{{Short description|Royal Navy Admiral (1740–1809)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = Admiral |name =John Bazely |image = |caption = |birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->March 1740 |death_date = {{death date and age|1809|4|22|1740|3|1|df=y}} |birth_place =Dover, Kent |death_place =Edinburgh, Scotland |burial_place = |burial_label = |burial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} --> |nickname = |birth_name = |allegiance ={{flag|Kingdom of Great Britain}} |branch ={{navy|Kingdom of Great Britain}} |service_years =1755–1796 |rank =Royal Navy Admiral |service_number = |unit = |commands = |battles = {{tree list}} * Seven Years' War * American Revolutionary War ** Capture of USS ''Lexington'' ** First Battle of Ushant ** Capture of the Cape Finisterre convoy ** Battle of Cape St Vincent ** Battle of Martinique ** Battle of Groton Heights * French Revolutionary Wars ** Glorious First of June ** Battle of Hyères {{tree list/end}} |battles_label = |awards = |relations = |other_work = |signature = }} Admiral '''John Bazely''' (March 1740 – 22 April 1809) was an experienced and highly respected officer of the British Royal Navy who served in three wars and saw numerous actions, notably during the American War of Independence. He first gained notice with the capture of the American brig USS ''Lexington'' in 1777, following which he was rapidly promoted and by 1779 was a post captain and fought in engagements under Augustus Keppel and George Rodney with some success. He later served in the Channel Fleet under Lord Howe and fought at the Glorious First of June, although his career stagnated during the French Revolutionary Wars and he was unemployed for the final decade of his life, despite his being "regarded with respect and gratitude by his compatriots at large".<ref name="TNC177">''The Naval Chronicle'', 1805 Vol. 14, p. 177</ref>
== Early career == Bazely was born in Dover to a "respectable family", and after completing his education, joined the Royal Navy in 1755 at the age of 15.<ref name="TNC177"/> his first ship was HMS ''Ambuscade'' under the command of Joshua Rowley, in which he saw the outbreak of the Seven Years' War. In January 1756, Bazely transferred to HMS ''Hampshire'', under the command of Captain Edward Hughes. Remaining with Hughes throughout various commissions, Bazely was promoted to lieutenant in 1760 and in 1777, with the outbreak of the American War of Independence, was given his own command: the small cutter HMS ''Alert''.<ref name="TNC178">''The Naval Chronicle'', 1805 Vol. 14, p. 178</ref>
== American War of Independence == Bazely's first action was off Ushant on 22 September 1777, when the 10-gun ''Alert'' sighted and engaged the becalmed 16-gun American ship {{USS|Lexington|1776|6}}. A three-hour duel from 07:00 to 10:00, seriously damaged both ships. The American vessel attempted to escape to the south but Bazely gave chase and caught his opponent at 13:00. By 13:30 he had forced ''Lexington'' to surrender; she had suffered seven killed and 11 wounded to ''Alert''{{'}}s two dead and three wounded. A prize crew then sailed ''Lexington'' to Britain.<ref name="TNC178"/> Bazely was lauded and immediately promoted to commander, making the jump to post captain in April 1778 and taking command of the new second-rate {{HMS|Formidable|1777|6}} as flag captain to Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser.<ref name="TNC179">''The Naval Chronicle'', 1805 Vol. 14, p. 179</ref>
''Formidable'' was in action soon after Bazely took command, at the First Battle of Ushant. Bazely was heavily engaged, and ''Formidable'' suffered 16 killed and 49 wounded in the battle. The aftermath of the engagement was characterised by bad feelings between Palliser and Augustus Keppel, who each blamed the other for the failure to defeat the French squadron. Both demanded courts-martial to determine their measure of responsibility, and Bazely notoriously failed to back up Palliser when called to give evidence at Keppel's trial. As a result, Bazely was hastily given command of the frigate {{HMS|Pegasus|1779|6}} in order that he should not be available to appear at Palliser's court martial. Both admirals were controversially acquitted of any wrongdoing, but the enmity bred from this dispute lasted years.
