Michael Clements

Michael Clements (1735–1796) was a captain in the Royal Navy.

Clements was born in 1735, the son of a rector in Leicestershire. He enlisted in the Royal Navy at the age of thirteen, serving as a captain's servant and then midshipman. On 17 November 1755 he passed the Admiralty Board examination for the rank of lieutenant, and was commissioned two weeks later as first lieutenant aboard HMS Unicorn. He was still serving in this position in 1757, at the outbreak of the Seven Years' War between France and England. In May 1757, Unicorn encountered and engaged L'Invincible, a French privateer from St Malo. The captain of Unicorn was killed, but Clements assumed command and secured the capture of the privateer. The French vessel was brought into Kinsale; and Clements immediately took Unicorn back to sea in pursuit of a second French vessel, which was also captured and brought in. For this service Clements was recommended for promotion; he spent four months as commander of HMS London, a 6-gun busse and was then named as post-captain of the 28-gun frigate HMS Actaeon from 29 September 1757.

Clements continued in Actaeon, attached to the Channel fleet, till the summer of 1759, when he was moved into Pallas of 36 guns, also with the fleet blockading Brest and Quiberon Bay. He was specially employed, with other frigates, in cruising against French privateers and in communicating with the home ports. By chance, Pallas, in company with Brilliant and Aeolus, put into Kinsale in the last days of February 1760, just as a message came from the Duke of Bedford, then lord-lieutenant of Ireland, that François Thurot's squadron was at Belfast. They immediately put to sea and, coming to Belfast on the morning of the 28th, succeeded in capturing Thurot's ships with small loss. The casualties among Clements' crew amounted to one killed and five wounded. For his part in the battle Clements received a formal vote of thanks from the Irish House of Commons.

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