John Benbow (10 March 1653-4 November 1702) was an English Royal Navy Vice-Admiral of the White who distinguished himself against the Barbary corsairs and in the War of the Grand Alliance and the War of the Spanish Succession, during which he was mortally wounded.
Biography[]
John Benbow was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England in 1653, the son of a Royalist soldier and the nephew of an executed Parliamentarian. His family's Cavalier heritage caused them to lose their wealth under the English Commonwealth, and Benbow joined the Royal Navy at the age of 25. Benbow fought against North African pirates during the 1670s and 1680s, rising in the ranks before leaving the navy in 1681 to captain merchant ships. He returned to the Royal Navy after the Glorious Revolution and fought at the Battle of Beachy Head, the Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue, and in attacks on French ports like Saint-Malo. Benbow was given command of the Royal Navy ships off France in 1695, distinguishing himself with fearless attacks on French ports even as his superior was criticized for being too cautious. Benbow was given command of the West Indies in 1698, and he was ordered not to assist the Scottish Darien Colony. In 1702, he was promoted to Vice-Admiral of the White, and he battled the French admiral Jean-Baptiste du Casse during the War of the Spanish Succession. On 24 August 1702, during the six-day Action of August 1702 off Santa Marta, he was mortally wounded by chain-shot to the leg and ordered the court-martial of several of his captains for refusing to follow him into battle. Benbow died of his wounds in Port Royal three months later, before two captains could be executed and others given commuted sentences.