''Pegasus'' was attached to George Rodney's fleet for the relief of the Great Siege of Gibraltar, and was present at both of Rodney's actions in the campaign to relieve the fortress, participating in the seizure of a Spanish armaments convoy off Cape Finisterre on 8 January 1780 and subsequently fighting at the Battle of Cape St Vincent eight days later, where a Spanish attempt to intercept the British fleet was destroyed.<ref name="TNC180">''The Naval Chronicle'', 1805 Vol. 14, p. 180</ref> ''Pegasus'' accompanied Rodney to Gibraltar and was subsequently involved in the inconclusive Battle of Martinique in the West Indies. Bazely carried the dispatches of the battle back to Britain and was soon given command of HMS ''Apollo'' and then {{HMS|Amphion|1780|6}}.<ref name="TNC181"/>
In ''Amphion'', Bazely served off the Eastern Seaboard of North America, supporting British troops at the Battle of Groton Heights and overseeing the burning of New London, Connecticut and the military stores within the town. At the end of the war, Bazely remained in service, commanding {{HMS|Alfred|1778|6}} at Chatham during the ten years of peace.<ref name="TNC181">''The Naval Chronicle'', 1805 Vol. 14, p. 181</ref>
== French Revolutionary Wars == Bazely returned to active service in 1793 at the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War. Operating with the Channel Fleet under Lord Howe, ''Alfred'' was engaged in the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 and fought at the Glorious First of June. For unknown reasons, Bazely failed to follow Lord Howe's battle plans and was thus not heavily engaged in the action, his ship suffering only eight men wounded. As a result, Bazely was among those captains omitted from the list of captains awarded the commemorative medal for the battle, omissions which caused severe divisions in the Navy.<ref name="WJ181">James, p. 181</ref>
In February 1795, Bazely was appointed to HMS ''Blenheim'', which he took to the Mediterranean to serve under Lord Hotham. ''Blenheim'' fought at the Battle of Hyères shortly after its arrival in the Mediterranean, but was not closely engaged. On 1 June 1795, Bazely was promoted to rear-admiral and briefly held temporary commands at the Downs and the Nore stations before being placed in retirement by 1797.<ref name="TNC182">''The Naval Chronicle'', 1805 Vol. 14, p. 182</ref> Bazely never again served on active duty, retiring to Edinburgh and gradually advancing as a retired admiral until he reached the rank of full admiral shortly before his death in April 1809.<ref name="TSM320">''The Scots Magazine and Edinburgh Literary Miscellany'', 1809 Vol. LXXI, p. 320</ref>
==Family==
He had two sons, John Bazely, Jr. (who later became an admiral himself) and Rev. Thomas Tyssen Bazely, father of Rev. Henry Bazely of Oxford.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.stsepulchres.org.uk/burials/bazely_henry.html | title=Bazely: St Sepulchre's Cemetery, Oxford }}</ref>
== Notes == {{Reflist}}
== References == * {{cite journal | title =Biographical Memoir of John Bazely Esq. | journal=The Naval Chronicle |date=1805 |volume=14 |pages=177–182 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=xnAMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP211| last1=Clarke | first1=James Stanier | last2=Jones | first2=Stephen | last3=Jones | first3=John }} *{{Cite book | last =James | first =William | authorlink =William James (naval historian) | year =2002 | orig-date =1827 | title =The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 1, 1793-1796 | publisher =Conway Maritime Press | location =London | isbn =0-85177-905-0 | oclc =165702223 }} * {{cite book | title =Deaths, April 1809 | work =The Scots Magazine and Edinburgh Literary Miscellany, 1809 Vol. LXXI, p. 320 | year =1809 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=wV0AAAAAYAAJ&q=%22John+bazely%22&pg=RA1-PA320}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=Joseph Peyton}} {{s-ttl|title=Commander-in-Chief, The Downs<br><small>(Acting)</small>|years=1796–1797}} {{s-aft|after=Skeffington Lutwidge}} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bazely, John}} Category:1740 births Category:1809 deaths Category:Royal Navy admirals Category:Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Category:Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War