Sir Andrew Leake | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Queen Anne's handsome captain[1] |
Died | 13 August 1704 off Málaga, Mediterranean Sea |
Allegiance | Kingdom of Great Britain |
Service/ | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1688–1704 |
Rank | Captain |
Commands | |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Knight Bachelor |
Captain Sir Andrew Leake (died 13 August 1704)[Note 1] was a Royal Navy officer of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, who distinguished himself at the Battle of Vigo Bay, during the War of the Spanish Succession. From Lowestoft, Leake joined the navy in 1688 under the patronage of John Ashby. Promoted to commander, Leake fought under Ashby as a supernumerary at the Action at La Hogue in 1692. His services at La Hogue brought him promotion to captain, and a series of commands that culminated in 1702 with Leake joining HMS Torbay. At Vigo Bay later that year Torbay broke the boom protecting a Franco-Spanish treasure fleet, resulting in the capture or destruction of the entire fleet. Leake was knighted for this, and went on to command HMS Grafton at the Capture of Gibraltar in 1704. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Málaga later the same year.
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