William Bain (1771 – 11 September 1853) was a Scottish steamship inventor, steamship captain, writer, and British naval officer.
[1] After serving as a Master in the Royal Navy, he was employed as the first steam captain between London and Edinburgh; piloting a vessel of his own original design, the Tourist.
[2] Born in Culross, Perthshire, Bain joined the Royal Navy in 1793.
His first post was on the HMS Centurion; serving on that vessel under the command of John MacBride during the Siege of Dunkirk.
In 1800 he was involved in a five month long naval blockade of Batavia, Dutch East Indies.