Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Saunders Dundas, (11 April 1802 – 3 June 1861) 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 captain, he took part in the capture of the Bogue forts in January 1841, during the First Opium War. He was appointed to the command of the Fleet in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

, in succession to Sir Charles Napier, in February 1855 and led the naval support during the latter stages of 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 ...

, enforcing a strict

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...

and carrying out the bombardment of Sveaborg in August 1855. He was appointed First Naval Lord in the first Palmerston ministry in November 1857 and then, after stepping down to be Second Naval Lord during the second Derby–Disraeli ministry, he stepped up again to become First Naval Lord in the second Palmerston ministry in June 1859 remaining in office until his death. The Prime-Minister (Viscount Palmerston) described Dundas as "a most distinguished officer".

Early career

HMS Belvidera (1809) and USS President (1800)

The son of

Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville (14 March 1771 – 10 June 1851) was a British statesman, the son of Henry Dundas, the 1st Viscount. Dundas was the Member of Parliament for Hastings in 1794, Rye in 1796 and Midlothian in 1801. He was als ...

and his wife

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

(née Huck-Saunders), Dundas was educated at Harrow School and joined the

in 1817. 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 ...

he joined the frigate HMS ''Ganymede'' in the Mediterranean Fleet. Promoted to lieutenant on 16 June 1821 and to commander on 23 June 1823, he was given command of the sloop HMS ''Sparrowhawk'' on 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 ...

in June 1823. Promoted to captain on 17 July 1824, Dundas took command of the sixth-rate HMS ''Volage'' on the North America and West Indies Station in September 1825 and then of the third-rate HMS ''Warspite'' 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 December 1826. He became secretary to his father, who was serving a second term as

First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...

, in 1828. He went on to take command of the fifth-rate HMS ''Belvidera'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in November 1830 and the third-rate HMS ''Melville'', Flagship of the

, in September 1837. In HMS ''Melville'' he took part in the capture of the Bogue forts in January 1841 during the First Opium War. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 29 June 1841. Dundas returned to the Admiralty as Secretary to Lord Haddington, First Lord of the Admiralty, in January 1845 and became Captain of the second-rate HMS ''Powerful'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in January 1848.

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 4 July 1853, Dundas was appointed Third Naval Lord in the

Aberdeen ministry After the collapse of Lord Derby's minority government, the Whigs and Peelites formed a coalition under the Peelite leader Lord Aberdeen. The government resigned in early 1855 after a large parliamentary majority voted for a select committee ...

in January 1853 and then Second Naval Lord in the same ministry in June 1854. He was appointed to the command of the Baltic Fleet in the

, hoisting his flag in the first-rate HMS ''Duke of Wellington'', in succession to James Dundas in February 1855. Dundas led the naval support during the latter stages of the

enforcing a strict

in the Baltic. Dundas was hesitant but the French admiral Charles Penaud persuaded him to attack the Russian fleet in the harbour of Sweaborg on 9–10 August 1855. The British provided most of the attacking force. Much of the bombardment was done with smaller vessels that the shore batteries found hard to hit. Six Russians ships of the line and 17 smaller warships were destroyed, and the Russians suffered 2,000 casualties. The allies suffered one death, 15 wounded, and damage to only one British sloop. Dundas 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 5 February 1856 and became Second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet, hoisting his flag in HMS ''Duke of Wellington'', in April 1856. He was also appointed a Grand Officer of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

on 2 August 1856. Dundas was appointed Second Naval Lord in the First Palmerston ministry in April 1857 and then First Naval Lord in the same ministry in November 1857. Promoted to vice-admiral on 24 February 1858, Dundas stepped down to be Second Naval Lord in the Second Derby ministry in March 1858. He stepped up again to become First Naval Lord in the Second Palmerston ministry in June 1859 remaining in office until his death. He died, unmarried, of a heart attack at Spring Gardens in London on 3 June 1861. Later that day, the Prime-Minister (Viscount Palmerston) described Vice Admiral Dundas as: :"a most distinguished officer, who was for forty-five years in the service of his country, and who equally distinguished himself in every sphere in which he was called upon to act. He was eminent for the good discipline and order of the ships which he commanded, he was distinguished by the gallantry and good judgment with which he conducted every naval operation in which he was engaged, he was most valuable as a public servant in the direction of naval affairs at the Admiralty. Whether at the Council Board or on the quarter deck his merits were equally eminent, and his services were equally valuable to the country." His body was returned to the family home, and he is buried beside his father and grandfather in the Dundas Vault in Old Lasswade Kirkyard, close to Melville Castle.

References

Sources

William Loney RN
Career History * *

Early career

Senior command

See also

References

Sources

Further reading