Admiral Sir William Fanshawe Martin, 4th Baronet, (5 December 180124 March 1895), 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 ...

officer. As a commander, he provided valuable support to British merchants at Callao in Peru in the early 1820s during the

Peruvian War of Independence The Peruvian War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia del Perú, links=no) consisted in a series of military conflicts in Peru beginning with viceroy Abascal military victories in the south frontier in 1809, in La Paz revolution an ...

. He became First Naval Lord in the

Second Derby–Disraeli ministry The Conservative government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that began in 1858 and ended in 1859 was led by Lord Derby in the House of Lords and Benjamin Disraeli in the House of Commons. History After the collapse of Lord Pa ...

in March 1858 and in that capacity acted as a strong advocate for the procurement of Britain's first ironclad warship. He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet and in that role provided important assistance during the Italian disturbances in 1860 and 1861, reformed the system of discipline in his fleet and developed a comprehensive system of manoeuvres for steam ships.

Early career

Born the eldest son of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Martin (a former

Controller 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 ...

) and Catherine Martin (daughter of Captain Robert Fanshawe RN), Martin joined the Royal Navy in June 1813. He had two brothers, one of whom became Admiral Sir Henry Martin. He joined the fifth-rate HMS ''Alceste'' on the

East Indies Station The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. Even in official documents, the term ''East Indies Station'' was ...

in January 1816 after which he transferred to the yacht HMS ''Prince Regent'' in 1820 and then to the fifth-rate HMS ''Glasgow'' in the Mediterranean Fleet. Promoted to lieutenant on 15 December 1820, he joined the fifth-rate HMS ''Forte'' and then the fifth-rate HMS ''Aurora'' on the South America Station. Promoted to commander on 8 February 1823, he was given command of the sloop HMS ''Fly'' on the South America Station and, in her, provided valuable support to British merchants at Callao in Peru during the

. Promoted to captain on 5 June 1824, Martin took command of the sixth-rate HMS ''Samarang'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in November 1826 and then went onto half-pay in 1831. He took command of the first-rate HMS ''Queen'' at Sheerness in July 1844 and then the first-rate HMS ''Trafalgar'' at Sheerness in January 1845 and finally the first-rate HMS ''Prince Regent'' in the

Channel Squadron Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

in December 1847. He went on to be commodore commanding the Channel Squadron with his

broad pennant A broad pennant is a triangular swallow-tailed naval pennant flown from the masthead of a warship afloat or a naval headquarters ashore to indicate the presence of either: (a) a Royal Navy officer in the rank of Commodore, or (b) a U.S. Na ...

in HMS ''Prince Regent'' in December 1849.

Senior command

Promoted to

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. It is often regarde ...

on 28 May 1853, Martin became Admiral Superintendent of

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is l ...

, hoisting his flag in the first-rate HMS ''St Vincent'' in November 1853. Promoted to vice-admiral on 13 February 1858, he became First Naval Lord in the

in March 1858. In that capacity he acted as a strong advocate for the procurement of Britain's first ironclad warship. Martin went on to become Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, hoisting his flag in the first-rate HMS ''Marlborough'', in April 1860. In that role he provided important assistance during the Italian disturbances in 1860 and 1861, reformed the system of discipline in his fleet and developed a comprehensive system of manoeuvres for steam ships. Having been appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

on 28 June 1861 and promoted to full admiral on 14 November 1863, he succeeded to the

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

cy on 4 December 1863: this had been conferred on his grandfather, but passed to Martin upon the death of his cousin, Sir Henry, the 3rd Baronet.Payson, p. 28 He went on to be

Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this offic ...

in October 1866 and was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 24 May 1873. He died at his home at Upton Grey near

Winchfield Winchfield is a small village in the Hart District of Hampshire in the South-East of England. It is situated south-west of Hartley Wintney, east of Basingstoke, north-east of Odiham and west of London. It is connected to London Waterloo a ...

on 24 March 1895.

Family

Martin married Anne Best, daughter of Lord Wynford, on 24 July 1826. Following her death in 1836, Martin married Sophia, daughter of Richard Hurt, on 21 May 1838. Martin left, besides daughters, one son, Sir Richard Byam Martin, who succeeded as the 5th Baronet.

References

Sources

William Loney RN
Career History * * *

Early career

Senior command

Family

References

Sources

Further reading