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Admiral Sir Roger Curtis, 1st Baronet, GCB (4 June 1746 – 14 November 1816) was an officer of the British Royal Navy, who saw action in several battles during an extensive career that was punctuated by a number of highly controversial incidents. Curtis served during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars and was highly praised in the former conflict for his bravery under fire at the Great Siege of Gibraltar, where he saved several hundred Spanish lives at great risk to his own. His career suffered however in the aftermath of the Glorious First of June, when he was heavily criticised for his conduct by several influential figures, including Cuthbert Collingwood. His popularity fell further due to his involvement in two highly controversial courts-martial, those of Anthony Molloy in 1795 and James Gambier in 1810. Ultimately Curtis' career stalled as more popular and successful officers secured active positions; during the Napoleonic Wars, Curtis was relegated to staff duties ashore and did not see action. He died in 1816, his baronetcy inherited by his second son Lucius who later became an Admiral of the Fleet. Modern historians have viewed Curtis as an over-cautious officer in a period when dashing, attacking tactics were admired. Contemporary opinion was more divided, with some influential officers expressing admiration of Curtis and others contempt. ==Early career== Roger Curtis was born in 1746 to a gentleman farmer of Wiltshire, also named Roger Curtis, and his wife Christabella Blachford. In 1762 at 16, Curtis travelled to Portsmouth and joined the Royal Navy, becoming a midshipman aboard HMS ''Royal Sovereign'' in the final year of the Seven Years' War. Curtis did not see any action before the Treaty of Paris in 1763, and was soon transferred aboard HMS ''Assistance'' for service off West Africa. Over the next six years, Curtis moved from ''Assistance'' to the guardship HMS ''Augusta'' at Portsmouth and then to the sloop HMS ''Gibraltar'' in Newfoundland. In 1769, Curtis joined the frigate HMS ''Venus'' under Samuel Barrington before moving to the ship of the line HMS ''Albion'' in which he was promoted to lieutenant.〔(Curtis, Sir Roger ), ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', William H. Whiteley, Retrieved 25 November 2008〕 Shortly after his promotion, Curtis joined the small brig HMS ''Otter'' in Newfoundland and there spent several years operating off the Labrador coastline, becoming very familiar with the local geography and the Inuit peoples of the region. In a report he wrote for Lord Dartmouth, Curtis opined that although the inland regions of Labrador were barren, the coast was an ideal place for a seasonal cod fishery. He also formed a good opinion of the native people, applauding their healthy and peaceful lifestyle.〔 Curtis made numerous exploratory voyages along the Labrador coast and formed close links with the Inuit tribes and Moravian missionaries in the region. His notes and despatches were presented to the Royal Academy by Daines Barrington in 1774, although accusations later surfaced that many of his observations were plagiarised from the notes of a local officer, Captain George Cartwright.〔 During his time in Canadian waters, Curtis became friends with Governor Molyneux Shuldham who became Curtis' patron and in 1775 assisted his transfer into HMS ''Chatham'' off New York. The following year, with the American Revolutionary War underway, Curtis was promoted to commander and given the sloop HMS ''Senegal''. Curtis performed well in his new command and a year later was again promoted after being noticed by Lord Howe. Howe made Curtis captain of his own flagship HMS ''Eagle'', and the men became close friends.〔 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「Roger Curtis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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