George Collier
Sir George Collier was a Royal Navy officer and politician who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. As commander of the fourth-rate ship, he was one of the most successful British naval commanders during the opening stages of war with America. He achieved considerable success as one of the senior officers on the North American coast, conducting and organizing several highly effective raids and counter-strikes. He was superseded however, and returned to Britain to play a role in the closing events of the war in European waters, before moving ashore to start a political career. He enjoyed a brief return to service with the resumption of war with France, and achieved flag rank, but died shortly afterwards.
Early life
George Collier was born on 11 May 1732 in Honiton, Devon, elder son of George Collier and Henrietta unknown. He was baptised Francis Lewis George, son of George and Henrietta Collier, on 21 May 1732 in Westminster, London.. On 9 January 1754 he passed the required examination and was appointed Lieutenant being 'over 21'.. He was born into a middle-class family and entered the Royal Navy in 1751. He served initially on the Home station, and in the East Indies with Sir George Pocock during the Seven Years' War. He was promoted to commander on 6 August 1761, and then to post-captain on 12 July 1762 with the frigate as his first command. With the conclusion of the Treaty of Paris and the end of the Seven Years' War, Boulogne was paid off and Collier was given command of the Plymouth guardship, where he would remain for the next three years. The command of a series of frigates followed in quick succession,, and HMS Flora.American War of Independence
With the outbreak of the American War of Independence Collier was despatched to the North American station, where he performed a number of successful services that led to the conferring of a knighthood in 1775. He was then appointed commander of the 44-gun fourth-rate ship and sailed for North America in May 1776. Upon his return to the American colonies, Collier provided support for General William Howe's landing at Long Island, New York on 22 August 1776. Sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia as a senior officer by Admiral Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, Collier captured the American 32-gun frigate on 8 July 1777 after a long chase. Collier followed up on his success the following month by destroying supplies at Machias, Maine, thereby ruining American plans for an invasion of Nova Scotia. He had already received the thanks of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia on 17 June 1777 for his efforts in securing the safety of the province.One anecdote of Rainbow during this period was written by Captain Alexander McDonald, paymaster of the 84th Regiment of Foot, on 20 December 1778:
Collier remained at Halifax until called upon to succeed the departing Admiral James Gambier as commodore and acting commander-in-chief of the North American Station on 4 April 1779. Collier duly moved to New York City and hoisted his flag aboard the 64-gun. The strength of his squadron had been drastically reduced by the departure of many of the ships to join the fleets of John Byron and William Hotham in the West Indies. Nevertheless, Collier organised and carried out the highly successful Chesapeake raid on the Virginia coast with General Edward Mathew commanding the army contingent. Anchoring his ships in Hampton Roads on 9 May, he landed 2,000 British troops and spent the next fortnight destroying ships and supplies for the Colonial army. They encountered no serious opposition, and returned to New York having destroyed over $1 million worth of supplies.
File:PenobscotExpeditionBySerres.jpg|thumb|Destruction of the American Fleet at Penobscot Bay by Dominic Serres, c.1779
On 30 May, Collier joined the British assault on Stony Point, New York providing support for Sir Henry Clinton, sinking an American rebel ship carrying loot and supplies removed from the fort. One of the few naval commanders able to get along with Clinton, Collier also provided naval support for William Tryon's raid of Connecticut ports in July before returning to New York in late-August. During this time he learnt that the Americans had carried out a combined land and sea assault on a recently established British outpost on Penobscot Bay. Collier gathered his forces and rushed to the scene in his flagship, supported by four frigates. He was unable to attack as soon as he arrived, being forced to wait for daylight to advance up the river. By the time he moved into the harbour, the Americans had re-embarked men and stores and withdrawn up the river. Collier gave chase, eventually forcing the Americans to burn their ships and flee into the woods. Four armed vessels nevertheless fell into Collier's hands, while the American fleet of 19 armed and 24 provision and transport vessels was destroyed. This decisively defeated the largest rebel naval force of the war, inflicting what was the United States' worst defeat at sea until the Attack on Pearl Harbor. When George III was informed of Collier's exploits, he said:
Replaced as commander-in-chief by Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot while at sea, Collier was recalled to Great Britain. He sailed home aboard, and arrived in Portsmouth on 29 November 1779. He assumed command of the 74-gun early in 1780. He commanded her in the English Channel, and participated in the relief of Gibraltar on 12 April 1781 with Vice-Admiral George Darby's force. While returning to England, Collier fell in with and after a short engagement captured the 44-gun Spanish frigate Leocadia. On his return he resigned his commission, having had some falling out or disagreement with the government, or the First Lord of the Admiralty Lord Sandwich.