William Penn (Royal Navy officer)
| Sir William Penn | |
|---|---|
Admiral Sir William Penn, 1621–1670 by Sir Peter Lely, painted 1665–1666, part of the Flagmen of Lowestoft series
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| Born |
23 April 1621 St. Thomas Parish, Bristol |
| Died | 16 September 1670 (aged 49) Ruscombe |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of England
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| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
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| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Jamaica Station |
| Battles/wars |
English Civil War First Anglo-Dutch War Second Anglo-Dutch War |
Sir William Penn (23 April 1621 – 16 September 1670) was an English admiral and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1670. He was the father of William Penn, founder of the Province of Pennsylvania.
Penn was born in St. Thomas Parish, Bristol to Giles Penn and Joan Gilbert. He served his apprenticeship at sea with his father.
In the first Civil War of 1642-1646 he fought on the side of the parliament, and commanded a ship in the squadron maintained against the king in the Irish seas. The service was arduous and called for both energy and good seamanship. In 1648, he was arrested and sent to London, but was soon released, and sent back as rear-admiral in the Assurance. The exact cause of the arrest remains unknown, but it may be presumed that he came under suspicion of corresponding with the king's supporters. It is highly probable that he did so, for until the Restoration of 1660, he was regularly in communication with the Royalists, while serving the parliament, or Cromwell, so long as their service was profitable, and making no scruple of applying for grants of the confiscated lands of the king's Irish friends.
After 1650, Penn served as commander-in-chief of the southern fleet in the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean in pursuit of the Royalists under Prince Rupert. He was so active on this service that when he returned home on 18 March 1651 he could boast that he had not put foot on shore for more than a year.
In the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652-1654), he served in the navy of the Commonwealth of England, commanding squadrons at the battles of the Kentish Knock (1652), Portland, the Gabbard and Scheveningen (1653). In this last battle a sniper from his ship killed Dutch admiral and fleetcommander Maarten Tromp on the Dutch flagship Brederode.
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