John Balchen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir John Balchen
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Sir John Balchen, c.1695
by Jonathan Richardson the Elder |
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| Born | 2 February 1670 Godalming, Surrey |
| Died | 4 October 1744 (aged 74) Casquets, Channel Islands |
| Allegiance |  England Great Britain |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1685 to 1744 |
| Rank | Admiral of the White |
| Commands held | Greenwich Naval Hospital |
| Battles/wars | Nine Years' War War of the Spanish Succession * Battle of Vigo Bay * Battle at the Lizard * Defence of HMS Gloucester War of the Quadruple Alliance * Battle of Cape Passaro War of the Austrian Succession * Wreck of HMS Victory |
| Awards | Knighthood |
Sir John Balchen (born February 2, 1670 – died October 4, 1744) was a brave officer in the Royal Navy of Great Britain. He had a very long and important career during the late 1600s and early 1700s. During his time at sea, Balchen fought in many battles against the French and Spanish navies. He served for almost 60 years in three different wars.
Balchen was captured by the French twice during battles. Both times, he was found innocent of any wrongdoing and praised for defending his ships against much stronger enemies. He died when his ship, the huge 100-gun HMS Victory, sank near the Casquets in the Channel Islands. This happened while he was helping to stop the French from blocking Spanish and Portuguese ports during the War of the Austrian Succession.
Contents
John Balchen was born in February 1670. He was the only child of John Balchen and Ann Edspur who survived to adulthood. He was taught at home. When he was 15, Balchen joined the Royal Navy. Seven years later, he became a lieutenant.
Serving in the West Indies
For most of his early career, Balchen was stationed in the West Indies. This area was very dangerous for sailors because of diseases like malaria and yellow fever. Many sailors died there. However, Balchen was lucky and stayed healthy. Because so many officers died, those who survived were promoted quickly. Balchen became a captain at the young age of 27.
Nine Years' War Battles
During the Nine Years' War, Balchen served on ships like HMS Dragon and HMS Cambridge. He served under Admiral John Neville, who was very impressed with Balchen. Admiral Neville gave Balchen command of a captured French ship called HMS Virgin. Balchen safely brought this ship back to England, which helped him become a captain.
Family Life and New Wars
After the Nine Years' War ended, Balchen returned to England. He was placed in reserve, meaning he waited for his next assignment. While in England, he married Susannah Apreece. They had six children, but only two lived to be adults: Frances and George. George followed his father and joined the Navy. Frances later married Temple West, who also became a Vice Admiral.
War of the Spanish Succession Begins
In 1701, Balchen was back at sea. He commanded small fireships, HMS Firebrand and then HMS Vulcan. He was part of Sir George Rooke's fleet off the coast of Spain when the War of the Spanish Succession began. He likely took part in the Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702. In this battle, Rooke's fleet captured a Spanish treasure fleet. Balchen helped capture a French ship called Modéré, which he briefly commanded as HMS Modéré.
North Sea and African Coast
In 1703, Balchen moved to the 44-gun frigate HMS Adventure in the North Sea. This area was important for Britain because ships carrying naval supplies from Scandinavia often crossed it. However, this job didn't offer many chances to earn prize money (money from capturing enemy ships). The next year, he moved to the 54-gun HMS Chester. He was sent to the West African Coast, which was almost as dangerous as the West Indies. Balchen survived again and stayed on the Chester. He then helped protect convoys of ships going to Portugal and Virginia.
First Capture: Battle at the Lizard
Balchen faced his first defeat on October 10, 1707. His convoy left Portsmouth harbour and was attacked by a French squadron. This battle became known as the Battle at the Lizard. The French warships were larger and stronger than the British escort ships. However, Balchen and the other British captains bravely fought the French. This gave the merchant ships in the convoy time to scatter and escape.
The battle was very uneven. The French warships attacked three English ships for several hours, forcing them to surrender. Balchen's ship was among them, boarded by three French ships. Only one British warship escaped. Sadly, HMS Devonshire exploded, and nearly 900 sailors died. The French captured only 15 merchant ships out of hundreds, as most reached English ports safely.
Second Capture and Return to Service
Balchen was briefly a prisoner in France. As an officer, he was allowed to return to England on parole (a promise not to fight again until officially exchanged). A naval court cleared him of any blame for losing his ship and praised his brave defense. In 1709, he was officially exchanged for a French officer and returned to duty. He was given command of the new 60-gun HMS Gloucester.
In October, just hours into his first voyage on the Gloucester, the French commander Duguay-Trouin appeared again with five ships. Balchen could not escape. He fought the 74-gun French flagship Lis but was forced to surrender after his ship's masts were destroyed and it was about to be boarded. Balchen was exchanged almost immediately. Again, a court martial cleared him of any blame. For his bravery, he was given command of HMS Colchester in 1710. On November 9, he captured his first prize: a 20-gun French privateer ship that he outran in a storm.
Mediterranean and Piracy Patrols
In 1712 and 1713, Balchen served in the Mediterranean Sea. He returned home in 1713 and was unemployed for a while. When the War of the Spanish Succession ended in 1715, Balchen went back to sea. He commanded the 40-gun HMS Diamond. He used this ship to fight piracy in the West Indies until 1716. That same year, he received a shore job commanding the guardship HMS Orford in the Medway River.
War of the Quadruple Alliance
In 1718, another war began, and experienced officers were quickly sent back to sea. Balchen commanded the 80-gun HMS Shrewsbury in the fleet of Sir George Byng. When they arrived in the Mediterranean, Vice-Admiral Charles Cornewall made Shrewsbury his main ship, and Balchen became his flag captain.
