Admiral Sir John Harman ( – 11 October 1673) was an English officer of the Royal Navy, who served first under the Commonwealth, then Charles II following the 1660 Stuart Restoration.
Harman began his career in 1646, and fought in the First Anglo-Dutch War, as well as a number of other actions. At the start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, he was captain of HMS Gloucester, the flagship used by James, Duke of York at Lowestoft in 1665. The English won a clear victory, but Harman was criticised for his alleged failure to pursue the beaten Dutch fleet. Despite this, in 1667 he was given command of a squadron sent to re-establish the English position in the Caribbean, a task he successfully carried out.
Subsequently acquitted for his actions at Lowestoft, he became Rear Admiral in 1672 and served in all three major actions of the Third Anglo-Dutch War. Promoted Admiral in August 1673, he succeeded Prince Rupert of the Rhine as commander-in-chief of the fleet, but died shortly afterwards on 11 October.
Personal details
Little is known for certain of Harman's origins, although he may have been related to a family of shipowners from Suffolk. Born around 1625, he is thought to be the brother of Philip Harman, who worked as an upholsterer in London, and was related by marriage to the author Samuel Pepys. Both men appear in a number of his Diary entries.
Harman had several children with his wife Katherine (died 1696), including at least three sons; James, the eldest, plus William (died 1677) and John, both of whom became officers in the Royal Navy. Their daughter, also named Katherine, outlived her brothers and died in 1718.
Career
Harman first appears in official records towards the end of the First English Civil War in 1646, as commander of the Falcon, an Armed merchantman contracted by the Parliamentarian navy. Shortly after the First Anglo-Dutch War began in July 1652, he was appointed captain of the Welcome, a Fourth-rate warship captured from the Dutch, that fought at the Battle of the Kentish Knock in September. The Welcome was also present at the Battle of Portland in February 1653, then was badly damaged at the Battle of the Gabbard in June 1653.
Although the war did not formally end until the Treaty of Westminster was signed in April 1654, its last major action was the Battle of Scheveningen in July 1653. In August, Harman was given command of the Diamond, and in 1654 sailed to the Mediterranean in the Diamond under Admiral Robert Blake.
He returned to England in October 1655. On 4 January 1655/56 he was given command of the Worcester and again sailed with Blake. In the Battle of Cadiz (9 September 1656) he commanded the 52-gun Tredagh in Captain Richard Stayner's squadron and captured a merchantman intact with its valuable cargo. He seems to have participated in the brilliant victory in the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1657). Harman was appointed captain of the 58-gun Gloucester in 1664. In the spring of 1665 Harman was lieutenant of the Royal Charles, in effect captain of the ship.
Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665–67) The Second Anglo-Dutch War was declared in May 1665. During this war the English suffered from the Great Plague of 1665-66 and the Great Fire of London in September 1666. The war was concluded by the Treaty of Breda on 21 July 1667.
Battle of Lowestoft
The Battle of Lowestoft was the first large naval action in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. In this battle on 3 June 1665 (old style) the Royal Charles was the flagship of James, Duke of York, the future King James II of England. Sir William Penn, who was also on the Royal Charles, was captain of the fleet. The Royal Charles was engaged with the Dutch flagship, the Eendracht when the latter was blown up. The Dutch fled in confusion. Sir William Penn, who was sick and exhausted, and the Duke of York both retired to their cabins. The Royal Charles was leading the pursuit under Harman's command when Henry Brouncker, the duke's gentleman-in-waiting, asked Harman to shorten sail. Brounker gave as his reason the danger to the duke if the Royal Charles, which was the closest of the English ships to the Dutch, were to find itself alone in an engagement with the Dutch on the coast of Holland. Harman said he could do nothing without orders. Brounker went back to the cabin, then returned to Harman and said the duke ordered him to shorten sail, which Harman did. The other pursuing ships slowed in response and the Dutch escaped. The incident caused a scandal and a parliamentary inquiry was held in which Harman was absolved of all blame, which was laid on Brouncker.