Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale

Admiral of the Fleet Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale, (3 February 1803 – 1 September 1878) was a Royal Navy officer and peer. As a junior officer he saw action supporting the blockade of Algiers by Greek revolutionaries in July 1824 during the Greek War of Independence and then took part in an operation to land a naval brigade in Brazil to protect Pedro I, the Emperor of Brazil, in the face of the Irish and German Mercenary Soldiers' Revolt. He also took part in the Battle of Luchana, an operation to defend the Port of Bilbao on the north coast of Spain, during the First Carlist War.

Maitland also fought at various battles during the First Opium War including the Battle of Canton at which he commanded the 1st naval battalion. He gave evidence to the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom and argued that building powerful ships was more important than building fortifications. He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station.

Early career

Born the only son of General the Hon. William Maitland (himself the fourth son of James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale) and Mary Maitland (née Orpen), Maitland joined the navy on 22 September 1816. Promoted to lieutenant on 16 May 1823, he was appointed to the frigate HMS Euryalus in the Mediterranean Fleet. In HMS Euryalus he saw action supporting the blockade of Algiers by Greek revolutionaries in July 1824 during the Greek War of Independence. He transferred to the guard ship HMS Superb at Portsmouth in December 1825 and to the second-rate HMS Ganges, flagship of Admiral Sir Robert Otway serving as Commander-in-Chief of the South America Station, in March 1826. He returned home when HMS Ganges became the guard ship at Portsmouth in 1829. He remained on the station and, after taking part in the Battle of Amoy in August 1841, fought at some of the later battles under Rear Admiral Sir William Parker including the Capture of Chusan in October 1841, the Battle of Ningpo in March 1842, the Battle of Woosung in June 1842 and the Battle of Chinkiang in July 1842 which ultimately led to the Treaty of Nanking ending the war in August 1842.

Maitland went on to be commanding officer of the third-rate HMS America off the coast of Portugal in November 1846, commanding officer of the first-rate HMS San Josef, flagship of Admiral Sir William Gage serving as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, in April 1848 and commanding officer of the second-rate HMS Impregnable, Gage's new flagship, in January 1849. Maitland gave evidence to the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom in 1859 and argued that building powerful ships was more important than building fortifications. and was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 28 March 1865.

Maitland was appointed First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the Queen on 22 November 1866. Promoted to full admiral on 8 April 1868, he retired in February 1873 and was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 24 May 1873. He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 27 December 1877 and died at his home, Thirlestane Castle in Berwickshire on 1 September 1878.

He was succeeded in the earldom by Charles Barclay-Maitland, his second cousin once removed.

Legacy Lauderdale Road in London's Maida Vale is named after him.