Francis Austen
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Admiral of the Fleet Sir Francis William Austen, GCB (23 April 1774 – 10 August 1865) was a British officer who spent most of his long life on active duty in the Royal Navy, rising to the position of Admiral of the Fleet. In October 1805, as commander of the HMS Canopus, a French ship of the line captured in the Battle of the Nile (as the Franklin), Austen was temporarily detached from Admiral Nelson's fleet for convoy duty in the Mediterranean and missed fighting in the Battle of Trafalgar. However, Austin did command the Canopus the following year in the Battle of San Domingo, leading the lee line of ships into the battle.
Austen's rapid early promotions were largely due to the patronage of the powerful Warren Hastings, who was a friend of the Austen family and was alleged to be the actual father of Frank's cousin (and later sister-in-law), Eliza de Feuillide.
Austen was brother to novelist Jane Austen, and likely the model for the character William Price in the novel Mansfield Park.
| Honorary Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Graham Eden Hamond, Bt |
Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1862 |
Succeeded by Sir William Parker, Bt |
| Preceded by Sir Graham Eden Hamond, Bt |
Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1862–1863 |
Succeeded by Sir Thomas John Cochrane |
