Sir Peter Halkett, 6th Baronet

Sir Peter Halkett
Admiral Sir Peter Halkett
Born	1765 Unknown
Died	7 October 1839 Pitfirrane, Fife
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	c. 1780s–1839
Rank	Admiral
Battles/wars	French Revolutionary Wars • Battle of Camperdown Napoleonic Wars • Second Battle of Copenhagen

Admiral Sir Peter Halkett, 6th Baronet (c. 1765 – 7 October 1839) was a senior Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who is best known for his service in the French Revolutionary Wars. The younger son a Scottish baronet, Halkett joined the Navy and by 1793 was a lieutenant, becoming a post captain after service at the Siege of Williamstadt in the Netherlands. He later commanded the frigate HMS Circe during the Battle of Camperdown in 1797 and later achieved success in the Caribbean in command of HMS Apollo. He was made a rear-admiral in 1812, but his first major command was in the West Indies in 1836, lasting two years. Shortly before his death he inherited the Halkett Baronetcy from his brother Charles, later passing it to his son John.

Peter Halkett was born in 1765, the second son of Sir John Halkett, the 4th Halkett Baronet of Pitfirrane in Fife. At a young age, Halkett entered the Royal Navy and as a lieutenant achieved his first command, that of the tiny sloop HMS Placentia in 1789. By 1793 was serving on HMS Syren, which conveyed the Duke of York to the Netherlands for service in the French Revolutionary Wars. During the campaign, Halkett served in gunboats assisting the Dutch garrison during the Siege of Williamstadt and impressed the Duke with his activity, being rewarded with a promotion to post captain and an expensive medal from the Prince of Orange.