Admiral 'George Anson, 1st Baron Anson'
PC RN (
April 23 1697 –
1762) was a
British admiral and a wealthy aristocrat, noted for his
circumnavigation of the globe.
Family and early career
George's father was William Anson of
Shugborough in
Staffordshire and his mother was Isabella Carrier, who was the sister-in-law of
Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, the
Lord Chancellor, a relationship that proved very useful to the future admiral.
George Anson entered the navy in February 1712, and by rapid steps became lieutenant in 1716, commander in 1722, and post-captain in 1724. In this rank, he served twice on the North American station as captain of
HMS ''Scarborough'' and of
''Squirrel'' from 1724 to 1730 and from 1733 to 1735. In 1737 he gained the command of the
ship of the line,
''Centurion'' 60. In 1740, on the eve of the
War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), he became commander (with the rank of
commodore) of the squadron sent to attack
Spanish possessions in
South America.
Voyage around the world
:''See main article,
George Anson%27s Voyage Around the World
The expedition failed to carry out its original ambitious scheme. Anson's ill-equipped squadron that sailed later than intended, consisted of six warships:
''Centurion'' 60 (his flagship),
''Gloucester'' 50,
''Severn'' 50,
''Pearl'' 40,
''Wager'' 28, and the sloop
''Tryal'', plus the two store ships
''Anna'' and
''Industry''. Successive disasters eventually reduced his force to just ''Centurion''. Two of his vessels, ''Pearl'' and ''Severn'', failed to round the Horn and returned home. ''Wager'' was wrecked off the coast of
Chile. The lateness of the season forced him to round
Cape Horn in very stormy weather, and the navigating instruments of the time did not allow for exact observations. By the time Anson reached the island of
Juan Fernández in June 1741, only three of his six ships remained, while the strength of his crews had fallen from 961 to 335. In the absence of any effective Spanish force on the coast, he was able to harass the enemy and to sack the small port city of Paita in
Peru (13 –
15 November 1741). The steady decrease of his crew by sickness, and the worn-out state of his remaining consorts, compelled him to collect all the remaining survivors in ''Centurion''. He rested at the island of Tinian, and then made his way to
Macao in November 1742.
After considerable difficulties with the
Chinese, he sailed again with his one remaining vessel to cruise in search of one of the richly laden
galleons that conducted the trade between
Mexico and the
Philippines. The indomitable perseverance he had shown during one of the most arduous voyages in the history of sea adventure gained the reward of the capture of an immensely rich prize, ''
Nuestra Señora de Covadonga'', possessing 1,313,843 pieces of eight, which he encountered off Cape Espiritu Santo on
20 June 1743. Anson took his prize back to Macao, sold her cargo to the Chinese, and sailed for England, which he reached via the
Cape of Good Hope on
15 June 1744. The
prize money earned by the capture of the galleon had made him a rich man for life.
Anson's chaplain,
Richard Walter, recorded the circumnavigation, which he included in ''A Voyage Round the World'' published in 1748. It is, "written in brief, perspicuous terms", wrote
Thomas Carlyle in his ''History of Friedrich II'', "a real poem in its kind, or romance all fact; one of the pleasantest little books in the world's library at this time".
Later career
Anson was
Member of Parliament (MP) for
Hedon for 1744 to 1747.
In 1747, Anson commanded the fleet that defeated the French Admiral de la Jonquière at the
First Battle of Cape Finisterre, capturing four
ships of the line, two
frigates and seven merchantmen. In consequence, Anson became very popular, and was promoted to
Vice Admiral and elevated to the
peerage as Baron Anson of Soberton.
Anson subsequently continued his naval
career with distinction as an administrator, becoming
First Lord of the Admiralty (1757–1762). Seven British warships have borne the name
HMS Anson in his honour.
In literature
★ His circumnavigation of the globe is the subject of the novels ''
The Golden Ocean'' and ''
The Unknown Shore'' by
Patrick O'Brian.
★ He is also mentioned in
Thomas Pynchon's novel, ''
Mason and Dixon''.
References
★
★
External links
★
Anson's Voyage Round the World, by Richard Walter, 1901, from
Project Gutenberg
★
Portait by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1755
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