Peter Puget

Peter Puget (1765- October 31, 1822) was an officer in the Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of Puget Sound.cite book
author=Wing, Robert and Newell, Gordon
title=Peter Puget: Lieutenant on the Vancouver Expedition, fighting British naval officer, the man for whom Puget Sound was named
publisher=Gray Beard Publishing
year=1979|id=ISBN 0-933686-00-5]

Mr. Midshipman Puget

Puget's ancestors had fled France for Britain during Louis XIV's persecution of the Huguenots. His father, John, was a successful merchant and banker, but died in 1767, leaving Puget's mother, Esther, with two sons and three daughters. In 1778, twelve-year-old Peter entered the navy as a midshipman and served on the following ships:

* 1778: HMS "Dunkirk", an ageing 60 gun two-decker, Captain John Milligan. Harbour service.
* December 1779: HMS "Syren", frigate, Captain Edmund Dodd. Patrolled North Sea, battling blockade runners.
* 1780: HMS "Lowestoffe", 32, Captain Edmund Dodd, (transferred from "Syren"); bound for the West Indies squadron. There, Puget served with a small force of naval gunners reinforcing the garrison at St. Kitts, and survived the defence of Brimstone Hill against the vastly superior forces of French Admiral DeGrasse (see Battle of St. Kitts). Probably served in Rodney and Hood's victory of April 12, 1782 at the Battle of the Saintes.
* November 1782: HMS "Thetis", 38, Captain John Blankett; Gilbraltar and Mediterranean
* 1783: HMS "Europa", 64, Captain Vashon, flying the broad pennant of Commodore Alan Gardner; service in Jamaica. Met then-Lieutenant George Vancouver. Paid off in 1787.
* 1787: Rejoined Captain Dodd on the "Lowestoffe", but within two months, that was paid off too.
* 1788 (?): East Indiaman "Prince"

Lieutenant Puget and the "Discovery"

"(See also: Vancouver Expedition)"

Upon returning to England, Puget was assigned to the HMS "Discovery", temporarily as a Master's Mate, and then commissioned her 3rd Lieutenant on June 11, 1790cite web
url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mymhiwe:@field(DOCID+@lit(mymhiwef897p9m4div13))
title=Muster Table of His Majesties Sloop The Discovery
year=1791
accessdate=December 15|accessyear=2006
publisher=Admiralty Records in the Public Record Office, U.K.] to assist in its fitting out for an exploration of the South Pacific. During the Nootka Crisis, however, it was used as a depot vessel. When the crisis ended with the Treaty of Nootka Sound, the mission changed; the first priority was to physically accept possession of the Sound from the Spanish. An accurate survey the North American Pacific Coast, and other surveys, were important secondary missionscite book
author=Naish, John
title=The Interwoven Lives of George Vancouver, Archibald Menzies, Joseph Whidbey and Peter Puget: The Vancouver Voyage of 1791-1795
publisher=The Edward Mellen Press, Ltd.
year=1996|id=ISBN 0-7734-8857-X] . Because the Admiralty, following the Mutiny on the Bounty incident, had ordered, as a precaution against mutiny, that ships no longer make such long voyages alone, the armed tender "HMS Chatham" was assigned to the expedition, and "HMS Daedelus" was to bring supplies a year later.

In 1791, "Discovery" and "Chatham" sailed to Cape Town, Australia, Tahiti and the Sandwich Isles before starting a detailed survey of the Pacific North American coast, from the Columbia River to Alaska. Many features were named after friends or persons of influence. When it was hoped that the Georgia Strait and Admiralty Inlet might lead to the Northwest Passage, Vancouver anchored the ships near modern-day Seattle, Washington and set Puget in command of two rowing craft to survey south (May 20-27, 1792). In recognition of Puget's work, Vancouver named the south end Puget Sound; it is unlikely that either man realized this name would over time encompass the whole region. Puget was also involved in the exploration by small boat of the Columbia River; his name was applied to the tiny Puget Island opposite the Indian village at Cathlamet.

