Vice-Admiral of the Red Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood was a Royal Navy officer who served in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, he joined the British navy at a young age and was promoted to lieutenant during the American War of Independence, where he led a naval brigade at the Battle of Bunker Hill. In the 1780s and 1790s Collingwood participated in the French Revolutionary Wars, during which time he captained several ships and reached the rank of post-captain. He took part in several key naval battles of the time, including the Glorious First of June and the Battle of Cape St. Vincent.