George Sayer

Rear-Admiral George Sayer CB (1773 – 29 April 1831) was a Royal Navy officer who twice became Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station.

Naval career Sayer joined the Royal Navy at an early age and first saw action in HMS Phoenix in the campaign against Tipu Sultan on the Malabar Coast. Promoted to lieutenant in July 1793, he was serving in during the Frigate action of 29 May 1794 when the Carysfort recaptured the French ship Castor.

He was given command of HMS Galatea in July 1805 and on 11 September 1805 shared with , Africaine, , , and the schooner in the proceeds of the capture of the brig Hiram. On 18 August 1806 Galateas barge, under Lieutenant M'Culloch, captured a schooner several miles up a river near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela.

Galateas boats captured the French corvette Lynx off Les Saintes on 21 January 1807. The boats, manned with five officers, 50 seamen and 20 marines, had to row for eight hours, mainly in the blazing sun, to catch her.

Sayer was also present at the capture of the Danish West Indies in December 1807. He returned to Britain in Galatea in 1809. In doing so, he escorted some East Indiamen to Bengal, one of them being Earl Spencer.

In August 1811 Sayer took part in the Invasion of Java under Sir Robert Stopford. In June 1813 he led a punitive expedition to Borneo to subdue the Sultanate of Sambas.

Following the death of Sir Samuel Hood in December 1814 Sayer became Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station. In June 1815 Sayer was succeeded by Sir George Burlton but in November 1815 Burlton died at Madras and Sayer again became Commander-in-Chief, remaining in that post until November 1816 when Sir Richard King arrived.

Sayer was appointed CB and became a Rear Admiral of the Blue in July 1830. He died, unmarried, at his home in Craven Street in London.

Footnotes