caption serviceyears branch commands death_date death_place birth_place allegiance awards birth_date placeofburial rank image article_title name
a of the national portrait gallery young captain john jervis by francis cotes courtesy 1749 -- 1807 united kingdom porcupine 1746 6 14 march 1823 rochetts , brentwood , essex meaford hall , staffordshire united of great britain and ireland kingdom of great britain and ireland united kingdom knight grand cross of the order of the bath 9 january 1735 stone , staffordshire admiral of the fleet john cotes.jpg jervis , earl of st vincent by francis john jervis , 1st earl of st vincent
 the earl of st vincent
john jervis , 1st earl of st vincent

admiral of the fleet john jervis , 1st earl of st vincent -lrb- 9 january 1735 -- 14 march 1823 -rrb- was an admiral in the royal navy and member of parliament in the united kingdom .
jervis served throughout the latter half of the 18th century and into the 19th , and was an active commander during the seven years ' war , american war of independence , french revolutionary war and the napoleonic wars .
he is best known for his victory at the 1797 battle of cape saint vincent , from which he earned his titles , and as a patron of horatio nelson .
jervis was also recognised by both political and military contemporaries as a fine administrator and naval reformer .
as commander-in-chief of the mediterranean , between 1795 and 1799 he introduced a series of severe standing orders to avert mutiny .
he applied those orders to both seamen and officers alike , a policy that made him a controversial figure .
he took his disciplinarian system of command with him when he took command of the channel fleet in 1799 .
in 1801 , as first lord of the admiralty he introduced a number of reforms that , though unpopular at the time , made the navy more efficient and more self-sufficient .
he introduced innovations including block making machinery at portsmouth royal dockyard .
st vincent was known for his generosity to officers he considered worthy of reward and his swift and often harsh punishment of those he felt deserved it .
jervis ' entry in the `` oxford dictionary of national biography '' by p. k. crimmin describes his contribution to history : `` his importance lies in his being the organiser of victories ; the creator of well-equipped , highly efficient fleets ; and in training a school of officers as professional , energetic , and devoted to the service as himself . ''
