His most noticeable activity came early in his career when he was employed as a midshipman aboard his brother, Commander Thomas Cochrane's (known as Lord Cochrane) ship HMS Speedy.
Kegiatan terkenalnya terjadi pada awal kariernya saat ia bertugas sebagai midshipman dari kapal HMS Speedy milik saudaranya Komandan Thomas Cochrane (dikenal sebagai Lord Cochrane).