Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Thomas Pasley
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Portrait of Thomas Pasley by Lemuel Francis Abbott, painted 1795
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| Born | 2 March 1734 Langholm, Dumfriesshire |
| Died | 29 November 1808 (aged 74) Winchester, Hampshire |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1751 to 1801 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Nore Command Plymouth Command |
| Battles/wars | Seven Years' War • Sinking of Alcyon • Action off the Isle of Man American Revolutionary War • Battle of Porto Praya • Battle of Salandha Bay • Action off Havana French Revolutionary Wars • Glorious First of June |
| Awards | Baronetcy |
Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet (born March 2, 1734 – died November 29, 1808) was a very experienced British Royal Navy officer. He served with great courage in many battles. These included the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, and the French Revolutionary Wars.
When he was younger, he was known as a skilled officer on frigate ships. Later in life, he became a respected leader of a group of ships in the Channel Fleet. He received a special honor called a baronetcy after he lost a leg in a famous battle. This battle was called the Glorious First of June, and he was 60 years old at the time.
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Thomas Pasley was born in 1734. He was one of eleven children in his family. His family owned some land in a village called Craig, near Langholm, Dumfriesshire.
Thomas joined the Royal Navy in 1751 when he was 16. He started as a midshipman (a junior officer in training) on a ship called HMS Garland. His first captain was Maurice Suckling. Thomas later moved to a larger warship, HMS Dreadnought. His captain there, Robert Digby, was very impressed with him.
Fighting in the Seven Years' War
In 1757, Pasley became an acting officer on a ship called HMS Bideford. His job was to help protect a valuable gold shipment traveling from the West Indies to Britain. This was a dangerous trip because the Seven Years' War had just started. But the ship made it safely. Pasley then personally took the gold to London. Soon after, he was officially promoted to lieutenant.
Pasley continued to serve with Captain Digby. They joined a large warship, HMS Dunkirk. They took part in the Siege of Rochefort, where British forces tried to capture a French port but failed.
Later that year, Pasley got his first command of his own ship. It was a small fireship (a ship used to set enemy ships on fire) called HMS Roman Emperor. He soon asked to serve on a bigger ship. He joined his cousin, John Elliot, who was captain of the frigate HMS Hussar. In November, his cousin's ship destroyed a large French ship called Alcyon. In early 1758, they captured a French privateer (a private ship allowed to attack enemy ships) called Vengeance.
Pasley and Elliot then moved to a larger frigate, HMS Aeolus. In 1759, they captured a French corvette (a small warship) called Mignonne.
Battle off the Isle of Man
In 1760, HMS Aeolus was blown off course during its duties near France. It stopped at Kinsale for supplies. There, Captain Elliot heard a rumor about a French invasion force. He quickly sailed to try and stop them. Two other British frigates joined Aeolus. The three British ships attacked the French squadron (a group of warships) off the Isle of Man.
In a fierce battle, all three French ships were lost. Pasley bravely led the charge onto the French flagship, Marischal de Belle Isle. He helped capture the ship, and the French commander was killed. After this battle, Pasley became the first lieutenant on Aeolus. He spent the rest of the war in the English Channel and off the Spanish coast. He helped capture enemy merchant ships.
In 1762, as the war was ending, Pasley was made a commander. He was given a small ship, HMS Albany. His job was to protect merchant ships crossing the Irish Sea. In 1763, he continued this duty on HMS Ranger. He also helped catch smugglers between the islands.
In 1769, Pasley joined HMS Weazel. This ship was sent to the Guinea coast. The ship arrived during the rainy season and many sailors got sick with malaria. Many of the crew died. There were so few sailors left that Pasley had to take sailors from other merchant ships to get back to Britain safely.
Serving in the American Revolutionary War
After a short time on HMS Pomona in 1771, Pasley was promoted to post captain. He took command of HMS Seahorse in the West Indies. In 1772, he returned to Britain and married Mary Heywood. They had two daughters.
Pasley remained on half-pay (meaning he was still an officer but not actively serving) until 1776. Then, the American Revolutionary War began. He was given command of the ship HMS Glasgow.
His first job was to protect a group of ships traveling to the West Indies. He did this quickly and successfully. He stayed in the Jamaica area for two years. During this time, he captured many enemy ships. He earned a good amount of prize money from these captures.
In 1778, he returned to Britain. He was put in charge of a new ship, HMS Sybil. In 1780, he sailed to the Cape of Good Hope. He brought back documents and survivors from Captain James Cook's famous journey to the Pacific.
Battles with HMS Jupiter
For his good service, Pasley was given a 50-gun ship called HMS Jupiter. On this ship, he fought in several battles. He fought the French at the Battle of Porto Praya. He also captured a Dutch squadron (a group of warships) at the Battle of Saldanha Bay (1781). In both battles, Pasley was directly responsible for destroying or capturing many enemy warships and merchant ships.
In 1782, he helped Admiral Hugh Pigot travel to the West Indies. Then, he sailed near Havana. He destroyed seven merchant ships from an enemy convoy. He also chased away two large Spanish warships that tried to stop him. When the war ended in 1783, HMS Jupiter was taken out of service, and Pasley went back to half-pay.
The French Revolutionary Wars and Later Life
In 1788, Pasley's wife passed away. He rejoined the navy as a commander in chief at the Medway. He served on ships like HMS Vengeance and HMS Bellerophon. In 1794, when the French Revolutionary Wars began, he was made a rear-admiral.
Still on Bellerophon, Pasley commanded the front group of ships in the British fleet during the Atlantic campaign of May 1794. He led the fighting on May 28. He was also involved in the battle on May 29.
The Glorious First of June
During the main battle on the Glorious First of June, Pasley was badly wounded. This was when Lord Howe's British fleet defeated the French fleet. A cannonball hit Pasley's leg, tearing it off. He had to leave the battle early. Emergency surgery saved his life.
Pasley could not serve on a ship at sea again. But he was rewarded for his bravery. He received a promotion, valuable gifts, a special honor called a baronetcy, and other awards. He was later promoted again. In 1798, he became the Commander-in-Chief at The Nore. In March 1799, he became the Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth. However, his age and his injury prevented him from active service. He retired in 1801 as a full admiral.
Sir Thomas Pasley died in 1808 at his home near Winchester. He had no sons, but his special honor and estate were passed to his grandson, Sir Thomas Sabine Pasley, 2nd Baronet. His grandson later became an admiral too.
|image_caption Lemuel Francis Abbott - Thomas Pasley.jpg|Portrait of Thomas Pasley by Lemuel Francis Abbott, painted 1795 </gallery>
