caption serviceyears branch commands death_place death_date birth_place allegiance awards battles birth_date rank image article_title name
sir the elder john balchen , c. 1695 by jonathan richardson 1685 to 1744 kingdom of great britain greenwich naval hospital casquets , channel islands 04 october 1744 godalming , surrey kingdom of england kingdom of great britain knighthood nine • battle of vigo bay • battle at the lizard years • defence of hms '' gloucester '' war of the ' quadruple alliance • battle of cape passaro war of the war austrian succession • wreck of hms '' victory '' war of the spanish succession 02 february 1670 admiral john blachen.jpg john balchen
 sir john balchen
john balchen

admiral sir john balchen -lrb- 2 february 1670 -- 4 october 1744 -rrb- -lrb- sometimes written as sir john balchin -rrb- was an officer of the british royal navy with a long and distinguished career during the late 17th and early 18th centuries .
in the course of his service at sea , balchen saw action in numerous battles against the french and spanish navies across 60 years and three separate wars .
he was twice captured by the french in action , both times being exonerated and commended for the defence of his ships against overwhelming odds .
balchen died in the shipwreck of the 100-gun first-rate hms `` victory '' off the casquets in the channel islands during operations to deter french blockading of spanish and portuguese ports during the war of the austrian succession .
a capable and efficient officer , balchen never found the wealth and prestige fellow officers secured in other commissions , a fact which remained a source of frustration to him until his elevation to knighthood shortly before his death .
