Francis Samuel Drake

Sir Francis Samuel Drake, 1st Baronet
Born	1729
Died	19 October 1789
Allegiance	Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	– 1789
Rank	Rear-Admiral of the Red
Commands held	HMS Viper HMS Bideford HMS Falkland HMS Rochester HMS Burford HMS Torbay HMS Russell
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War Battle of Quiberon Bay Invasion of Dominica Invasion of Martinique American War of Independence Dutch West Indies campaign Capture of Sint Eustatius Battle of Fort Royal Battle of the Chesapeake Battle of Saint Kitts Battle of the Saintes

Sir Francis Samuel Drake, 1st Baronet (1729 – 19 October 1789) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, rising to the rank of Rear-admiral of the Red.

Francis was baptised on 14 September 1729, at Buckland Monachorum, Devonshire. He was the fourth son of Sir Francis Henry Drake, 4th Baronet, and Anne Heathcote. He was the younger brother of Sir Francis Henry Drake, 5th Baronet, the last in the line of baronets descending from Sir Francis Drake, 1st Baronet, nephew of the Elizabethan naval hero Sir Francis Drake. He served for a time as lieutenant aboard the 44-gun HMS Torrington and the 60-gun HMS Windsor. He was promoted to command the 10-gun sloop HMS Viper on 30 March 1756, during the Seven Years' War, and achieved the rank of post-captain later that year with a posting to command the 20-gun HMS Bideford on 15 November. On 11 March 1757 he was appointed, in succession to his second brother, Francis William Drake, to the 50-gun HMS Falkland. He commanded the Falkland for the next five years. He was present in the West Indies during the operations under Commodore John Moore between 1757 and 1758, and then went to St. Helena to escort the homeward-bound trade in the spring of 1759. He served on the south coast of Brittany that autumn with the squadron under Captain Robert Duff, and was present at the defeat of the French at the Battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 November 1759.