James Macnamara

Rear-Admiral James Macnamara (1768 – 15 January 1826) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Born into a naval family, Macnamara served in the East Indies during the last years of the American War of Independence, seeing action with Hughes at the Battle of Cuddalore. He received the acting rank of lieutenant during this time, but reverted to midshipman afterwards. He returned to naval service during the Spanish and Russian armaments, and was serving with Lord Hood aboard on the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. He saw action in the Mediterranean and was eventually promoted to his own commands. He achieved success as a daring frigate captain, serving with Nelson and making several hard-fought captures. He finished his service in the Mediterranean with action at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, and later served in the West Indies before the Peace of Amiens.

Macnamara found himself in trouble with the law after killing a man in a duel, but summoned a bevy of naval officers to testify in his defence, and was acquitted. He commanded a number of ships of the line in the following years, in the Baltic, North Sea and off of the French coast. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1814, but did not receive a seagoing command. He married in 1818 and died in 1826, having served with prominent naval officers like Hood, Jervis and Nelson in a long and distinguished career.

Family and early life Depiction of the Battle of Cuddalore, by Auguste Jugelet, 1836. Macnamara was born into a naval family in 1768 in County Clare, son of Michael Macnamara and Bridget Waters, and entered the navy in 1782 aboard the 80-gun . Gibraltar went out that year to the East Indies, flying the broad pennant of Commodore Sir Richard Bickerton. On his arrival he was transferred to the 74-gun , the flagship of the station commander, Sir Edward Hughes. Macnamara saw action at the Battle of Cuddalore on 20 June 1783 against M. de Suffren, in which battle Superb sustained losses of 12 men killed and 41 wounded. Despite these commands an official mistake meant that his commission as post captain was dated 6 October 1795. The French finally came out on the evening of the fifteenth day, and were engaged by Southampton, despite the French possessing considerably more firepower. Macnamara promptly took his ship in under the guns of the batteries, and apparently having been mistaken for a French or neutral frigate, closed to within pistol shot of the French ship, and demanded her captain surrender. Macnamara's later service with Nelson included the capture of Portoferraio, the evacuations of Caprera and Corsica, and expeditions against Piombino and Castiglione. Macnamara had already developed a reputation for intrepidity bordering on recklessness, and he displayed these qualities again in an attack on the 18-gun Spanish brig Corso in a strong gale under enemy shore batteries. During his time there he captured the 10-gun French privateer Echange, and on 20 October 1799 came across a convoy of Spanish merchantmen escorted by five frigates and two brigs. Despite the enemy's numerical superiority Macnamara attacked and captured one of the frigates, but was forced to abandon his prize after the other Spanish frigates came to her defence. Harsh words were exchanged, and the two parties fought a duel that evening at Chalk Farm. Both men were wounded, the colonel mortally. Macnamara was arrested on a charge of manslaughter and put on trial at the Old Bailey on 22 April. Macnamara defended himself from the charge on the grounds that he had received an affront and that it was necessary for him to challenge it in order to maintain his position as a naval officer. He summoned many of his naval friends, among whom Viscounts Hood and Nelson, Lord Hotham, Sir Hyde Parker, Sir Thomas Troubridge, Captains Martin, Towry, Lydiard, Moore and Waller; and General Churchill and Lord Minto, to testify in his defence. was present the whole time; his conduct I shall never forget, manly and decided, with great sensibility, more than belongs to his years.

Napoleonic Wars Macnamara returned to service with the resumption of the wars with France and took command of the 64-gun in June 1805 for service in the North Sea. He commanded her for two years on this station before taking command of the 74-gun . Macnamara served with the Baltic Fleet under Sir Richard Goodwin Keats in the Great Belt in 1808. During this service, he took command of a squadron of gunboats and attacked a Danish brig and cutter off Nyborg. In a fierce attack, in which seven Danes were killed and thirteen wounded to one British officer killed and two seamen wounded; both Danish ships were captured. They were found to be the 18-gun Fama and the 12-gun Salorman. Macnamara was then appointed to the 74-gun in 1809. This service took him back to the North Sea and then the coast of France. While commanding a small squadron blockading Cherbourg on 24 March 1811, he chased the French frigate Amazone off Barfleur, attacking the French ship and forcing her crew to abandon and burn her.

Flag rank and later life Macnamara was promoted to rear admiral on 4 June 1814, but never had an active command. He married Henrietta, the widow of Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. George Carleton, on 26 January 1818. Rear-Admiral James Macnamara died at Clifton, Bristol, on 15 January 1826 at the age of 57.