HOBART PASHA, AUGUSTUS CHARLES HOBART-HAMPDEN (1822-1886), English naval
captain and Turkish admiral, was born in Leicestershire on the 1st of
April 1822, being the third son of the 6th Earl of Buckinghamshire. In
1835 he entered the Royal Navy and served as a midshipman on the coast
of Brazil in the suppression of the slave trade, displaying much
gallantry in the operations. In 1855 he took part, as captain of the
"Driver," in the Baltic Expedition, and was actively engaged at
Bomarsund and Abo. In 1862 he retired from the navy with the rank of
post-captain; but his love of adventure led him, during the American
Civil War, to take the command of a blockade-runner. He had the good
fortune to run the blockade eighteen times, conveying war material to
Charleston and returning with a cargo of cotton. In 1867 Hobart entered
the Turkish service, and was immediately nominated to the command of
that fleet, with the rank of "Bahrie Limassi" (rear-admiral). In this
capacity he performed splendid service in helping to suppress the
insurrection in Crete, and was rewarded by the Sultan with the title of
Pasha (1869). In 1874 Hobart, whose name had, on representations made by
Greece, been removed from the British Navy List, was reinstated; his
restoration did not, however, last long, for on the outbreak of the
Russo-Turkish war he again entered Turkish service. In command of the
Turkish squadron he completely dominated the Black Sea, blockading the
ports of South Russia and the mouths of the Danube, and paralysing the
action of the Russian fleet. On the conclusion of peace Hobart still
remained in the Turkish service, and in 1881 was appointed Mushir, or
marshal, being the first Christian to hold that high office. His
achievements as a blockade-runner, his blockade of Crete, and his
handling of the Turkish fleet against the torpedo-lined coasts of
Russia, showed him to be a daring, resourceful, and skilful commander,
worthy to be ranked among the illustrious names of British naval heroes.
He died at Milan on the 19th of June 1886.
See his _Sketches of My Life_ (1886), which must, however, be used
with caution, since it contains many proved inaccuracies.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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