serviceyears branch commands death_place death_date birth_place allegiance awards battles birth_date rank article_title name
1780s -- 1835 kingdom of great britain commander-in-chief , leeward islands brighton , sussex , england 17 june 1835 colony of virginia kingdom and ireland of great britain united kingdom of great britain knight 1815 -rrb- commander of the order of the bath -lrb- french napoleonic wars battle of trafalgar revolutionary wars frigate action of 29 may 1794 31 december 1767 admiral francis laforey
 sir francis laforey
francis laforey

admiral sir francis laforey , 2nd baronet , kcb -lrb- 31 december 1767 -- 17 june 1835 -rrb- was an officer of the british royal navy during the french revolutionary and napoleonic wars , whose distinguished service record included numerous frigate commands in home waters and in the west indies .
he is best known however for his service in command of the ship of the line at the battle of trafalgar in 1805 .
during the action , laforey was heavily engaged and his ship suffered heavy casualties .
five years after trafalgar , laforey was promoted to rear-admiral and commanded the leeward islands squadron , before retiring in 1814 .
son of the notable and highly controversial naval officer sir john laforey , francis laforey joined the navy at a young age and enjoyed patronage throughout his career .
his exploits in command of frigates during the french revolutionary wars and his capture of dutch colonies in south america garnered wealth and esteem among his colleagues , and his later success as a battleship captain only continued this trend .
