Naval Gold Medal

The Naval Gold Medal was a medal awarded between 1793 and 1840 to senior officers of the Royal Navy in specified actions.

Two different sizes were struck. 22 large-size medals were awarded to flag officers (admirals), commodores and captains of the fleet. 112 smaller medals were awarded to captains.

Selected recipients

• Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson was awarded three of the large medals, for the battles of St. Vincent, the Nile, and posthumously for Trafalgar.
• Philip Broke For his victory while commanding the 32-gun HMS Shannon, over the 38-gun USS Chesapeake on 1 June 1813, during the War of 1812.
• Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan
• Alexander Dundas Young Arbuthnott
• Robert Faulknor, commander of HMS Zebra for his attack on Fort Saint Louis (Martinique).
• John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
• James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier
• Sir Edward Hamilton, 1st Baronet
• Sir Charles Knowles, 2nd Baronet
• William Mounsey For an action on 6 July 1809 when, as captain of the 20-gun HMS Bonne Citoyenne, he captured the French ship Furieuse after a seven hour engagement. Furieuse also had 20 guns, but a much larger crew and a detachment of soldiers. In the battle, she lost 35 killed and 37 wounded. In contrast, Bonne Citoyenne had just one man killed and five wounded.
• George Murray
• Henry Paulet For an action on 10 April 1795 in which he captured the French 42-gun Gloire, with 275 men aboard. She had suffered casualties of 40 killed and wounded, while Paulet's ship, HMS Astraea of 32 guns and 212 men, had only eight wounded.
• Thomas Pringle for the Glorious First of June
• Sir Michael Seymour, 1st Baronet
• Robert Stopford for the Battle of San Domingo in 1806.
• Captain G. H. Towry of the 28-gun frigate HMS Dido and Captain Robert Middleton of the 32-gun frigate HMS Lowestoffe for the action on 24 June 1795 in which they captured the 42-gun Minerve and drove off the 36-gun Artémise.
• Charles Tyler

References

• Royal Navy (1850). The Navy List. H.M. Stationery Office. OCLC 1604131. http://books.google.com/books?id=wLPEY9cnmK0C.  This work contains (pp. 295–302) a complete list of medals awarded between 1793 and 1847.
• "The Naval Gold Medal". http://berryhillsturgeon.com/Archives/NapoleonOrders/navalgoldmedal.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-17.