Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Alexander Robert Kerr (1770 – 4 August 1831) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century who is best known for his service as captain of the

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

HMS ''Revenge'' at the

Battle of Basque Roads The Battle of the Basque Roads, also known as the Battle of Aix Roads (French: ''Bataille de l'île d'Aix'', also ''Affaire des brûlots'', rarely ''Bataille de la rade des Basques''), was a major naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought in th ...

in 1809 and his subsequent involvement in the

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

of Admiral

Lord Gambier Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, (13 October 1756 – 19 April 1833) was a Royal Navy officer. After seeing action at the capture of Charleston, South Carolina, Charleston during the Ameri ...

which followed. He had earlier in his career fought and been badly wounded at the

action of 31 July 1793 The action of 31 July 1793 was an inconclusive engagement between a British Royal Navy frigate and French frigate off the New Jersey coastline in the first year of the French Revolutionary Wars. The British captain, George Courtenay of HMS ' ...

off the coast of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Life

Kerr was born in 1770, the son of Robert Kerr, a

lieutenant. In 1781 was joined the navy himself as

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 board the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

HMS ''Endymion'', commanded by Captain

James Gambier Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, (13 October 1756 – 19 April 1833) was a Royal Navy officer. After seeing action at the capture of Charleston during the American Revolutionary War, he saw action again, as captain of the ...

and from there served in a number of other vessels, including a period on HMS ''Boreas'' under Captain

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

. In 1790 he was promoted to lieutenant and joined first HMS ''Narcissus'' and then the frigate HMS ''Boston'' under Captain George Courtenay.Gentleman's Magazine, ''Captain A. R. Kerr, CB'' ''Boston'' was assigned to the American Station at the outbreak of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

and on 31 July 1793 challenged the French frigate ''Embuscade'', then anchored in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to combat. Captain

Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart (1757 in Lorient – 1842 in Bagnols) was a French privateer, navy officer and admiral. He was related to the noted Admiral Maxime de Bompart. He took part in the American War of Independence as a young officer. H ...

obliged, and the frigates battled for several hours off the coast of

Navesink, New Jersey Navesink (, ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located on the northernmost stretch of the Jersey Shore in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.grape-shot Grapeshot is a type of artillery round invented by a British Officer during the Napoleonic Wars. It was used mainly as an anti infantry round, but had other uses in naval combat. In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of ammunition that consists of ...

and blinded in one eye by flying splinters. The surviving British officers managed to extract ''Boston'' from the action before the damage became fatal, and later withdrew to

St John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

.Woodman, p. 30 After his recovery, Kerr served in HMS ''Repulse'' and HMS ''Clyde'', fighting in the latter at the action of 20 August 1799, for which he was commended by Captain

Charles Cunningham Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. I ...

. In 1802 at the start of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

he was promoted to commander and served in HMS ''Diligence'' and HMS ''Combatant'' at the blockade of

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

. In 1806 he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and from 1808 took a series of temporary commissions as commander of the

ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...

HMS ''Tigre'', HMS ''Valiant'' and HMS ''Revenge'' in the Channel Fleet, then commanded by his old captain, now Lord Gambier. In April 1809, ''Revenge'' was heavily engaged at the

, in which a French fleet was driven ashore at the mouth of the

Charente Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; oc, Charanta ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, an ...

and partially destroyed. The engagement was particularly notable for a bitter dispute which subsequently arose between Gambier and the commander of the inshore squadron, Captain Lord Cochrane, after the latter publicly accused the former of incompetence in his conduct during the battle. Kerr was called as a witness for the defence during Gambier's ensuing

, at which the admiral was acquitted. Kerr then took command of HMS ''Ganymede'', HMS ''Unicorn'' and then HMS ''Esperance'', engaged in anti-

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

patrols and convoying of East India cargo. In 1811 he assumed command of his last ship, HMS ''Acasta'', operating against American privateers in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

until the peace in 1815, when he retired from active service. He was initiated as a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

in appreciation for his service, and died at

Stonehouse, Plymouth East Stonehouse was one of three towns that were amalgamated into modern-day Plymouth. West Stonehouse was a village that is within the current Mount Edgcumbe Country Park in Cornwall. It was destroyed by the French in 1350. The terminology used ...

in 1831, survived by his wife Charlotte and seven children.

Notes

References

* Retrieved on 19 August 2017 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, Alexander Robert 1770 births 1831 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy officers Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy captains