Admiral Sir George Greville Wellesley (2 August 1814 – 6 April 1901) 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 junior officer he took part in the capture of Acre during the Oriental Crisis in 1840 and, as Captain of in the Baltic Fleet, he took part in the

Bombardment of Sveaborg The Battle of Suomenlinna (also known as the Battle of Viapori or the Bombardment of Sweaborg) was fought on 9–11 August 1855 between Russian defenders and a joint British/ French fleet during the Åland War. It was a part of the Crimean War. ...

in August 1855 during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

. He went on to be Commander-in-Chief of the

North America and West Indies Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the ...

and then Commander-in-Chief of 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 ...

but was relieved of the latter post by a court-martial after an incident in which an armoured frigate, which had been under his command at the time, ran aground at Pearl Rock off

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 ...

in July 1871. He was appointed First Naval Lord in November 1877 and in that capacity he secured a considerable increase in naval construction, for example on the ''Colossus''-class battleships, although some of these ships were of doubtful quality.

Early career

Born the son of Gerald Valerian Wellesley (brother of the

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...

) and Lady Emily Mary (daughter of

Charles Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan Charles Sloane Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan (29 September 1728 – 3 April 1807) was a British peer and Whig politician. Early life Cadogan was the only son of Charles Cadogan, 2nd Baron Cadogan and his wife, the former Elizabeth Sloane. His ma ...

), Wellesley joined the

in 1828. After initial training at the Royal Navy College at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and promotion to lieutenant on 22 April 1838, he was posted to the

first-rate In the rating system of the British Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a first rate was the designation for the largest ships of the line. Originating in the Jacobean era with the designation of Ships Royal capable of carrying ...

HMS ''Princess Charlotte'' in the Mediterranean Fleet. He transferred to the

fifth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower. Rating The rating system in the Royal ...

HMS ''Castor'' in March 1839 and took part in operations on the coast of Syria taking part in the capture of Acre in November 1840 during the Oriental Crisis. He joined the fifth-rate HMS ''Thalia'' 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 November 1841 and, having been promoted to Commander on 16 April 1842, he transferred to the brig HMS ''Childers'' also on the East Indies Station. Promoted to Captain on 2 December 1844, Wellesley was given command of the fifth-rate HMS ''Daedalus'' on the

Pacific Station The Pacific Station was created in 1837 as one of the geographical military formations into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. The South America Station was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast of ...

in July 1849 and then became Captain of HMS ''Cornwallis'' in the Baltic Fleet in February 1855 taking part in the

in August 1855 during the

. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in February 1856. He remained in command of HMS ''Cornwallis'' when she moved to the

in 1856 and then commanded the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

from 1857 until it became the ''Bombay Marine'' in 1862.

Senior command

HMS Hercules towing Agincourt 1871 by Charles Fitzgerald

Promoted to rear admiral on 3 April 1863, Wellesley became Admiral Superintendent at

in June 1865 and then Commander-in-Chief of the

, hoisting his flag in the ironclad frigate HMS ''Royal Alfred'', in June 1869. Promoted to vice admiral on 26 July 1869, Wellesley went on to be Commander-in-Chief of the

, hoisting his flag in the armoured frigate HMS ''Minotaur'', in October 1870 but was relieved of that post by a court-martial after an incident in which the armoured frigate HMS ''Agincourt'', which had been under his command at the time, ran aground at Pearl Rock off

in July 1871. It was not until the fourth day after the incident that the central battery ironclad HMS ''Hercules'' commanded by Captain Lord Gilford, using full engines and hauling on the anchors, managed to pull HMS ''Agincourt'' free using two chains. After that Wellesley was made Commander-in-Chief of the North America and West Indies Station again, this time hoisting his flag in the central battery ironclad HMS ''Bellerophon'', in September 1873. Promoted to full admiral on 11 December 1875, Wellesley was appointed First Naval Lord in November 1877. In that capacity he secured a considerable increase in naval construction, for example on the ''Colossus''-class battleships, although some of these ships were of doubtful quality. He retired in August 1879 and was advanced to

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 23 April 1880. In retirement Wellesley was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 21 June 1887 and became a Commissioner of the

Patriotic Fund Lloyd's Patriotic Fund was founded on 28 July 1803 at Lloyd's Coffee House, and continues to the present day. Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund now works closely with armed forces charities to identify the individuals and their families who are in urgent ne ...

in June 1888. He died at his home at Chester Square in London on 6 April 1901.

Family

In 1853 Wellesley married Elizabeth Doughty Lukin (c.1816 - 1906); they had one daughter, Olivia Georgiana.

References

Sources

*
William Loney RN
Career History , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wellesley, George 1814 births 1901 deaths

George Wellesley Admiral Sir George Greville Wellesley (2 August 1814 – 6 April 1901) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he took part in the capture of Acre during the Oriental Crisis in 1840 and, as Captain of in the Baltic Fleet, he took part ...

First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff Lords of the Admiralty Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of the Crimean War Royal Navy officers who were court-martialled

Early career

Senior command

Family

See also

References

Sources