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Greatest Admiral's


Ryga

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Hey Captains I would like to make a list of the greatest admirals (per country) of the age of sail.

But I ofcourse not know a lot of them, so will you guys help me?

 

Here it is currently:

 

The Netherlands

 

Michiel de Ruyter1607-1676 (aged 69) ~  - Greatest admiral of this nation -                     

 

Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp    ~ 1598-1653 (aged 55) ~

Piet Hein                                     ~ 1577-1629 (aged 51) ~                                 

Cornelis de Witt                          ~ 1623-1672 (aged 49) ~

Witte de With  -  Dubbel-wit        ~ 1599-1658 (aged 59) ~

Jacob van Heemskerck              ~ 1567-1607 (aged 40) ~

Johan Evertsen                          ~ 1600-1666 (aged 66) ~

Cornelis Evertsen                       ~ 1610-1666 (aged 56) ~ 

Cornelis Tromp                           ~ 1629-1691 (aged 61) ~

Willem Josheph van Ghent         ~ 1626-1672 (aged 46) ~

Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam   ~ 1610-1665 (aged 54/55) ~

 

 

Great Britain

 

Horatio Nelson  ~ 1758-1805 (aged 47) ~  - Greatest admiral of this nation -

 

George Rodney              ~ 1718-1792 (aged 74) ~

John Jervis                     ~ 1735-1823 (aged 88) ~

Cuthbert Collingwood     ~ 1748-1810 (aged 61) ~

Samuel Hood                 ~ 1724-1816 (aged 91) ~

Edward Pellew               ~ 1757-1833 (aged 75) ~

Robert Blake                  ~ 1598-1657 (aged 58) ~

Richard Howe                ~ 1726-1799 (aged 73) ~

George Anson               1697-1762 (aged 65) ~

Edward Hawke              ~ 1705-1781 (aged 76) ~

Edward Boscawen         ~ 1711-1761 (aged 60) ~

Adam Duncan                ~ 1731-1804 (aged c.73) ~

William Cornwallis          ~ 1744-1819 (aged c.75) ~

Richard Kempenfelt       ~ 1718-1782 (aged c.64) ~

Augustus Keppel            ~ 1725-1786 (aged 61) ~

Josias Rowley                ~ 1765-1842 (aged c.77) ~

 

 

France

 

Pierre André de Suffrén ~ 1729-1788 (aged 59) ~  - Greatest admiral of this nation -                     

 

Comte de Grasse              ~ 1723-1788 (aged 65) ~

Comte d'Estaing                ~ 1729-1794 (aged 64) ~

Abraham Duquesne          ~ 1610-1688 (aged c. 78) ~

Anne Hilarion de Tourville ~ 1642-1701 (aged 58) ~

Jean Bart                           ~ 1650-1702 (aged 51) ~

Latouche-Tréville               ~ 1745-1804 (aged 59) ~

Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville ~ 1661-1706 (aged 44)   ~

 

 

Spain

 

Blas de Lezo ~1689-1741 (aged 52) ~ - Greatest admiral of this nation -

 

Cosme Damián Churruca                 ~ 1761-1805 (aged 44) ~

Dionisio Alcalá Galiano                     ~ 1760-1805 (aged 45) ~

Ignacio María de Álava                     ~ 1750-1817 (aged 66) ~

Federico Gravina                              ~ 1756-1806 (aged 49) ~ 

Álvaro de Bazán                                ~ 1526-1588 (aged 62) ~

Antonio Gaztañeta                            ~ 1656-1728 (aged 72) ~

Jorge Juan                                        ~ 1713-1773 (aged 60) ~

Juan Ruiz de Apodaca                      ~ 1754-1835 (aged 80) ~

Antonio Barceló y Pont de la Terra   ~ 1717-1797 (aged 80) ~

Juan Leon Fandiño                            

 

 

Portugal

 

Afonso de Abuquerque

Domingos Xavier de Lima Pinto Guedes

 

 

Denmark [incl. Norway]

 

Niels Juel  ~ 1629-1697 (67 years old) ~  - Greatest admiral of this nation -

 

Peter Tordenskiold                   ~ 1690-1720 (aged 30) ~

Cort Adeler                               ~ 1622-1675 (aged 52) ~

Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve        ~ 1678-1719 (aged 59) ~

