William Cornwallis

Admiral The Honourable
Sir William Cornwallis
GCB
Admiral The Honourable Sir William Cornwallis GCB
	Portrait of Cornwallis by Daniel Gardner
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	20 February 1744
Died	5 July 1819 (aged 75)
Relations	Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend
Nickname(s)	"Blue Billy" "Coachee", "Billy go tight" and "Mr Whip"
Military service
Allegiance	Great Britain ; 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;

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Admiral Sir William Cornwallis, GCB (20 February 1744 – 5 July 1819) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. 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.