John Ford | |
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Born | baptised 17 December 1738 Shropshire |
Died | 14 September 1796 Kensington |
Allegiance | Kingdom of Great Britain |
Service/ | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1753–1796 |
Rank | Vice-Admiral |
Commands held | Hazard Venus Unicorn Brilliant Nymphe Polyphemus Carnatic Jamaica Station |
Battles/wars |
Vice-Admiral John Ford (fl.17 December 1738 – 14 September 1796) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Jamaica Station.
Ford went on to become Commander-in-Chief of the Jamaica Station with his flag in the fourth-rate Europa in 1793.[2]
During the Haitian Revolution, at the request of French Royalists he mounted a campaign against Saint-Domingue and Jérémie in the Caribbean.[3] Ford sent the frigates Penelope, Iphigenia, and Hermione, plus the schooner Spitfire, to the north side of the island where on 23 September 1793 the British captured four merchant vessels at L'Islet, and on the 29th seven at Flamande Bay. Also on the 23rd, the squadron directly under Ford captured Môle-Saint-Nicolas, where they captured amongst other vessels a schooner belonging to the French Navy named Convention Nationale; the British took her into service under her earlier name as HMS Marie Antoinette.[4]
Promoted to rear-admiral, Ford commanded a squadron commanded that accompanied Brigadier-General John Whyte that briefly captured Port-au-Prince in 1794. At the time some forty five vessels lay in harbour and these were all made prizes.[5]