Puget was given command of "Chatham" when her first captain was murdered in Hawai'i and his replacement was sent with dispatches back to England.

Commander and Captain

While only a lieutenant-in-command of "Chatham", Puget served with distinction for the rest of the survey. He assisted Vancouver in negotiations with the Spanish at Nootka Sound. In 1795, the two-ship squadron returned to England by way of Cape Horn, capturing a Dutch East Indiaman along the way. Once home, Puget was confirmed in the rank of Commander.

In February 1796, Commander Puget was given the tiny "Adelphi" with which to protect a supply convoy to Gibraltar. To protect the return convoy, he fitted out an armed freighter, the "Esther", using his own funds. On the return voyage, he captured a Spanish merchantman and sent it ahead with a prize crew. Then his convoy was attacked by French frigate "La Bellona", and Puget interposed his tiny vessel to let the other ships flee. Puget then bribed the French captain (pointing out that he was unlikely to collect much in prize money) and brought his command home. Ironically, the British Admiralty found a way not to pay Puget prize money on the merchantman, although it did cover his expenses, including the bribe.

In 1797, Puget was given command of the sloop-of-war "HMS Raven" and join the fleet of Sir John Jervis. Jervis put him in charge of the "San Nicholas", a Spanish ship-of-the-line, still crewed by Spaniards; Puget suppressed a mutiny and delivered the crew to Lisbon.

* 1798: Captain of troopship "HMS Van Tromp"
* March, 1799: Flag captain for Admiral Whitshed on "HMS Temeraire", 98.
* 1800: Captain of ship-of-the-line "HMS Monarch", 74; served with the channel fleet until she was paid off in 1802, following the Peace of Amiens
* 1804: Flag captain for Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Graves on "HMS Foudroyant", 80; served in Channel blockade until seriously injured in 1805; sent home to recover
* February 1807: Captain of ship-of-the-line "HMS Goliath", 74.

In 1807, Puget played a decisive role at the Second Battle of Copenhagen. He lead an inshore squadron of shallow-draft vessels (including two bomb ketches) to disable the Danish gunboats and to cover the army's seaward flank in a manoeuvre similar to Nelson's action in the First Battle of Copenhagen. However, British public reaction to the second attack was unfavourable, since it was an attack on a neutral country; no fame attached to Puget's success.

hore career

* 1809: At the request of Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, Puget planned and assisted in the successful amphibious invasion of the Dutch islands of Walcheren and Vlissingen.
* 1810-1817: Commissioner of the Navy at Madras. He supervised naval affairs throughout much of India, fought the corruption endemic to supply practices, and developed the new naval base at Trincomalee.

Thereafter, Puget settled into family life, living in Bath, England for reasons of health. He was gazetted a Companion of the Bath in 1818 and, according to the rules of seniority, he was commissioned Rear Admiral of the Blue on July 19, 1821.

The "Bath Chronicle" memorialized him::"Died on Thursday 31st October at his home in Grosvenor Place, after a long and painful illness, Rear Admiral Peter Puget C.B. This lamented officer had sailed round the world with the late Captain Vancouver, had commanded various men-of-war and was many years Commissioner at Madras, the climate of which place greatly contributed to the destruction of his health."

Personal life

Peter Puget married Hannah Elrington on February 6, 1797. They had 7 sons and 4 daughters.

Their eldest son, Peter Richard Puget, went to America and became an actor. Other sons served in the British Army or Navy, one of whom (William David) retired as a Captain. The daughters all married and it is through one of them, Eleanor Catherine, came the only known descendent of Peter and Hannah Puget.

Hannah Puget never remarried, died on September 14, 1849, and is buried next to Peter, in the church yard of Woolley, in Bath. The original sarcophagus is heavily weatherworn, and has been supplemented by a bronze plaque donated by the Seattle Historical Society.

References

peter puget also sailed with captain cook.