Admiral Mark Robinson (25 April 1722 – 23 November 1799) was an officer of the British

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 ...

, one of several members of the Robinson family to serve at sea. He entered the Royal Navy in 1736, at the age of 14 and was examined for his lieutenancy on 14 May 1747, after having been promoted to the rank of Fourth Lieutenant of on 30 March 1746. After serving as Lieutenant on several ships, Mark Robinson 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 ...

of the 70-gun

third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third r ...

on 13 August 1760. In the mid-1770s he was captain of the 64-gun, third-rate . During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

he participated in several fleet actions against the French. As captain of ''Worcester'' he was at the

First Battle of Ushant The Battle of Ushant (also called the First Battle of Ushant) took place on 27 July 1778, and was fought during the American Revolutionary War between French and British fleets west of Ushant, an island at the mouth of the English Channel off ...

on 27 July 1778. ''Worcester'' was heavily engaged in the rear division under command of Sir

Hugh Palliser Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, 1st Baronet (26 February 1723 – 19 March 1796) was a Royal Navy officer. As captain of the 58-gun HMS ''Eagle'' he engaged and defeated the French 50-gun ''Duc d'Aquitain'' off Ushant in May 1757 during the Seven Y ...

. Subsequently, he was made captain of in March 1779. He participated in the Battle of Martinique on 17 April 1780, under

Sir Samuel Hood Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (12 December 1724 – 27 January 1816) was an admiral in the Royal Navy. As a junior officer he saw action during the War of the Austrian Succession. While in temporary command of , he drove a French ship ashore i ...

and the French Admiral comte de Guichen. Robinson led the division under Rear Admiral Drake, losing six men killed, and fourteen wounded. He distinguished himself at the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 17 ...

on 5 September 1781. In the course of the engagement, ''Shrewsbury'' lost fourteen men killed, and fifty-two wounded, including Robinson, who lost a leg from cannon shot. Unable to return to sea, he was granted a pension. When he became, by seniority, entitled to a flag, he was placed on the list of superannuated rear admirals.

Robinson and Horatio Nelson

Nelson served under Robinson on ''Worcester'' as acting fourth lieutenant (8 October 1776 – April 1777). The experience of escorting

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

s in the wintery seas to and from

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 ...

completed Nelson's

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 ...

training. On ''Worcester''s return to England on 3 April, Nelson then completed his lieutenancy examination on 9 April. Nelson was to subsequently write about this period: "But although my age might have been a sufficient cause for not entrusting me with the charge of a Watch, yet Captain Robinson used to say,'he felt as easy when I was upon deck,as any Officer in the ship".

References

* Jenkins, E H (London 1973) "History of the French Navy", * Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson Sketches of My Life * Knight, Roger (2005). "The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson". Basic Books. * Sugden, John Nelson "A Dream of Glory". Jonathan Cape. London. * John Charnock "Biographica Navalis", Volume VI, London, 1798, pp 404–406 * Mahan, A. T. "The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence",

External links

Mark Robinson letter National Archives

Gutenberg on line edition of A. T Mahan's works {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Mark 1722 births 1799 deaths Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War