Peder Skram                            ~ c.1495-1581 (aged c.86) ~

Olfert Fischer                           ~ 1747-1829 (aged 81) ~

Christian Carl Gabel                ~ 1679-1748 (aged 68) ~

Ivar Huitfeldt                            ~ 1665-1710 (aged 45) ~

Søren Norby                            ~ 1470-1530 (aged 60) ~

King Christian IV                      ~ 1577-1648 (aged 70) ~

Herluf Trolle                             ~ 1516-1565 (aged 49) ~

Christen Thomesen Sehested ~ 1664-1736 (aged 72) ~

Steen Andersen Bille                ~1751-1833 (aged 81) ~

 

 

Sweden

 

Klas Kristersson Horn

 

 

Russia

 

Pavel Nakhimov           ~ 1802-1855 (aged 53) ~ 

Grigory Spiridov          ~ 1713-1790 (aged 77) ~

Fyodor Ushakov          ~ 1745-1817 (aged 72) ~

Dmitry Senyavin          ~ 1763-1831 (aged 67) ~

Fyodor Apraksin         ~ 1661-1728 (aged c.67) ~

Samuel greig               ~ 1736-1788 (aged 51) ~

Mikhail Lazarev           ~ 1788-1851 (aged 62) ~

Matija Zmajevic           ~ 1680-1735 (aged 55) ~

 

 

Venice

 

Sebastiano Venier

Lorenzo Marcello

Angelo Emo

 

 

United States of America

 

John Barry               ~ 1745-1803 (aged 58) ~

John Paul Jones      ~ 1747-1792 (aged 45) ~

Stephen Decatur Jr. ~ 1779-1820 (aged 41) ~

Isaac Hull                 ~ 1773-1843 (aged 69) ~

William Bainbridge   ~ 1774-1833 (aged 59) ~

Oliver Hazard Perry ~ 1785-1819 (aged 34) ~

Edward Preble         ~ 1761-1807 (aged 46) ~

 

 

- Random -

 

(Austria) Wilhelm von Tegetthoff     ~ 1827-1871 (aged 43) ~

 

 

 

Please post them below and I will add them, thanks! :)

Edited by Ryga
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Ryga you are Dutch right? Cornelis de Witt was also a good admiral, he was more a political leader turned into a admiral for short periods of time. He was the one leading the raid on the Medway. I have a good educational book on the "gebroeders De Witt" in that timeperiod, very interesting book, its called "De Ware Vrijheid" and its written by Luc Panhuysen. You should read that book :D. He also lead the Dutch fleet in the battle of Solebay.

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I did not know this, I indeed thought that he was solely a politician. Thanks :)

 

Btw. Looking forward to the movie 'De Ruyter' ?

 

Yes i also did not know that, but after reading the book i noticed more historical facts that i learned wrong in school  :D. I was even wondering if the book was correct, but everything written in that book is from historical documents. I know how unpopular "De gebroeders De Witt", Johan and Cornelis, are in Dutch history. Thats probably why you do not learn that in history class. Damn royalist!  :D

 

I do look forward to that movie! I heard they used the Batavia for that movie. And After seeing Master and Commander years ago its now time for another such movie!

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More Danish Admirals -

 

Cort Adeler - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cort_Adeler

Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve, Count of Samsø - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrik_Christian_Gyldenl%C3%B8ve,_Count_of_Sams%C3%B8

Peder Skram(16th Century) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peder_Skram

Olfert Fischer - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olfert_Fischer

Christian Carl Gabel(No English Wikipedia Page) - http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Carl_Gabel

Ivar Huitfeldt - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivar_Huitfeldt

 

Also, it's spelled "Tordenskiold".

 

For France -

Pierre André de Suffren - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Andr%C3%A9_de_Suffren

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Also add Witte de With, Jacob van Heemskerck, Johan Evertsen and Cornelis Evertsen. Also add Cornelis Tromp, not the smartest naval officer, but extremely courageous and never willing to back down from a fight even when faced with certain defeat. Fun fact: for 3 years he was the commander of the entire Danish fleet in the battles against the Swedish army and navy.

