William Essington

Sir William Essington KCB (c. 1753 – 12 July 1816) was an officer in the Royal Navy during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Sir William Essington
Bornc. 1753
Died(1816-07-12)12 July 1816
Nottingham Place
AllegianceUnited Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland
Service/branch Royal Navy
RankVice-Admiral
Commands held
Battles/warsFrench Revolutionary Wars

Napoleonic Wars

AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath

On 15 June 1795, he was in command of Sceptre at Saint Helena. There, with the assistance of several East Indiamen, primarily the General Goddard, he captured eight Dutch East Indiamen on their way back to Europe.

Essington replaced Erasmus Gower as captain of HMS Triumph on 4 June 1797.[1] Phillip Parker King named Port Essington, an inlet in Australia's Northern Territory, after Essington in 1803.[2] On 23 April 1804, Essington was knighted and promoted to Rear Admiral of the Blue.[3] He was present at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807, flying his flag aboard HMS Minotaur. He died at Nottingham Place on 12 July 1816 at the age of 63, with the rank of vice-admiral.

References
  1. James E. Oberg (1981). New Earths: Transforming Other Planets for Humanity. Stackpole Books. p. 29. ISBN 9780811710077.
  2. Jim Allen (2008). Port Essington: The Historical Archaeology of a North Australian Nineteenth-century Military Outpost. Sydney University Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-1920898878.
  3. Terence Grocott (1998). Shipwrecks of the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Eras. Stackpole Books. p. 9. ISBN 0811715337.
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