Alexander Wilson (Royal Navy officer)

Rear-Admiral Alexander Wilson (12 January 1760 – June 1834) was a Royal Navy officer most notable for his rise to flag rank from his position as a common seaman.

The commander of Robust, Captain Alexander Hood, was impressed by Wilson's seamanship and appointed him to serve as his coxswain.

[4][5] He fought in Robust at the Battle of Ushant on 27 July of that year, in which the ship had five men killed and seventeen wounded.

Robust led the British line into the opposing French fleet, with Wilson serving as the signals midshipman during the battle.

The ship received the most damage among the British fleet because of her prominent position, but the descent of some fog made the battle an indecisive encounter.

[4][3] Robust was heavily damaged structurally at Cape Henry, and had to go into New York for repairs, with her crew thus missing the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September.

The ship returned to sea, still in a poor state, in October, forming part of the fleet that made an aborted attempt to save Lieutenant-General Lord Cornwallis' army at the Siege of Yorktown.

Robust was afterwards ordered to sail to England for further repairs, but was judged unfit to survive the crossing in her current state.

Wilson declined the appointment because he wanted to instead wait until his old captain Hood, now a vice-admiral, received a command which he could join.

[8][9][10] In August Wilson was given his first true command, the 16-gun sloop HMS Kingfisher, tasked with taking dispatches to Vice-Admiral Thomas Pringle in the North Sea.

[8][15] Having embarked a portion of Major-General George Ludlow's Guards Brigade, Trusty participated in the landings at the Battle of Abukir on 8 March.

[8][17] Wilson stayed on half pay until 1805 when he was chosen to replace Captain Josias Rowley as commander of the Wexford Sea Fencibles.

As such Wilson spent the entirety of the rest of the Napoleonic Wars with the Sea Fencibles, only relinquishing his position when the unit was paid off towards the end of the conflict.

[8][18] Wilson was highly disappointed to be put in this position; embittered, he believed that it had occurred because he did not have enough powerful support behind his career.