 

There are more Dutch admirals, but i do not have enough historical evidence to say that they where "Great Admirals". Some may say they do not belong in the list of naval heroes, for example: Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam was just a bad naval officer, who frequently lacked the knowledge or courage to win a battle or even do anything(Battle of Lowestoft). I think thats the same for other countries. So my point is that everyone here should do some research whether or not those officers belong in this list.

 

Very interesting figures to read about though!

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One Dane more -

Søren Norby - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Norby

 

A Spaniard -

Blas de Lezo - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blas_de_Lezo

 

Great Venetian Admirals -

Sebastiano Venier - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastiano_Venier

Lorenzo Marcello - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Marcello

Angelo Emo - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelo_Emo

 

Also, you might as well remove Sweden from the list. Sweden never had any great admirals.

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At least when I look at the Danes. Your list is not a list of Admirals, but of Naval heroes.

 

Peter Willemoes "only" commanded a floating battery.

 

Tordenskoild had most of his successes as the commander of a single frigate or a rather small force.(at dynekilden he had two frigattes and a few gunbardges)
but he later did become an admiral.

Personally I think Niels Juel is the greatest Danish admiral. In 1677 He defeated a huge Swedish at the battle of "køge Bugt" and he did so by breaking the swedish line...

 

More than 100years before the Battle of the Saintes... where British like to brag about inventing it.

 

 

 

(Tordenskiold never commanders a very large fleet like what we see at "Køge Bugt")

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I think we can safely say that Michiel de Ruyter was the greatest dutch admiral. Horatio Nelson for england?

Btw can we also get some great portuguese and swedish admirals? I'm sure they had some. :)

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I think we can safely say that Michiel de Ruyter was the greatest dutch admiral. Horatio Nelson for england?

Btw can we also get some great portuguese and swedish admirals? I'm sure they had some. :)

I can find some Portugese, but I was serious when I said Sweden never has had any great admirals. The Swedish Navy has always been mediocre. (I might be a little biased as a Dane).

 

A Portugese Admiral -

Afonso de Abuquerque - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afonso_de_Albuquerque

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How can you possible think that? We haven't been at war for 200years...

But during the 1500-1814 we where at war for a bit more than 50 years in total. With huge changes of borders, much plundering and forced change of cultures that  border ethnic cleansing.

(yes the Brits and French fought a lot... but their wars haven't in the same way effected borders for the "mother countries" but mostly colonies)

 

If the Kalmar union had not been broken by the evil Swedes the union could have ended up as one of the European great powers.
(to be fair, they had pretty good reasons for the rebellion)

 

But in the mid 19th century there where a few times where the two might have merged in one Scandinavian country in a peaceful way and a number of Swedish volunteers fought for Denmark in the two Sleswig wars. (1848-1850 and in 1864)

 

So I actually think we should join forces and hate the Dutch... since they supported one.. then the other and even changed sides during the same war... in a very well played game to make sure none of the two won a complete victory and removed the other from the map.

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No Robert Blake?

 

That man crossed paths with Tromp on more than one occasion  :P

 

Moreover:

 

 

 

Blake is often referred to as the 'Father of the Royal Navy'. As well as being largely responsible for building the largest navy the country had then ever known, from a few tens of ships to well over a hundred, he was first to keep a fleet at sea over the winter. Blake also produced the Navy's first ever set of rules and regulations, The Laws of War and Ordinances of the Sea, the first version of which, containing 20 provisions, was passed by the House of Commons on 5 March 1649, with a printed version published in 1652 as The Laws of War and Ordinances of the Sea (Ordained and Established by the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England), listing 39 offences and their punishments — mostly death. The Instructions of the Admirals and generals of the Fleet for Councils of War, issued in 1653 by Blake, George Monck, John Disbrowe and William Penn, also instituted the first naval courts-martial in the English navy.

Blake developed new techniques to conduct blockades and landings; his Sailing instructions and Fighting Instructions, which were major overhauls of naval tactics written while recovering from injury in 1653, were the foundation of English Naval tactics in the Age of Sail. Blake's Fighting Instructions, issued by the Generals at Sea on 29 March 1653, are the first known instructions to be written in any language to adopt the use of the single line ahead battle formation Blake was also the first to repeatedly successfully attack despite fire from shore forts.

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