Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet

The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797 by Robert Cleveley

Born the son of Richard Troubridge, a baker,[1] Troubridge was educated at St Paul's School, London.[2] He entered the Royal Navy on 8 October 1773 and, together with Horatio Nelson, served in the East Indies in the frigate Seahorse.[2] Promoted to lieutenant on 1 January 1781, he took part in the Battle of Sadras in February 1782 during the American Revolutionary War and the Battle of Trincomalee in September 1782 during the Anglo-French War.[2] His first command was the sloop Lizard in October 1782.[2]

Promoted to post-captain on 1 January 1783, Troubridge was given command of the frigate Active and was present at the Siege of Cuddalore in June 1783.[2] After that he transferred to the third-rate Defence.[2] In 1785 Troubridge returned to England in the Sultan as flag-captain to Admiral Sir Edward Hughes.[2] He was appointed to the frigate HMS Thames in 1790.[2] Appointed to command the frigate Castor in May 1794, he and his ship were captured by the French while escorting a convoy, but he was liberated soon afterwards.[2] On his return he was appointed to command Culloden, a third-rate ship of the line, in which he fought at the Battle of the Hyères Islands, led an unsuccessful pursuit of a French squadron in the Aegean Sea, and led the line at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, being commended for his courage and initiative by Admiral Sir John Jervis.[2] In July 1797 he assisted Nelson in the unsuccessful attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife.[2] In August 1798, when getting into position for the attack on the French fleet, Culloden ran aground on a shoal near the entrance to Aboukir Bay and was consequently unable to take any part in the Battle of the Nile. At Nelson's request, however, he was awarded the gold medal commemorating the victory.[3]

Troubridge then served in the Mediterranean and was created a baronet on 30 November 1799.[2] In February 1801 he joined the Board of Admiralty as First Naval Lord.[4] Promoted to a rear-admiral on 21 April 1804,[5] Troubridge was appointed to command the eastern half of the East Indies Station, and he went out in Blenheim[2] with his resignation from the Admiralty Board becoming effective in May 1804.[6] On his arrival the area of command was changed to that of the Cape Station. He left Madras in January 1807 for the Cape of Good Hope, but off the coast of Madagascar, Blenheim, an old and damaged ship, foundered in a cyclone and the admiral and all others on board perished.[3]

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Troubridge, Sir Thomas". Encyclopædia Britannica. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 311.
• Laughton, John Knox (1899). "Troubridge, Thomas (1758?-1807)" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. 57. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Crimmin, P. K. "Troubridge, Sir Thomas, first baronet (c.1758–1807)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/27765. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Rodger, N.A.M. (1979). The Admiralty. Offices of State. Lavenham: T. Dalton Ltd. ISBN 0900963948.

• O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). "Troubridge, Edward Thomas#cite note-Thomas Troubridge-1" . A Naval Biographical Dictionary . John Murray – via Wikisource.

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
• Leigh Rayment's list of baronets