Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood
| Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood | |
|---|---|
1784 portrait by James Northcote
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| Born | 12 December 1724 Butleigh, England |
| Died | 27 January 1816 (aged 91) London, England |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Great Britain
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| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
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| Years of service | 1741–1794 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Greenwich Hospital |
| Battles/wars | |
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (12 December 1724 – 27 January 1816) was a British admiral known particularly for his service in the American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary Wars. He acted as a mentor to Horatio Nelson.
The son of Samuel Hood, vicar of Butleigh in Somerset, and prebendary of Wells and Mary Hoskins, daughter of Richard Hoskins, Esquire, of Beaminster, Dorset.
In 1740 Captain (later Admiral) Thomas Smith was stranded in Butleigh when his carriage broke down on the way to Plymouth. The Rev Samuel Hood rescued him and gave him hospitality for the night. Samuel and his brother Alexander were inspired by his stories of the sea and he offered to help them in the Navy. The Rev Samuel Hood and his wife would not allow any more sons to join the Navy as "they might be drowned".
Their third son Arthur William became Vicar of Butleigh but died of fever in his 30s. Another son was drowned in the local river Brue as a boy.
Samuel, older brother of Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport, entered the Royal Navy in 1741. He served part of his time as midshipman with George Brydges Rodney on the Ludlow and became a lieutenant in 1746. He had opportunities to see service in the North Sea during the War of the Austrian Succession.
In 1754, he was made commander of the sloop Jamaica and served on her at the North American station. In July 1756, while still on the North American station, he took command of the sloop HMS Lively.
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