William SkipseyWilliam Skipsey was a Royal Navy officer who became commander-in-chief of the Cape of Good Hope Station.Naval careerSkipsey joined the Royal Navy in August 1769. He saw action at the Battle of Ushant in July 1778 during the Anglo-French War, at the Battle of Dogger Bank in August 1781 during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War and at the capture of Saint Lucia in 1795 during the French Revolutionary Wars. Promoted to captain in June 1801, he was given command of the third-rate HMS Hector in March 1802, of the fourth-rate HMS Centurion in May 1813 and of the fifth-rate HMS Maidstone in August 1814 before taking command of the fourth-rate HMS Leander in August 1815. He became commander-in-chief of the Cape of Good Hope Station in 1827 before retiring in 1828.