Sidney Smith (Royal Navy officer)
Sir William Sidney Smith, KCB, GCTE ( born June 21, 1764 in London, † May 26, 1840 in Paris) was a British admiral.
Life
Smith was 1783 Commander, joined the services in 1788 in Sweden and distinguished himself at the Battle of Svensksund on July 9, 1790 against the Russians. After the peace of Värälä (1790 ), he joined the service of the Turkish fleet.
After the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, Smith returned to England and took part in the blockade of Toulon. In 1795 he came with his frigate under the French flag in the port of Brest, and so anxious accurate information on the French fleet.
The following year, Smith fell in front of Le Havre in the hands of the Republicans. After his escape, he was given command of HMS Tigre, a ship of the line with 80 guns, with which he moved in 1799 into the Mediterranean. Together with his brother James Spencer Smith, the British ambassador in Constantinople, Opel, he induced the Porte to form an alliance, which was aimed at the expulsion of the French from Egypt. He then sailed to the coast of Syria, seized on a French convoy near Haifa, Acre and supplied with guns and officers, so that Napoleon Bonaparte had to abandon the siege of the city (see Siege of Acre (1799 ) ).
Smith graduated in January 1800 with Jean -Baptiste Kléber the Convention of Arish, which was not confirmed by Admiral Elphinstone. In 1801 he returned to Britain, where he was in 1802 elected to the House.
In 1805 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and came with his squadron to Admiral Collingwood in the Mediterranean, the guarding of Sicily and the failure of the French told him to in the sea area of Naples.
In 1807 he was cruising off the mouth of the Tagus, and let the people displaced by the French Prince Regent John of Portugal, who had sought refuge with him, bring to Brazil. Later, Smith lived in France until William IV called him back to the UK and in 1830 appointed lieutenant general of Marine forces.
Smith was, however, soon returned to Paris, where he died on 26 May 1840.