Kempenfelt

Kempenfelt, Richard, British naval commander, son of a military officer, a naturalised Swede, was born at Westminster in 1718, and, though he entered the navy in 1730, did not become a lieutenant till 1741 and a captain till 1757. He commanded the Elizabeth, 64, in Pocock's actions with D'Ache in 1758-59, and at Masida, and was captain of the fleet under Hardy in 1778, and under Geary and Darby. Made rear-admiral in 1781, he commanded a squadron which scattered a French convoy escorted by a powerful fleet, and captured several of the merchantmen. In the following year he shifted his flag to the Royal Georye, 100, and off Brest, with Admiral Barrenston, fought another action, which resulted in the capture of two line of battleships and eleven transports. His flagship, proving leaky, was ordered to be careened at Spithead, and, this operation being improperly performed, she, on August 29th, 1782, overset at Spithead, and went down with the admiral and above 1,200 persons, of whom 300 were women. Only about 300 were saved. A monument in memory of this awful catastrophe was set up in 1783 in the churchyard at Portsea. Kempenfelt was not only a brave, but also a scientific officer, and his death was a great loss to the service.