Thomas Cochrane: Craziest Sea Captain in History

The Sea Wolf adapted to a pre-existing style of irregular naval warfare to which it was not accustomed. On May 5, 1827, an attempt to liberate Athens by besieging the Acropolis ended in disaster, largely because Cochrane could not stop fighting with his fellow Briton, Richard Church, the man who had been appointed to lead the Greek army. . His collective failure to execute a successful invasion resulted in the deaths of thousands of Greeks. From that point on, Cochrane no longer played a major role in the Greek struggle for independence, although his participation in the war indirectly led to the intervention of the great powers of Great Britain, France and Russia, which defeated a Turkish fleet. -Egyptian in Navarino. in 1828, securing the independence of southern Greece.

However, the Sea Wolf's legacy at Hellas is considered a stain on an otherwise notable naval career. It would take Cochrane several years to recover from his failures in the Peloponnese, as he struggled with his own shattered sense of self-worth. His days of fighting were already over. As the years passed, the British Parliament that had originally expelled him from his homeland had begun to recognize his worth once more and slowly sympathized with him. On 2 May 1832, Cochrane was finally pardoned for the stock fraud and reinstated as an officer in the Royal Navy of Great Britain, and all the honors he had earned in the Napoleonic War were restored.

Cochrane was promoted to rear admiral in the British Navy. He never saw direct combat again and lived out his days in semi-retirement, where he continued his experiments with modern technology, investing funds in the continued research and development of steam engines. One of Cochrane's many legacies today is as a pioneer of military technology, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential men who helped Britain move from the age of sail to the age of steam. In 1860, an elderly Sea Wolf wrote an extensive autobiography of his life and adventures, the same tome we have referred to throughout this series.

That same year, his health began to deteriorate. And on October 31, while undergoing risky surgery for kidney stones, he died at the age of 85. The Sea Wolf's legacy still casts a long shadow over the nations for which he served. In Britain, he is considered perhaps the most daring commander of the age of sailing, and his adventures have directly inspired famous naval fictions such as the Horatio Hornblower series, as well as Master and Commander. In Chile, six boats, dozens of streets and a small town are named after him, while an impressive monument in Valparaíso has immortalized his role in the country's freedom.

Every year in May, representatives of the Chilean Navy perform a wreath-laying ceremony at his grave. Many in Peru and Brazil still today honor Cochrane's crucial role in freeing the nations from him. That ends our video about Thomas Cochrane, but we always have more stories to tell, so make sure you're subscribed and hit the bell button. Please consider liking, commenting and sharing; It's a great help. Our videos would be impossible   without our kind sponsors and YouTube channel members, whose ranks you can join via the links   in the description to find out our schedule, get early access to our videos, access our discord,   and much more.

This is the Kings and Generals channel and we'll see you in the next one.