Sir John Hamilton, 1st Baronet, of Marlborough House

Sir John Hamilton, 1st Baronet (21 February 1726 – 24 January 1784) was a Royal Navy officer of the eighteenth century.

Hamilton fought in the War of Jenkins' Ear at the Battle of Cartagena de Indias in 1741 and then transferred to HMS Alderney where he participated in the unsuccessful Invasion of Cuba.

Given command of HMS Lizard to serve in the American Revolutionary War, Hamilton sailed to North America in 1775 and in December fought on land at the Siege of Quebec.

[1][5][6] By 9 December of the same year he was registered as an unrated member of the crew of the 20-gun frigate HMS Bideford, in which he sailed to the West Indies on 29 January 1744.

[1][7] He returned to his previous rank of midshipman on board the 20-gun frigate HMS Tartar, in which he served off South Carolina, on 16 May, before being promoted to acting lieutenant in the same ship on 5 January 1745/6.

The Seven Years' War having begun, Hamilton participated in an action between Colchester, the 28-gun frigate HMS Lyme, and two French warships of an equivalent size off Oleron on 17 May 1756.

[12] From Prince Edward he was then transferred to the 84-gun ship of the line HMS Royal William on 26 January 1762 to serve as her second lieutenant on the blockade of the Basque Roads, however this appointment did not last long; on 7 April of the same year Hamilton was promoted to commander.

[1][16] Hamilton spent the next four years on half pay before being ordered to take command of the 28-gun frigate HMS Lizard on 20 June 1775 after the start of the American Revolutionary War.

[18] Hector joined the squadron of Rear-Admiral Joshua Rowley stationed at Port Royal in March upon arriving in the West Indies.

[23] On 20 June Hector was part of a squadron led by Captain William Cornwallis that encountered a vastly superior force of French ships of the line off Bermuda and successfully kept them at bay throughout the day until they were able to withdraw.

[24] In October Rowley's squadron had just completed conveying a convoy of ships from Jamaica when they were caught in the Great Hurricane of 1780; Hector was totally dis-masted in the storm and received a large amount of damage to her upper deck, but Hamilton safely reached Port Royal on 26 October having thrown all but two of his ship's guns overboard to assist in the attempt to stay afloat.

He joined the squadron of Captain Robert Kingsmill intended to reinforce the East Indies Station, and they sailed on 18 January 1783; while sailing through the Bay of Biscay the ships were heavily damaged in storms and after Grafton lost all of her masts she was forced to return home; Grafton was paid off on 4 April.