Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Sir Charles Saunders () was a Royal Navy officer. He commanded the fourth-rate HMS ''Gloucester'' and led her in action at the

Second Battle of Cape Finisterre The second battle of Cape Finisterre was a naval encounter fought during the War of the Austrian Succession on 25 October 1747 (N.S.). A British fleet of fourteen ships of the line commanded by Rear-Admiral Edward Hawke intercepted a French c ...

in October 1747 during the War of the Austrian Succession. After serving as Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, he was appointed

Commander-in-Chief, English Channel The Western Squadron was a squadron or formation (military), formation of the Royal Navy based at Plymouth Dockyard. It operated in waters of the English Channel, the Western Approaches, and the North Atlantic. It defended British trade sea lanes ...

in charge of the Western Squadron between October 1758 and May 1759). He took command of the fleet tasked with carrying James Wolfe to Quebec in January 1759 and consolidated the dead general's victory after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in September 1759 by devoting great energy to keeping the British Army, now under the command of Colonel

George Townshend George Townshend may refer to: *George Townshend (Royal Navy officer) (1715–1769), British naval commander *George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend (1724–1807), British field marshal, his nephew *George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend (1753� ...

, well supplied during the Seven Years' War. He later became Senior Naval Lord and then First Lord of the Admiralty.

Early career

Charles Saunders - Admiral der Royal Navy

Born the son of James Saunders of Bridgwater, Somerset, Saunders joined the Royal Navy in October 1727. He initially served as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

on the

sixth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a sixth-rate was the designation for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 carriage-mounted guns on a single deck, sometimes with smaller guns on the upper works and ...

HMS ''Seahorse'' and then transferred to the fourth-rate HMS ''Hector'' in March 1731. Promoted to lieutenant on 8 November 1734, he was posted to the fourth-rate HMS ''Exeter'' in July 1738 and then transferred to the third-rate HMS ''Norfolk'' in June 1739, to the fourth-rate HMS ''Sunderland'' in August 1739 and to the fourth-rate HMS ''Centurion'' in November 1742. Promoted to post-captain in June 1743 (with an effective date of 26 September 1741), Saunders was given command of the fourth-rate HMS ''Plymouth'' in December 1743, the fifth-rate HMS ''Sapphire'' in December 1744 and the fourth-rate HMS ''Dunkirk'' in 1745. He went on to take command of the fourth-rate HMS ''Gloucester'' in 1747 and led her in action at the

in October 1747 during the War of the Austrian Succession. After that he became captain of the third-rate HMS ''Yarmouth'' later that year and of the fourth-rate HMS ''Tiger'' in 1749. Saunders was appointed Commodore in charge of the squadron at

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

with his broad pennant in the fifth-rate

HMS Penzance There have been four ships of the Royal Navy name HMS ''Penzance'', named for the port of Penzance in Cornwall. The ships motto is ''Diligenter Pensa'' (Diligent thought). * The first was a frigate of 1665 * The second was a frigate of 1747 * ...

in February 1752. He went on to be treasurer of Greenwich Hospital in February 1754 and

Comptroller of the Navy The post of Controller of the Navy (abbreviated as CofN) was originally created in 1859 when the Surveyor of the Navy's title changed to Controller of the Navy. In 1869 the controller's office was abolished and its duties were assumed by that of ...

in December 1755. Saunders was Member of Parliament for

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

from 1750 to 1754 and then represented the Yorkshire borough of Hedon from 1754 until his death.

Seven Years' War

Promoted to rear-admiral on 7 January 1756, Saunders was sent to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

as Second in Command of the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...

. In January 1757 he was advanced to Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet remaining in post until May 1757. In October 1758 he was appointed

a post he held till May 1759. He took command of the fleet tasked with carrying James Wolfe to Quebec in January 1759 and, having been promoted to vice admiral on 14 February 1759, he consolidated the dead general's victory after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in September 1759 by devoting great energy to keeping the British Army, now under the command of Colonel George Towshend, well supplied. Saunders and Towshend were joint signatories for Great Britain after the French garrison capitulated. In April 1760 he resumed his role as Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet and blockaded Cádiz preventing the French and Spanish fleets from sailing. He was installed as Knight of the Bath in May 1761 and, in the

action of 31 May 1762 The action of 31 May 1762 was a minor naval engagement that took place off the Spanish coast off Cadiz, between a British Royal Naval frigate and a sloop against a Spanish frigate during the recently declared Anglo-Spanish War (1762–63). Whe ...

, his fleet chased down and captured the Spanish treasure ship ''Hermione'' off Cape St Mary. He acquired estates at Gunton in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

and at Fishley in Norfolk in 1762.

Later career

Saunders joined the

Board of Admiralty The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628 when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requi ...

as Senior Naval Lord in the First Rockingham ministry in July 1765 and was advanced to First Lord of the Admiralty in the Chatham ministry in September 1766; after a disagreement with

Lord Chatham William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...

, he stood down from the Admiralty Board in December 1766. Promoted to full

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

on 18 October 1770, he died at his home at Spring Gardens in London on 7 December 1775 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Family

Saunders married a Miss Buck, the daughter of a London banker, in September 1751.

Legacy

Cape Saunders Kaimata, or Cape Saunders, is the prominent headland on the Pacific Ocean coast of Muaupoko, the Otago Peninsula, in the far south-east of Aotearoa New Zealand's Te Wai Pounamu, the South Island. It is home to the Cape Saunders Lighthouse. Capta ...

, on the

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

coast of New Zealand, was named in his honour by Captain

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

, who had served under Saunders in Canada.

References

Sources

* * * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Charles 1713 births 1775 deaths British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath Lords of the Admiralty Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Plymouth Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Hedon Naval history of Canada Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War Military personnel from London Burials at Westminster Abbey Royal Navy personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession