Patrick Campbell (Royal Navy officer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Patrick Campbell
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| Born | 1773 Argyll, Scotland |
| Died | 13 October 1841 Leamington Spa, Warwickshire |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1780s to 1838 |
| Rank | Royal Navy Vice-Admiral |
| Commands held | HMS Ariadne HMS Doris HMS Unite HMS Ocean HMS Thalia Cape of Good Hope Station |
| Battles/wars | French Revolutionary Wars • Capture of Désirée Napoleonic Wars |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
Sir Patrick Campbell (1773 – 1841) was an important officer in the British Royal Navy. He served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Campbell was known for his success in many small ship battles. He even survived two shipwrecks in one year! After the wars, he took a break from the Navy. Later, he returned to command ships at the Cape of Good Hope.
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Patrick Campbell was born in 1773 in Argyll, Scotland. His father was Colonel John Campbell. Patrick had two younger brothers who also became famous generals. One was Sir Colin Campbell. The other was General Frederick Campbell.
Patrick Campbell joined the Navy when he was young. When the French Revolutionary War began, he was promoted. In 1794, he became a lieutenant. Then, in 1797, he was promoted again to commander.
Commanding HMS Dart
From 1798 to 1799, Campbell commanded a ship called HMS Firm. After that, he took over the sloop HMS Dart. This ship was special. It was designed to fight close to shore.
Dart had 30 carronades, which are short-range cannons. It had no long-range guns. In 1800, Dart used its special weapons in an attack on Dunkirk. Campbell's ship was able to get very close to a larger French ship, the Désirée.
Even though the French ship was bigger, Dart fired into it. Campbell and his crew successfully captured Désirée and brought her out of the harbor. For this brave action, Campbell was promoted to post captain. He was then given command of the frigate HMS Ariadne.
Surviving Shipwrecks
In 1803, Campbell moved to command HMS Doris. He commanded this ship until it was wrecked. On January 21, 1806, Doris hit a rock in Quiberon Bay.
Luckily, the crew of Doris escaped safely. They went to a nearby ship, HMS Tonnant. But while transferring to another ship, Campbell's small boat overturned. Captain Jervis of Tonnant drowned. Campbell was rescued from the water. After this, he took command of the frigate HMS Unite. He commanded Unite in the Adriatic Sea.
Later Career and Retirement
In 1811, Campbell was given command of the large ship HMS Leviathan. He stayed on this ship until the war ended. In 1815, Campbell took a break from the Navy. He was also made a Companion of the Bath, an honor.
He lived at his home in Warwickshire until 1824. Then, he returned to the sea. He became captain of HMS Ganges. The next year, he married Margaret Wauchope. They had two children. His son, Patrick John Campbell, became a general. His other son, Colin Campbell, served in the Royal Navy.
In 1827, Campbell took HMS Ocean to help Edward Codrington in the Mediterranean. However, they arrived too late for the Battle of Navarino Bay. In 1830, Ocean was taken out of service. That same year, Campbell was promoted to rear-admiral.
Commander at Cape of Good Hope
From 1834 to 1837, he was the commander-in-chief at the Cape of Good Hope Station. He flew his flag on HMS Thalia. In 1836, he was knighted, becoming Sir Patrick Campbell.
After retiring in 1837, Campbell settled in Leamington Spa. He was also promoted to vice-admiral. Sir Patrick Campbell passed away on October 13, 1841, at his home.
