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Sir George Eyre, KCB, KCMG (d. 15 February 1839) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Red. Eyre served with James King in the Caribbean during the American War of Independence, seeing action in a number of engagements. With the conclusion of the war, he was based at times at Halifax, and later off the South American coast and in the Mediterranean. With the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, Eyre served in the Mediterranean and was involved in the Siege of Toulon, before being given his first command, the 14-gun brig-sloop . The command was short-lived, and ''Speedy'' was chased down and captured by a large French fleet. Taken into captivity, Eyre and his men endured harsh conditions until being exchanged back to Britain. Acquitted for the loss of his ship and given a new command, Eyre went out to the West Indies, but returned to Britain in 1799 and saw little further employment until 1806, when he joined the Mediterranean fleet and was active off the coast of Spain, supporting Spanish resistance to the French. In 1809 he went to the Adriatic and took part in the campaign there, helping to capture several islands. He launched an assault on Santa Maura and was wounded during the operations. After participating in the blockade of Corfu he returned to the Spanish coast and resumed operations there in support of the Spanish partisans. Returning to England again in 1811, he went ashore and was not actively employed for the rest of the Napoleonic Wars, though he received a knighthood and was later appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. He returned to service in 1823, commanding the South American station during a time of particular diplomatic difficulties, and on returning home in 1826 retired ashore owing to illness. He died in 1839. ==Family and early life== George Eyre was born the fourth and youngest son of politician Anthony Eyre, who had represented the constituency of Boroughbridge in a number of parliaments, and his wife, Judith Letitia. George's elder brother, Anthony Hardolph Eyre, also entered politics and represented Nottinghamshire during the 1800s.〔 George attended Harrow School and after spending several months at an academy in Chelsea, entered the navy in 1782.〔 His first ship was the 44-gun , under the command of Captain James King. They went out to Jamaica escorting a convoy, and remained in the area for the rest of the American War of Independence. On 2 March 1783, while sailing in company with , two ships were discovered anchored in Turks Island passage. On being spotted the two ships cut their cables and stood to the southwest, upon which ''Resistance'' promptly gave chase. The rearmost ship, carrying 20 guns, sprang her main topmast, and surrendered after ''Resistance'' came up and fired a broadside. She then gave chase to the other, carrying 28 guns, and after enduring fire from her stern chasers, came alongside and the Frenchman promptly surrendered. The ships were discovered to be two transports that had taken troops to Turks Island, garrisoning it with 530 men. One of the ships, the 28-gun ''Coquette'' was commanded by the Marquis de Grasse, nephew of the Comte de Grasse.〔 One or two days later ''Resistance'' fell in with a small squadron under Captain Horatio Nelson, consisting of , , and the armed ship ''Barrington''. Nelson decided to attack the recently garrisoned Turks Island, and 250 men were landed under the cover of supporting fire from the ships.〔 The French were found to be heavily entrenched, and the British withdrew after being unable to dislodge them.〔 With the end of the war Eyre returned to England with King aboard , but soon rejoined the ''Resistance'' and went out to Halifax to join Sir Charles Douglas.〔 As Douglas' flagship spent most of her time in port, Eyre was sent out to cruise on other ships, including under Captain Stanhope, and under Captain Thomas Foley. Eyre returned to Britain with ''Resistance'' in 1786, and the following year joined the 44-gun under Captain Francis Parry.〔 Parry went out as commodore to Guinea, but ill-health obliged him to resign his command, and Eyre went to Newfoundland aboard Captain Trigge's . Eyre joined Admiral Lord Howe's flagship during the Spanish Armament, and in November 1790 was promoted to lieutenant.〔 He then joined under Captain Edward Thornbrough, and after ''Scipio'' was paid off, under Captain Robert Stopford, in which he sailed to the Mediterranean.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「George Eyre」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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