George Camocke

Rear-Admiral George Camocke was an Anglo-Irish naval officer. Camocke was a Jacobite renegade who became an admiral for Spain.

Service to England Camocke was made a commander of the Lion, a 60-gun ship, and fought with her at the Battle of Beachy Head (1690) and at the Battle of Barfleur (1692).

Camocke became the commander of the Owner's Goodwill fire ship in 1695 and a promotion to the brigantine Intelligence followed afterwards. With Camocke aboard his new vessel, Intelligence bombarded Calais. In December 1697, she was decommissioned and Camocke's circumstances became grim. He repeatedly appealed to the Admiralty for assistance which he they soon granted him. He was then appointed to a guard ship but was not content to be stationed on an uncommissioned ship. Camocke sought help from the Admiralty again.

On 11 September, Camocke was appointed commander of the sloop Bonetta. In June 1702, Camocke was promoted in rank and took command of the frigate Speedwell that sailed along the coasts of Ireland. Over the next eight years, Camocke used the Speedwell successfully against the enemy's privateers. He became commander of the Monck (60 guns) in the spring of 1711 and once again captured troublesome privateers. Camocke wanted the Royal Navy sent to the Bahamas to force the reduction of trade between the West Indies and Guinea and had considered a 50-gun Cádiz ship for this task. Camocke held a junior command in the fleet that Sir George Byng destroyed near Cape Passaro on 31 July 1718. He escaped and returned to Messina. In mid-August, with respect to Camocke's rebellion, Byng wrote to Craggs and relayed the order that he had received—ignore Camocke when he came ashore.

While Messina was blockaded, several ships were captured trying to leave port. One of the ships, a small frigate sailed by Camocke, was captured in January 1718–19 by the Royal Oak but Camocke escaped. He was so scared that he left everything behind, including his treasonable papers. He made it to Catania.