William Whetstone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Whetstone
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Sir William Whetstone by Michael Dahl
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| Died | 1711 |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of England |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1689 – 1707 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands held | HMS Portsmouth HMS Norfolk HMS York HMS Dreadnought HMS Yarmouth HMS Canterbury HMS Montagu Jamaica Station |
Sir William Whetstone was a brave officer in the Royal Navy a long time ago, in the late 1600s and early 1700s. He started his career and worked his way up to become a Rear Admiral. This means he was a very important leader in the navy.
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Who Was William Whetstone?
William Whetstone likely came from a family involved with the navy. His father, John Whetstone, was probably a naval officer too. William grew up in Bristol, a big port city in England.
Early Life and Family
Before joining the navy, William was a successful businessman in Bristol. He owned a merchant ship called the Mary of Bristol. He used this ship to trade goods with places like Virginia and Barbados. He traded many different things, including a type of fabric called serge.
William married a woman named Sarah around 1677. They had two sons and two daughters together. Their oldest daughter, also named Sarah, later married another naval officer named Woodes Rogers. William's first wife, Sarah, passed away in 1698.
William Whetstone officially joined the navy on July 30, 1689. His first job was to command a ship called the Europa. For the next two years, he helped transport supplies to Ireland.
First Commands and Recognition
After that, William briefly commanded HMS Portsmouth in 1691. During this time, a famous admiral named Edward Russell noticed him. Russell said Whetstone was "a good man."
William didn't have a job in the navy for a short time in 1692. But he returned to duty in 1693. He first co-owned a privateer ship called Delavall. Later, he was given command of HMS Norfolk, which was still being built in Southampton. After it was launched, he helped get a crew for the ship. He then commanded HMS York for about two years, from 1693 to 1695.
Adventures in the Atlantic and Caribbean
In 1696, Whetstone took command of HMS Dreadnought. He sailed this ship to Newfoundland and spent three years there. After that, he commanded HMS Yarmouth from 1700 to 1701.
Leading a Squadron to Jamaica
In 1701, William Whetstone was promoted to commodore. This meant he was in charge of a group of ships. He was given command of the York again and was sent to Jamaica with his squadron. His journey was difficult, and he had to return for repairs twice. Eventually, his ship was found to be too old for the long trip.
So, Whetstone took command of HMS Canterbury in 1702. He finally made it across the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in the West Indies in May. There, he joined a large fleet led by Vice-Admiral John Benbow at Port Royal. Benbow recognized Whetstone's skills and gave him the local rank of rear-admiral.
Facing the French in the West Indies
The War of the Spanish Succession had just begun. Admiral Benbow sent Whetstone with six ships to look for a French squadron led by Admiral Jean du Casse. They believed Du Casse might stop at Port St Louis in Hispaniola before attacking English and Dutch ships.
While Whetstone was searching, he led an attack on the town of Arecibo in Puerto Rico on August 5, 1702. English marines and sailors landed on the beach. However, they were bravely fought off by the local Spanish militia. The English force had many casualties and had to retreat.
Whetstone continued his search for Du Casse, but the French admiral had already left. It was Benbow who eventually found Du Casse. After a difficult battle, a wounded Benbow returned to Port Royal and met up with Whetstone.
Taking Command of Jamaica Station
Admiral Benbow was very ill after the battle. He ordered a court martial (a military trial) for some of his captains who had not followed orders. Whetstone was chosen to lead these trials because Benbow was too sick.
Benbow sadly passed away on November 4, 1702. William Whetstone then took over command of the Jamaica Station, which was the main naval base in the Caribbean. He held this important position until June 1703. During this time, he successfully fought and destroyed several privateer ships near San Domingo. He also tried to attack a French colony in Placentia, but bad weather and strong defenses stopped him. Whetstone returned to England in October 1703.
Rising Through the Ranks
In January 1704, Prince George promoted Whetstone to Rear-Admiral of the Blue. This promotion showed that his actions in the West Indies were approved. However, this caused some arguments because other captains, like Sir James Wishart, were skipped over. To fix this, Wishart was also made a rear-admiral and given a higher rank than Whetstone.
New Commands and Knighthood
Whetstone was given command of a squadron in the English Channel in March 1704. He was promoted again to Rear-Admiral of the White on January 18, 1705. Just a month later, on February 17, he was made commander-in-chief of the West Indies fleet again. Five days later, on February 22, he was given a special honor: he was made a knight. This meant he could now be called "Sir William Whetstone."
He sailed back to Jamaica on his ship, HMS Montagu, and arrived in mid-May. His ships were not very strong, which made it hard to attack large Spanish settlements. However, his smaller ships were able to capture several valuable prizes (enemy ships or goods). He tried to convince the governor of Cartagena to support the English side in the war, but the governor refused. Whetstone continued his efforts in 1706, working with Governor Handyside to persuade the Spanish colonies in Cuba and Cartagena to switch sides. Later that year, another officer, William Kerr, took over his command, and Whetstone returned to England in December 1706.
Final Years and Retirement
In May 1707, Sir William Whetstone was given command of a squadron to operate near Dunkirk. His job was to fight against a dangerous French corsair named Claude de Forbin. In June, he was ordered to escort a group of nineteen merchant ships from the Muscovy Company as far as the Shetland Islands.
Whetstone sailed with the convoy until they were well past Shetland, then he turned back for home. Unfortunately, after he left, the convoy was attacked by Forbin, who captured fifteen of the merchant ships. Even though Whetstone had followed his orders exactly, the Muscovy Company was very angry. A trial was held, and Whetstone was blamed for the attack. The Admiralty (the navy's leadership) tried to defend him, but in the end, Whetstone was made the scapegoat. He was removed from his command and never worked for the navy again.
Sir William Whetstone passed away in 1711. He was buried in Bristol on April 3, 1711. He had remarried to a woman named Mary (or Maria) and had another daughter named Mary. At the time of his death, he was owed a large amount of money by various people.
