This article is about the English admiral, 1681–1750. For his cousin and brother-in-law, the English admiral, 1726–1816, see Sir Chaloner Ogle, 1st Baronet.
18th-century British Royal Navy officer and politician
Admiral of the FleetSir Chaloner OgleKB (1681 – 11 April 1750) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. After serving as a junior officer during the Nine Years' War, a ship he was commanding was captured by three French ships off Ostend in July 1706 in an action during the War of the Spanish Succession. Ogle was given command of the fourth-rate HMS Swallow and saw action against the pirate fleet of Bartholomew Roberts in the Battle of Cape Lopez in February 1722. The action was to prove a turning point in the war against the pirates and many consider the death of Roberts to mark the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.
In December 1741, Ogle was despatched with a fleet of some 30 ships to support Admiral Edward Vernon in his engagement with Spanish naval forces under Admiral Blas de Lezo off the coast of Colombia during the War of Jenkins' Ear. The attack on Fort San Lazaro was a disaster for the British forces and the Battle of Cartagena de Indias ultimately proved a decisive Spanish victory: 50 ships were lost, badly damaged or abandoned, and 18,000 soldiers and sailors died. Ogle went on to be Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.
Ogle was given command of the fourth-rate HMS Swallow in March 1719 and saw action against the pirate fleet of Bartholomew Roberts in the Battle of Cape Lopez in February 1722.[3] Ogle spotted three of Roberts' ships at anchor and initially pretended to flee: the pirate ship Ranger under Captain James Skyrme gave pursuit and was captured by HMS Swallow. Ogle then went after Roberts' flagship Royal Fortune which was anchored at Cape Lopez: Roberts tried to escape but Royal Fortune received a broadside from HMS Swallow as she passed and Roberts was killed in the action.[3] Ogle was appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath in April 1723, the only British naval officer to be honoured specifically for his actions against pirates.[4] The action was to prove a turning point in the war against the pirates[5] and many consider the death of Roberts to mark the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.[4]
Promoted to rear-admiral on 11 July 1739,[7] Ogle became second-in-command in the Mediterranean under Admiral Nicholas Haddock, with his flag in the fourth-rate HMS Augusta later that year, but then transferred to become third-in-command in the Channel under Sir John Norris, still with his flag in HMS Augusta, in 1740[8]
In December 1741, Ogle was despatched with a fleet of some 30 ships to support Admiral Edward Vernon in his engagement with Spanish naval forces under Admiral Blas de Lezo off the coast of Colombia during the War of Jenkins' Ear. Ogle arrived in April 1742 and, after a week of bombardment of the City of Cartagena, the British made preparations to land near an access channel, Boca Chica, with 300 grenadiers. The Spanish defenders of two small, nearby forts, San Iago and San Philip, were driven off by a division of three ships of the fleet under Ogle but the British naval force suffered some 120 casualties with the third-rate HMS Shrewsbury alone losing 100 killed and wounded as well as taking serious damage from cannon fire from Fort San Luis.[9] Although the grenadiers landed, the subsequent attack on Fort San Lazaro was a disaster for the British forces and the Battle of Cartagena de Indias ultimately proved a decisive Spanish victory: 50 ships were lost, badly damaged or abandoned, and 18,000 soldiers and sailors died.[10] In the recriminations after the battle Ogle was accused of an assault upon Edward Trelawny, Governor of Jamaica in August 1742; he was tried in court but no judgement was given.[11] Vernon was recalled and Ogle became Commander-in-Chief of the Jamaica Station again.[8][6]
In October 1714, Ogle married Henrietta Isaacson. After the death of his first wife, he married Jane Isabella Ogle (a cousin) in October 1737; there were no children from either marriage.[1]
^Rayment, Leigh. "Rochester (Kent)". House of Commons. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)