Thomas Pringle (Royal Navy officer)
| Thomas Pringle | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Died | 8 December 1803 Edinburgh |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Great Britain United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | – 1803 |
| Rank | Vice-Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Ariadne HMS Daedalus HMS Royal George HMS Valiant Cape of Good Hope Station |
| Battles/wars |
Battle of Valcour Island Battle of St. Lucia Battle of Grenada Glorious First of June |
| Awards | Naval Gold Medal |
Vice-Admiral Thomas Pringle (died 8 December 1803) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
He was born into a wealthy Scottish family, the only son of Walter Pringle, a prosperous West Indies planter. He served in North America in 1775, as first lieutenant of HMS Lizard. Stationed at Quebec as American forces approached, Pringle was sent to Britain in November 1775 aboard the merchant vessel Polly, with despatches warning of the imminent American attack.
He was made a post-captain in 1776, and in October 1776, he commanded the Royal Navy fleet on Lake Champlain in the Battle of Valcour Island, where he defeated a smaller American fleet under the command of Benedict Arnold. On his return to England in November 1776 he was promoted to post-captain. In January 1777, he was given command of HMS Ariadne, assigned to duty as part of the West Indies fleet. He served well there, capturing a number of American naval vessels, transports, and privateers, including the Virginia State Navy brig Mosquito on 5 June 1777, and the privateer Johnston on 29 November 1777. His most notable prize was USS Alfred on 10 July 1778, captured in company with James Richard Dacres's HMS Ceres.
He operated for the next two years with Admiral Samuel Barrington's fleet, seeing action at the Battle of St. Lucia on 14/15 December 1778; and at the Battle of Grenada on 6 July 1779. Pringle sailed home with Barrington and paid off the Ariadne for a refit in early 1780. In July 1780 he was given command of HMS Daedalus, a 32-gun frigate, in which he served as part of the North American fleet for the next two years. He also operated in British waters, capturing the privateer Moustic in the English Channel on 20 January 1782.
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