Benjamin Blake (admiral)
English naval officer (1612–1689)
Benjamin Blake (1612–1689) was an English naval officer who served under his older brother General at Sea Robert Blake during the English Civil War, the First Anglo-Dutch War, and the Anglo-Spanish War (1654-1660). After his naval service, he emigrated to the Province of Carolina where he and his family became planters and he himself became a local official.
Early life
Benjamin Blake was born in Bridgwater, England, to Humphrey Blake II (1563–1625) and Sarah Williams (1575–1683), being one of thirteen children. His elder brother Robert Blake led him into military service during the English Civil War in 1642.
Military career
Blake's early military career included service alongside his brother in the English Civil War as an army officer. During his career he served at the Siege of Bridgwater (1645). By 1647 he was transferred to the navy at the sponsorship of his brother, and given command of the fifth-rate HMS Paradox by 1649. He was subsequently given command of the fourth-rate HMS Assurance in 1650, serving in squadrons under his brother, Robert Blake. In an engagement off Lisbon that year he reportedly engaged a Portuguese vice‑admiral, boarding and sinking the vessel. By September 1652, Blake had been promoted to captain the HMS Triumph, one of the larger warships in the Commonwealth fleet.
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This entry incorporates text from “Benjamin Blake (admiral)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.