William Boys (Royal Navy officer)

Commodore William Boys (25 June 1700 – 4 March 1774) was a Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.

William Boys
Captain William Boys circa 1790
Born	25 June 1700
Died	4 March 1774
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Commodore
Commands held	HMS Greyhound HMS Princess Louisa HMS Pearl HMS Royal Sovereign HMS Preston Nore Command
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War

History

Promoted to captain, Boys joined the Royal Navy in 1717 and became a midshipman in the third-rate HMS Prince Frederick.[1] In June 1725 he was on board the South Sea Company slaver Luxborough Galley when the ship sunk following a fire and the six survivors only survived by cannibalism.[1] Promoted to captain he became commanding officer of the sixth-rate HMS Greyhound in June 1743, commanding officer of the fourth-rate HMS Princess Louisa in 1744 and commanding officer of the fifth-rate HMS Pearl on the East Indies Station in 1745.[1] He went on to be flag captain to Vice-Admiral Thomas Smith in the first-rate HMS Royal Sovereign in 1755 and commanding officer of the fourth-rate HMS Preston in 1759 and saw action during the Seven Years' War.[1] After that he became Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1760 and lieutenant-governor of Greenwich Hospital in July 1761.[2]

References

1. "William Boys". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
2. "William Boys". Historical Autographs. Retrieved 3 January 2015.