Thomas Foley (Royal Navy officer)

Sir Thomas Foley
Image of Captain Foley wearing his St.Vincent & Nile naval small gold medals
Born	1757 Naberth, Wales
Died	9 January 1833
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	The Downs Portsmouth Command
Battles/wars	French Revolutionary Wars
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Admiral Sir Thomas Foley GCB (1757 – 9 January 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and "Hero of the Battle of the Nile".

He was the second son of landowner John Foley of Ridgeway, the Foley family's ancestral estate in the parish of Llawhaden near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, and the nephew of Captain Thomas Foley, who accompanied George Anson, 1st Baron Anson on his voyage around the world.

He entered the Royal Navy in 1770, and, during his time as midshipman, saw a good deal of active service in the West Indies against American privateers. Promoted lieutenant in 1778, he served under Admiral Keppel (afterwards Viscount) and Sir Charles Hardy in the Channel, and with Rodney's squadron was present at the defeat of De Langara off Cape St Vincent in 1780, and at the relief of Gibraltar. Still under Rodney's command, he went out to the West Indies, and took his part in the operations which culminated in the victory of 12 April 1782.

In the French Revolutionary War he was engaged from the first. As flag-captain to Admiral John Gell, and afterwards to Sir Hyde Parker, Foley took part in the siege of Toulon in 1793, the action of Golfe Jouan in 1794, and the two fights off Toulon on the 13th of April and the 13th of July 1795. At St Vincent he was flag-captain to the second in command on Britannia. After the battle he was transferred to the Goliath (74), in which he was sent out in the following year to reinforce Nelson's fleet in the Mediterranean.