Fleetwood Pellew

Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew
Fleetwood Pellew leading the boats of HMS Terpsichore against the Dutch in 1806, depicted by George Chinnery
Born	(1789-12-13)13 December 1789
Died	28 July 1861(1861-07-28) (aged 71) Marseilles
Allegiance	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Years of service	1799–1861
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	HMS Rattlesnake HMS Terpsichore HMS Psyche HMS Powerful HMS Cornwallis HMS Phaeton HMS Iphigenia HMS Resistance
Awards	Knighthood Companion of the Bath Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order

Admiral Sir Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew CB KCH (13 December 1789 – 28 July 1861) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was the son of Captain Edward Pellew, who later became an admiral and first Viscount Exmouth. The elder Pellew used his influence within the navy to secure positions for his two eldest sons in the service. Fleetwood received his first command when he was just 17, but seemed to justify it with his gallantry and daring, which won him the admiration of his father. His career was noted for a brief incident in Nagasaki harbour while in command of the frigate HMS Phaeton, an incident that was to have important implications for Anglo-Japanese relations. Fleetwood's doting father helped him rise through the ranks, but a tendency towards excessive harshness in command proved his downfall. He provoked a mutiny in 1814 and though he returned to sea in 1818, he received no further active commands after 1822 for thirty years. He briefly returned to service with the rank of rear-admiral and a post as commander-in-chief in the East Indies and China, but soon provoked another mutiny aboard his flagship, and was recalled. He never again served at sea, and died in 1861 with the rank of admiral.

Fleetwood Pellew was born on 13 December 1789, the second son and fourth child of Captain Edward Pellew and his wife Susan Frowde. He was educated briefly at Blundell's School, Tiverton. His father was promoted through the ranks of the service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and used his influence to find positions at sea for Fleetwood and his elder brother Pownoll. Fleetwood joined his father's ship, the 74-gun HMS Impetueux, as a midshipman in March 1799, and followed him to HMS Tonnant and then to HMS Culloden. The two sailed for the East Indies aboard the Culloden, where on 8 September 1804 Sir Edward made Fleetwood a lieutenant aboard HMS Sceptre.