William Cornwallis

The Honourable Sir William Cornwallis GCB
Admiral William Cornwallis after a Portrait by Daniel Gardner, Published in the Naval Chronicle
Member of Parliament for Eye
In office 1801–1807
In office 1790–1800
In office 1782–1784
In office 1768–1774
Member of Parliament for Portsmouth
In office 1784–1790
Personal details
Born	10 February 1744
Died	5 July 1819(1819-07-05) (aged 75)
Relations	Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend
Nickname(s)	"Blue Billy"[1] "Coachee", "Billy go tight" and "Mr Whip"
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	Royal Navy
Years of service	1755–1806
Rank	Admiral
Commands	HMS Wasp HMS Swift HMS Prince Edward HMS Guadeloupe HMS Lion HMS Canada HMS Ganges HMY Charlotte HMS Robust HMS Crown East Indies Station Channel Fleet
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War Siege of Louisbourg Battle of Quiberon Bay American War of Independence Battle of Grenada Battle of St. Kitts Battle of the Saintes Third Anglo-Mysore War Reduction of Pondicherry French Revolutionary Wars First Battle of Groix Napoleonic Wars

Admiral Sir William Cornwallis, GCB (10 February 1744 – 5 July 1819) was a Royal Navy officer. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British commander at the siege of Yorktown. Cornwallis took part in a number of decisive battles including the siege of Louisbourg in 1758, when he was 14, and the Battle of the Saintes but is best known as a friend of Lord Nelson and as the commander-in-chief of the Channel Fleet during the Napoleonic Wars. He is depicted in the Horatio Hornblower novel, Hornblower and the Hotspur.

His affectionate contemporary nickname from "the ranks" was Billy Blue, and a sea shanty was written during his period of service, reflecting the admiration his men had for him.^[2]