Frederick Cornewall

Frederick Cornewall
Frederick Cornewall, by an unknown artist c.1765
Born	1706 Bromfield, England
Died	4 August 1788(1788-08-04) (aged 82) Diddlebury, England
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Captain
Commands held	HMS Colchester HMS Hector HMS Sunderland HMS Revenge HMS Cornwall
Battles/wars	War of the Austrian Succession Seven Years' War

Captain Frederick Cornewall (1706 – 4 August 1788) was an officer in the British Royal Navy.

He was born in 1706, the third son of Rev. Frederick Cornewall (1677-1748), Vicar of Bromfield, Shropshire, and his first wife Elizabeth Trice (d. 1730). He was baptised in his father's church on 3 August 1706.

Following the example of his uncle, Admiral Charles Cornewall, he embarked on a naval career, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 13 March 1734. By February 1744, he was First Lieutenant aboard HMS Marlborough under the command of his cousin James Cornewall. On 11 February 1744, in the Battle of Toulon, Marlborough was immediately astern of Admiral Thomas Mathews' Flagship HMS Namur and the only ship to follow the Admiral into the midst of the Franco-Spanish fleet. Outgunned by the enemy, she came under a heavy bombardment during which James Cornewall was mortally wounded when a Chain-shot carried away both his legs. Frederick took command of the ship, but he too was soon incapacitated when he lost his right arm. When Cornewall was promoted to the rank of Captain soon after, his commission was dated from the date of the battle.

Cornewall's career as an independent commander did not begin auspiciously. Given command of the newly built HMS Colchester in 1744, he was sailing the ship under the guidance of a pilot out of the Nore anchorage and on to the Downs on 21 October when it ran aground between Long Sand and the Kentish Knock. The ship could not be freed, and as her situation worsened the following day, Cornewall ordered her scuttled. It was not until 23 October that a rescue was completed and the Captain and 365 of the crew were taken off. A Lieutenant and 40 men were drowned. The subsequent Court-martial sentenced the pilot to 12 months in the Marshalsea prison.