Sir Isaac Coffin, 1st Baronet
He fought at Cape Henry with Arbuthnot and at St. Kitts with Hood, eventually being promoted to command a number of small ships on the American coast.Despite his rise through the ranks, he clashed occasionally with the naval hierarchy, with the first incident occurring while still a newly commissioned commander aboard HMS Shrewsbury.Restored to his rank, Coffin commanded several ships during the opening years of the wars with France, but the recurrence of an old injury forced him to move ashore.Retiring from active naval service towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars Coffin briefly changed his surname to Coffin-Greenly[1] before reverting it, entered politics, and died with the rank of admiral in 1839.[4] He went out with Adamant to North America the following month as a convoy escort, and in February 1781 transferred to the 90-gun HMS London, flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Graves.[7] His service aboard her was shortlived, for he and the entire ship's company volunteered to join Rear-Admiral Samuel Hood's flagship, the 90-gun HMS Barfleur.[2][3] Coffin was present at Hood's attack on the French fleet under the Comte de Grasse at Basseterre, the Battle of St. Kitts, on 25 January 1782.The commander of the fleet, Admiral George Brydges Rodney, ordered Coffin to take three lieutenants with insufficient sea time.[2][3] The trial was held at Port Royal on 29 July, with Coffin being acquitted of both charges, the court determining that 'the appointment of these officers by commission was irregular and contrary to the established rules of the service.[3] Coffin was left temporarily unemployed after the end of the American War of Independence, and spent some of his time in France, where he studied the French language.Though technically prohibited, the practice of entering boys onto ships' books as a means of giving them false sea time, was widespread throughout the service, and many naval officers began their careers in this manner.'[13] In other words, Howe's decision to overrule the sentence imposed by the original court-martial was ruled invalid, and Coffin was reinstated in the service, with the payment of arrears in his wages.[9][15] Coffin was appointed regulating captain at Leith in Spring 1795, and in October that year took up the post of resident commissioner of the navy at Corsica.[11] Both here and at Halifax Coffin seems to have acted under the belief, strongly expressed at the time by Admiral the Earl of St Vincent, that the yard officers were corrupt.[11] In this he was perhaps influenced by his own experiences with Admiralty law and the rigid hierarchy within the navy, but managed to undermine the efficiency of the dockyards with his overzealous application of the regulations.[9][17] Elizabeth was the heiress of William Greenly, and Isaac briefly changed his surname to Coffin-Greenly on 11 February 1811, but reverted to Coffin on 13 March 1813.[17] Greville recorded the result of one Parliamentary debate soon after his election: The Opposition were very angry with Sir I.Coffin, who, with the candour of a novice, had made himself informed of the facts of the petition, and finding they were against his friends, said so in the House.The imposing Greek Revival building in which it was housed after 1854 (and which prominently bears Sir Isaac's name) functioned for a variety of educational purposes throughout the twentieth century and is now used to provide services to Nantucket youth.
Gilbert StuartBostonProvince of Massachusetts BayBritish AmericaCheltenhamGloucestershireEnglandUnited Kingdom ofGreat Britain and IrelandRoyal NavyAdmiralHMS PacahunterHMS ShrewsburyHMS ThisbeHMS AlligatorHMS MelampusAmerican Revolutionary WarBattle of Cape HenryBattle of St. KittsFrench Revolutionary WarsNapoleonic WarsAmerican War of IndependenceFrench RevolutionaryCape HenryArbuthnotSt. KittsFirst Lord of the AdmiraltyLord HoweprecedentbaronetAmerican LoyalistfamilyTristram CoffinBoston Latin SchoolHMS Captainable seamanRhode IslandGeorge MontaguHMS KingfisherJohn MontaguHMS FoweyHMS DiligentHalifaxHMS RomneyNewfoundlandHMS EuropacutterThomas Pasley'sHMS SibylLabradorHMS AdamantLiverpoolPlymouthHMS LondonSir Thomas GravesHMS Royal OakMariot ArbuthnotEast RiverAlexander CochraneSt. John'sSamuel Hood'sHMS BarfleurComte de GrasseBasseterreAntiguaHugh Cloberry ChristianHenry HarveyTriomphantJamaicapost-captainGuy Carleton, 1st Baron DorchesterGeorge Brydges RodneyPort RoyalAdmiraltyFrench languageLord DorchesterQuebecScilly IslesGulf of Saint LawrenceMagdalen IslandsNew EnglandersSaint Pierre and MiquelonHMS DidoArticle of WarFlandersDenmarkSwedenRussiaSpanish Armamentsixth ratethe NoreSpitheadPhilip CosbyHMS FameGuernseyEarl of MoiraEnglish ChannelSir James WallacecorvetteCorsicaNaplesFlorenceLeghornLisbonNavy BoardsPort Mahon DockyardMenorcaSheernessHalifax DockyardResident Commissioner of the Navy at Sheerness Dockyardthe Earl of St VincentpressedPortsmouth DockyardAdmiral of the BlueTitleyMember of ParliamentIlchesterGrevilleKnight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic OrderLord NelsonDuke of Clarence1832 reform crisisCoffin BayGreenly IslandSouth AustraliaMatthew FlindersThe Gentleman's Magazine