Alexander Hood (captain)
| Alexander Hood | |
|---|---|
Death of Captain Alexander Hood by Henry Singleton
|
|
| Born |
23 April 1758 Mosterton, Dorset, England |
| Died | 21 April 1798 Of the coast of Pointe du Raz, Brittany, France |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Great Britain
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | 1767 – 1798 |
| Commands held |
HMS Barfleur HMS Champion HMS Mars |
| Battles/wars |
American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars |
Captain Alexander Hood (23 April 1758 – 21 April 1798) was an officer of the Royal Navy, one of several members of the Hood family to serve at sea including his brother Sir Samuel Hood who were both sponsored into the Royal Navy by their cousins once removed Viscount Hood and Alexander Hood.
He entered the Royal Navy in 1767, and accompanied Captain James Cook in his second voyage of exploration from 1772 to 1775. During the American Revolutionary War, under Admirals Richard Howe and George Rodney, when he had command of the cutter Ranger in March 1780, he distinguished himself in the West Indies, and in July 1781 was promoted to captain. Shortly thereafter, he was given command of the 98-gun second rate ship of the line, HMS Barfleur. It was not uncommon for an extremely junior captain to find himself commanding a large ship-of-the-line, if that ship were the flagship of an experienced admiral, who would be able to keep a close eye on the new captain. In this case, the Barfleur was the flagship of his cousin, Admiral Sir Samuel Hood. On 5 September they took the Barfleur into battle at the Battle of the Chesapeake, where the ship served as flagship of the Van of Sir Thomas Graves' fleet. At the Battle of the Saintes on 12 April 1782, Hood was in command of one of Rodney's frigates, HMS Champion. Later, again under his brother's command, he proceeded to the Mona Passage, where he captured the French corvette Cérès, a former British warship that the Navy took into service as HMS Raven. Hood became close friends with the commander of his prize, the Baron de Peroy, and during the peace of 1783–1792 paid a long visit to France as his former prisoner's guest. Also married Elizabeth Periam on 11 July 1792.
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