George Townshend (Royal Navy officer)

The Honourable George Townshend
Born	29 October 1716
Died	August 1769 (aged 52)
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service / branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1729–1769
Rank	Admiral
Commands	HMS Tartar HMS Chatham HMS Bedford Jamaica Station
Battles / wars	War of the Austrian Succession Battle of Toulon Siege of Genoa Seven Years' War
Relations	Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend (father) Dorothy Townshend (mother)

Admiral The Hon. George Townshend (29 October 1716 – August 1769) was a British naval commander.

Naval career

Townshend was the eldest son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, and his second wife Dorothy, sister of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole.[1]

Townshend served in the Royal Navy and, having been promoted to post captain on 30 January 1739, he was given command of the third-rate HMS Bedford in 1743 and saw action at the Battle of Toulon in February 1744[2] before commanding British fleet at the Siege of Genoa in 1746 during the War of the Austrian Succession.[3] He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Jamaica Station from 1749 to 1752, and having been promoted to rear admiral on 6 January 1755, he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Jamaica Station again from 1755 to 1757.[4]

Promoted to vice admiral in February 1757 and to full admiral in 1765, he died in August 1769.[2]

References

1. Lee, Sidney, ed. (1899). "Townshend, George (1715-1769)" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 57. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
2. "George Townshend". Three Decks. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
3. Lodge pp. 201–202
4. Cundall, p. xx

Sources

• Cundall, Frank (1915). Historic Jamaica. West India Committee.
• Lodge, Sir Richard (1930). Studies in Eighteenth Century Diplomacy 1740-1748. John Murray.

Military offices
Preceded by Polycarpus Taylor acting	Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica Station 1749–1752	Succeeded by Vacant
Preceded by Vacant	Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica Station 1755–1757	Succeeded by Thomas Cotes