Thomas Frederick (Royal Navy officer)
| Thomas Lennox Frederick | |
|---|---|
Admiral Thomas L. Frederick, 1799, by Robert Bowyer.
|
|
| Born | 25 March 1750 St George's, Hanover Square, London |
| Died | 7 October 1799 (aged 49) Nottingham Place, London |
| Allegiance |
 Great Britain
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | 1770 – 1799 |
| Rank | Rear-Admiral of the Red |
| Commands held |
HMS Spy HMS Swift HMS Fairy HMS Unicorn HMS Diomede HMS Romulus HMS Illustrious HMS Blenheim |
| Battles/wars | |
| Relations | Sir Charles Frederick (father) |
Thomas Lennox Frederick (25 March 1750 – 7 October 1799) was an officer in the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. He was a highly educated officer and a very greatly esteemed seaman, rising to the rank of rear-admiral of the red.
He was born on 25 March 1750, in the parish of St George's, Hanover Square. He was the son of Sir Charles Frederick, the Surveyor-General of the Ordnance, and Lucy Boscawen. His grandfather was Sir John Frederick. Thomas first went to sea in 1768, under Captain Peter Parker.
From October 1776 to 1779, he commanded successively HMS Spy, HMS Swift, HMS Fairy, and after having been promoted to post-captain, he was appointed to command HMS Unicorn. On 4 September 1780 he was in command of Unicorn when he had the misfortune of encountering, in a fog off Tortuga, a French frigate and two ships of the line that captured him. The subsequent court martial honourably acquitted Frederick for the loss of his ship, and in October 1781 he received command of the 44-gun frigate HMS Diomede. On 20 December 1782, in company with HMS Quebec, he captured off the Delaware River the 40-gun American frigate South Carolina after a chase of eighteen hours.
From May 1790 to September 1791 Thomas Frederick commanded the 44-gun HMS Romulus.
On the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, he was appointed to HMS Illustrious, a 74-gun third rate. He was present with Admiral Lord Hood at the Siege of Toulon, and as a commanding officer of his ship, he saw action at the Battle of Genoa against the French fleet. His ship fought two French third rates, defeating both of them, and was so damaged that HMS Meleager had to take her in tow. She was then caught in a storm on her return to port and grounded. Although other British vessels arrived they were unable to get her off. The British set her on fire and abandoned her.
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Wikipedia