John Hill (Royal Navy officer)

rdf:langString John Hill (Royal Navy officer)

rdf:langString Sir John Hill

rdf:langString Sir John Hill

rdf:langString Walmer Lodge, Deal, Kent

rdf:langString French Revolutionary Wars

rdf:langString Napoleonic Wars

rdf:langString

rdf:langString American War of Independence

rdf:langString Battle of the Nile

rdf:langString c. 1774

rdf:langString Rear-Admiral Sir John Hill (c. 1774 – 20 January 1855) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Hill entered the navy at a young age, probably after a period of being nominally on naval ships in order to gain seniority. He served on several ships during the years of peace between the end of the American War of Independence and the start of the French Revolutionary Wars, and was promoted to lieutenant shortly after the outbreak of the latter conflict. He served in the English Channel and the Mediterranean, and was one of the officers of HMS Minotaur at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. He was promoted to commander for his good service in the battle, but only commanded one ship, the troopship , before the Peace of Amiens. He distinguished himself in the service of the Transport Board during the Napoleonic Wars, overseeing the movement of troops to and from continental Europe and earning the thanks of Swedish royalty and the Duke of Wellington. Advanced to post-captain, he continued in this role for some years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, until being appointed Captain-Superintendent of Deptford Victualling Yard. The remainder of his career was spent ashore at the navy's dockyards, moving to Sheerness Dockyard and then back to Deptford. He was knighted for his services in 1831, and while at Sheerness in 1838, oversaw preparations for selling HMS Temeraire. He retired in 1851 with the rank of rear-admiral and died in 1855.