling for them to be engaged before they could run themselves ashore . In the ensuing Battle of the Mona Passage , " Valiant " found herself the headmost ship , and with most of the other British ships becalmed or chasing other ships , Goodall pressed on sail to catch the " Caton " , and managed to rake her bows , on which she immediately struck . Goodall did not stop to take possession , but instead pressed on after the fleeing " Jason " , opening fire on her and fighting a fierce engagement for 45 minutes until the French ship surrendered . " Valiant " had 12 men killed and wounded in the action . Goodall sailed in July that year to North America with Admiral Hugh Pigot , stopping at New York between September and October , and taking part in the blockade of Cape François in November . He returned to Jamaica in early 1783 , and then departed for Britain in April that year to pay " Valiant " after the Peace of Paris brought about the conclusion of the war . Spanish armament and interwar years . Goodall next comes to attention in May 1790 when he commissioned the 80 - gun during the period of crisis known as the Spanish armament . " Gibraltar " was intended for service in the Channel , but the crisis passed over without breaking into open war . Goodall was made rear - admiral of the blue on 21 September 1790 , and in 1792 received a posting to command in Newfoundland , hoisting his flag aboard the 50 - gun . He returned to Britain in the winter , but was soon back on active service with the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars the following year . French Revolutionary Wars . Goodall was promoted to rear - admiral of the red on 3 February 1793 , and in April hoisted his flag aboard the 98 - gun with orders to take one of the divisions of the fleet to the Mediterranean . He served under Lord Hood during the occupation of Toulon , during which time he acted as governor of the city until the arrival from Britain of Sir Gilbert Elliott . Goodall then took part in the operations against Corsica , receiving official praise for his efforts from Hood , and a promotion to vice - admiral of the blue on 12 April 1794 . He was appointed second in command to Hood ' s successor in the Mediterranean , Admiral William Hotham , and took part in the Naval Battle of Genoa on 4 March 1795 , and the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands on 13 July , having been further advanced to vice - admiral of the white on 4 July 1795 . These battles were minor victories for the British , though Goodall was unable to distinguish himself , a frustration he shared with another officer , Captain Horatio Nelson of . Goodall supported Nelson , and advised Hotham to press his advantage and call for a general action , but Hotham demurred . Goodall was not offered the command of the fleet after Hotham ' s recall , and reportedly disappointed by this , he requested permission to strike his flag at the end of 1795 . He had no further active service , though he continued to be promoted on the basis of his seniority , reaching the rank of admiral of the blue on 14 February 1799 , and admiral of the white on 1 January 1801 . Admiral Samuel Goodall died unmarried at Teignmouth on 21 April 1801 , and was buried there . He left bequests totalling nearly £20 , 000 to naval friends and companions , hinting at ' a man who valued friendship and loyalty ' .