Lord Thomas Cochrane

Lord Thomas Cochrane (1775-1860), 10th Earl of Dundonald, statesman, and British naval commander, known for his daring and successful career at sea. He was born in Annsfield, Lanarkshire, Scotland, and at the age of 18 he joined the navy on a ship commanded by his uncle, Alexander Cochrane. In 1800, as commander of the brig Speedy, Cochrane captured the Spanish ship El Gamo. This and subsequent missions made Cochrane famous as the most brilliant frigate captain of his time.

In 1806 Cochrane left the sea for politics and was elected to Parliament. His exposure of abuses taking place in the British navy made him unpopular with the government, and he was sent to battle in the Mediterranean Sea the following year. In 1809 he led a hazardous attack against the French in the battle of Aix Roads, for which he received a knighthood. In 1814 he was sentenced to prison, expelled from the House of Commons, and dismissed from the navy when he was accused (many say wrongly) of taking part in a plot to make money by spreading false rumors about the death of French emperor Napoleon I. Although officially reelected in 1815, Cochrane was still barred from entering Parliament. In 1818 he enlisted in the Peruvian rebel forces.

Cochrane served as commander of Chile’s navy between 1818 and 1821, fighting with Chile and Peru for their freedom from Spain. In this service, Cochrane captured the Spanish flagship Esmeralda in Peru and thus helped neutralize Spanish forces. In 1823 he transferred to the Brazilian service in the war of independence against the Portuguese and executed a brilliant series of raids. Soon afterward he commanded the Greek navy in its fight against the Ottoman Empire. He resigned in 1828, partly on account of the delay in the delivery of steam-powered ships, which he was the first to propose using in warfare. In 1832 Cochrane inherited the title of earl, although he continued to be known as Lord Cochrane. In the same year he received a pardon. He was also reinstated in the British navy and promoted to admiral. From 1848 to 1851 he was commander in chief in the West Indies.

Cochrane invented numerous mechanical maritime devices. His proposal for the use of sulfur gas in war, condemned as inhumane by a parliamentary committee in 1846, was revived in the 20th century and used in World War I (1914-1918). Cochrane published his life story, Autobiography of a Seaman, in 1859.