Rear Admiral William Whetstone had been given…
October 1707 CE
Rear Admiral William Whetstone had been given command of a squadron in May 1707, and ordered to operate off Dunkirk against Claude de Forbin, a dangerous corsair.
He had been ordered in June to escort a convoy of nineteen ships of the Muscovy Company as far as the Shetland Islands.
He had sailed with them until they were well past Shetland, before returning home.
The convoy had later been intercepted by Forbin, who was able to capture fifteen of the merchants.
Though the orders were at fault for being insufficient in their scope, and Whetstone had fulfilled them in full, the Muscovy Company is outraged.
A trial is held at which Whetstone is accused of leaving the ships to be attacked.
The Admiralty defends him, but eventually Whetstone is made the scapegoat.
He is dismissed from his command and receives no further employment.
Images
Sir William Whetstone by Michael Dahl, probably painted in 1707 (oil on canvas; 127 × 101.6 cm (50 × 40 in); National Maritime Museum
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