James Athol Wood
James Athol Wood | |
---|---|
Hampstead, London | |
Allegiance | Great Britain |
Service/ | Royal Navy |
Rank | Rear-Admiral of the Blue |
Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath |
Sir James Athol Wood CB (1756 – July 1829), was an officer of the Royal Navy. After serving on merchant ships for the East India Company from a young age, he entered the Royal Navy in 1774. Wood served in the navy for almost his whole life, and took part in several of the wars fought by Kingdom of Great Britain throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century. During his career he was involved in several personal conflicts and feuds, which resulted in him being the subject of two courts-martial.
Biography
Early life and the American Revolutionary War
Born in 1756, James Athol Wood was the third son of Alexander Wood (died 1778) of Burncroft, Perthshire. He was younger brother of Sir Mark Wood, 1st Baronet, and of Major-General Sir George Wood. First going to sea, for the East India Company, in 1772, he entered the navy in September 1774, as able seaman on board the sloop Hunter on the coast of Ireland and afterwards on the North America station. In July 1776, as master's mate, he joined HMS Barfleur, flagship of Sir James Douglas at Portsmouth. In April 1777 he was moved into HMS Princess Royal, the flagship of Sir Thomas Pye, and from her was lent to HMS Asia, as acting lieutenant, during the spring of 1778. He rejoined his ship in time to go out with Vice-Admiral John Byron to North America, where, on 18 October 1778, he was promoted to be lieutenant of the 50-gun ship HMS Renown, with Captain George Dawson. After taking part in the Siege of Charleston in April 1780, Renown returned to England; for some months Wood was employed in small vessels attached to the Channel Fleet, but in November 1781 he was appointed to the 64-gun ship HMS Anson with Captain William Blair, in which he was in the Battle of the Saintes on 12 April 1782, and continued till the peace. The next two or three years he passed in France, and then, accepted employment in merchant ships trading to the East Indies, and later on to the West Indies.
The West Indies and shipwreck off Madagascar
When the fleet under
Early in 1798 he was appointed to the frigate
Feud with Duckworth and court-martial
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Admiral_Sir_John_Thomas_Duckworth_%281748-1817%29.jpg/220px-Admiral_Sir_John_Thomas_Duckworth_%281748-1817%29.jpg)
In April 1802 he was appointed to the 40-gun
Later years
Public opinion, however, ran strongly in favour of Wood, and he was at once appointed to Uranie, from which, a few months later, he was moved into HMS Latona, again attached to the fleet off Brest, and again sent with convoy to the West Indies, where in January 1807 he was second in command under (Sir) Charles Brisbane at the reduction of Curaçao — a service for which a gold medal was awarded to the several captains engaged. In December 1808 Wood was moved into the 74-gun ship HMS Captain, in which he took part in the Invasion of Martinique in February 1809. In July he was transferred to HMS Neptune, and sailed for England with a large convoy. On his arrival he was knighted, 1 November 1809, and in the following March he was appointed to HMS Pompee, one of the Channel fleet, off Brest and in the Bay of Biscay. On 10 March 1812 broad off Ushant he sighted a French squadron some twelve miles (19 km) distant. Of their nationality and force he was told by the frigate HMS Diana which had been watching them. It was then late in the afternoon, and when, about six o'clock, two other ships were sighted apparently trying to join the enemy's squadron, and that squadron wore towards him as though hoping to cut him off, Wood judged it prudent to tack and stand from them during the night. The night was extremely dark, and in the morning the French squadron was no longer to be seen; but the other two ships, still in sight, were recognised as English ships of the line.
The affair gave rise to much talk; Lord Keith was directed to inquire into it, and as his report was indecisive, the question was referred to a court-martial, which, after hearing much technical evidence—as to bearings, distances, and times—pronounced that Wood had been too hasty in tacking from the enemy, and that he ought to have taken steps at once to ascertain what the two strange ships were; but also, that his fault was due to "erroneous impressions at the time, and not from any want of zeal for the good of his majesty's service." That the sentence was merely an admonition which left no slur on Wood's character is evident from the fact that he remained in command of Pompée — sent to join Lord Exmouth's flag in the Mediterranean — till November 1815. On 4 June 1815 he was nominated a C.B.; on 19 July 1821 he was promoted to rear-admiral. He died at Hampstead, apparently unmarried, in July 1829.
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1900). "Wood, James Athol". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 62. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Further reading
- R. G. Thorne, 'Wood, James Athol', R. G. Thorne, ed., The history of parliament: the House of Commons, 1790–1820, 5 vols. (1986)
- Hansard's Parliamentary debates, 1st ser. (1803–20) (1812), 5.194–210
- W. James, The naval history of Great Britain, from the declaration of war by France in 1793, to the accession of George IV [5th edn], 6 vols. (1859–60)
- W. P. Gosset, Lost ships of the Royal Navy (1986)
- Letters and papers of Charles, Lord Barham, ed. J. K. Laughton, 3 vols., Navy RS, 32, 38–9 (1907–11)
- Selections from the correspondence of Admiral John Markham, ed. C. Markham, Navy RS, 28 (1904)
- J. Leyland, ed., Dispatches and letters relating to the blockade of Brest, 1803–1805, 2 vols., Navy RS, 14, 21 (1899–1902)
- "Obituary" in The Gentleman's Magazine, 1st ser., 99/2 (1829), 177–9