Victory at Cape Passaro
In July 1718, Shrewsbury fought in the Battle of Cape Passaro. In this battle, a Spanish fleet was completely defeated. This was Balchen's first major naval battle and his first big victory.
Further Service and Promotions
In May 1719, Balchen was given command of the 70-gun HMS Monmouth. He served in the Baltic and North Seas until 1722. In 1722, Balchen took over the guardship HMS Ipswich at Spithead. In 1726, he returned to the Monmouth for more service in the Baltic. In 1727, Balchen was part of a mission to resupply Gibraltar, which was under siege. However, by the time his fleet arrived, the siege was over. In 1728, Balchen was promoted to Rear-Admiral.
In 1731, after commanding the 60-gun HMS Dreadnought, Balchen took over the 80-gun HMS Princess Amelia. He commanded her in support of a Spanish landing at Livorno. Balchen returned in December. In 1734, he was promoted to Vice-Admiral. He then spent the next five years at his homes in England.
War of the Austrian Succession
When the War of Jenkins' Ear with Spain began in 1739, Balchen commanded a group of seven ships off the Spanish Atlantic Coast. His job was to stop Spanish convoys. Balchen was almost caught by a stronger Spanish group of ships, which forced him to retreat deeper into the Atlantic. For several weeks, people in Britain thought his force had been destroyed. Eventually, he sent word to the Admiralty about his quick retreat.
Frustration Over Prize Money
For the next two years, Balchen mostly worked on convoy duty, protecting groups of merchant ships. He started to feel annoyed that younger officers, like Edward Vernon, were making a lot of money from prize money (money from capturing enemy ships). In 1741, he wrote to a friend:
"[We] have Nobody spoke of Now but Mr. Virnon; he has all the Glory, and success pursues him. The West Indie people will be so Rich there wont be Roome for them to purchase Lands; whilst I am forced to drudge from place to place for Nothing."
The Loss of HMS Victory
In March 1743, Balchen was given command of the Greenwich Naval Hospital. He also received a yearly payment of £600. Balchen didn't like being forced to stay ashore. He was even more unhappy when he was officially retired in April 1744, at the age of 74.
A Final Mission
However, two months later, Balchen was called back to the Admiralty. A fleet of 25 British and Dutch ships had been quickly put together. Their mission was to rescue a British squadron and convoy led by Sir Charles Hardy. This group was trapped in the Tagus River by a French squadron from Brest. There weren't enough experienced senior officers to command such a large fleet. So, Balchen was called back on short notice and was made a knight for his service.
| "He was retreating forever from the rage of the ocean, and from the dangers, difficulties and hardships, attending a sea-faring life. But when every danger was in appearance past, and every difficulty surmounted; when he was almost in sight of the harbour of repose, and the end of all his toils; a raging tempest blasted his pleasing hopes, and put a period at once to his life and worldly expectations." |
| The Life of Sir John Balchen, 1787. |
Balchen's fleet successfully drove off the French, who retreated without fighting. Hardy's convoy was safely escorted to Gibraltar. On the way to the Portuguese Coast, Balchen finally earned a lot of prize money. He captured six French merchant ships that were heavily loaded with goods from the West Indies.
The Storm and Shipwreck
On his return journey, in early October, Balchen's fleet was sailing through the Western Approaches when a terrible storm hit. The ships were scattered across the English Channel. One by one, they returned to England, damaged and leaking. A few days later, only HMS Victory was still missing.
Victory, Balchen's main ship, was one of the largest ships in the world at the time. It carried 100 guns. It was also quite new, having been finished less than seven years before.
Searching for the Victory
Smaller ships were sent across the English Channel to search for the missing battleship. It was last seen on the horizon on October 4. Captain Thomas Grenville of the frigate HMS Falkland landed at Guernsey in the Channel Islands to get supplies. There, locals told him that wreckage and part of a mast had washed up on the island's shores. Further investigation showed that the wreckage was indeed from the Victory. It was believed the ship had crashed into the Casquets, a group of rocks nearby.
Other wreckage washed up on Jersey and Alderney. People living there had heard distress signals (guns firing) the night before the wreck. However, they couldn't help because of the severe storm. All 1,150 sailors aboard Victory were lost; none were ever found. In 2008, the wreck of Victory was found about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Casquets.
Sir John Balchen's Legacy
Balchen's death caused great sadness in Britain. He was seen as a very skilled and experienced commander. People admired his knowledge of seamanship, battle tactics, and ship building. He was also very popular with the ordinary sailors. He had fought for them at the Admiralty on issues like allowing volunteer sailors to move to a new ship if their captain did, and giving trusted sailors permission to visit shore.
His widow received a yearly payment of £500 after his death. His son George was promoted to captain. Sadly, George died of illness in Barbados the next year, at only 28 years old. Balchen's daughter, Frances, married another British naval officer, Temple West.
A large memorial to Balchen was built in Westminster Abbey. It was sculpted by Peter Scheemakers and can still be seen today. The memorial remembers Balchen's career, his son's life, and also the 1,150 men lost on the Victory in 1744 who have no other permanent memorial. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography describes Balchen as "a hard-working, thoroughgoing professional, recognised for his readiness to accept duty whenever and wherever required."
In Popular Media
Actor Charles Gray played Admiral Balchen in the TV series Longitude in 2000.
