Sir William James, 1st Baronet

Who was Sir William James, 1st Baronet?

Commodore Sir William James, 1st Baronet, FRS was a Welsh-born British navy commander, known for his successful campaigns against Indian native navies.

The son of an impoverished miller from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, James ran away to sea in 1732, and by 1738 was commanding his own ship and serving in the West Indies. In 1747, he joined the East India Company and was appointed commodore of its Bombay Marine naval forces four years later.

He is particularly associated with an action on 2 April 1755 when, commanding the Bombay Marine Ship Protector he attacked and destroyed the fortress of Tulaji Angre, at Severndroog, in Konkan, along the western coast of India, between Mumbai and Goa. He had initially been instructed only to blockade the stronghold, but through his intimate knowledge of the rocky coastline was able to get close enough to blow up the fortress. Although the East India Company had spent considerable sums providing protection from piracy, he only received £100 in reward.