James Athol Wood
| James Athol Wood | |
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| Born | 1756 Burncroft, Perthshire |
| Died | July 1829 Hampstead, London |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Rank | Rear-Admiral of the Blue |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath |
Sir James Athol Wood CB (1756 – July 1829), was an officer of the Royal Navy. After serving on merchant ships for the East India Company from a young age, he entered the Royal Navy in 1774. Wood served in the navy for almost his whole life, and took part in several of the wars fought by Kingdom of Great Britain throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century. During his career he was involved in several personal conflicts and feuds, which resulted in him being the subject of two courts-martial.
Born in 1756, James Athol Wood was the third son of Alexander Wood (died 1778) of Burncroft, Perthshire. He was younger brother of Sir Mark Wood, 1st Baronet, and of Major-General Sir George Wood. First going to sea, for the East India Company, in 1772, he entered the navy in September 1774, as able seaman on board the Hunter sloop on the coast of Ireland and afterwards on the North America station. In July 1776, as master's mate, he joined HMS Barfleur, flagship of Sir James Douglas at Portsmouth. In April 1777 he was moved into HMS Princess Royal, the flagship of Sir Thomas Pye, and from her was lent to HMS Asia, as acting lieutenant, during the spring of 1778. He rejoined his ship in time to go out with Vice-Admiral John Byron to North America, where, on 18 October 1778, he was promoted to be lieutenant of the 50-gun ship HMS Renown, with Captain George Dawson. After taking part in the Siege of Charleston in April 1780, the Renown returned to England; for some months Wood was employed in small vessels attached to the Channel Fleet, but in November 1781 he was appointed to the 64-gun ship HMS Anson (1781) with Captain William Blair, in which he was in the Battle of the Saintes on 12 April 1782, and continued till the peace. The next two or three years he passed in France, and then, accepted employment in merchant ships trading to the East Indies, and later on to the West Indies.
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