Thomas Baker (Royal Navy officer)

Sir Thomas Baker
Rear-Admiral Thomas Baker (1771-1845)
Born	1771 Kent
Died	26 January 1845 Walmer, Kent
Allegiance	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Service / branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1781 – 1845
Rank	Vice-Admiral
Commands	HMS Fairy HMS Princess Royal HMS Nemesis HMS Phoebe HMS Phoenix HMS Didon HMS Tribune HMS Vanguard HMS Cumberland
Battles / wars	Battle of Cape Ortegal
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight of the Military Order of Wilhelm

Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Baker KCB (1771 – 26 January 1845) was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He had obtained his own command during the French Revolutionary Wars and was to play a part in bringing about three of the battles of the Napoleonic Wars, the Battle of Copenhagen, the Battle of Trafalgar, and the Battle of Cape Ortegal. He only directly participated in the third, but his actions there, and the capture of the French frigate Didon (1805) beforehand brought him honours and rewards. While towing the Didon to a British port, he and another vessel were sighted by the combined Franco-Spanish fleet under Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, and mistaken as scouts for the Channel Fleet. He therefore turned south to Cadiz, leading to the abandonment of the planned invasion of England, and the destruction of the French fleet at Trafalgar by Horatio Nelson some months later. He rose through the ranks after the end of the wars with France, and was commander of the South America Station during Charles Darwin's voyage aboard HMS Beagle. He eventually died with the rank of vice-admiral in 1845 after a long and distinguished career.