Born to a Royal Navy
warrant officer of Irish extraction, also named John Conn, he was
baptised at
Stoke Damerel,
Devon, on 5 August 1764. Conn first went to sea in 1778, aged thirteen, aboard on his father's ship , before securing a place on as a
midshipman, and in which he saw action at the
battle of the Saintes in April 1782. In 1788 he was made a lieutenant, but had to wait five years before being given a good position, using the intervening time to marry Margaret Nelson, a vicar's daughter. Serving aboard the flagship at the
Glorious First of June, he came to the attention of
Admiral Lord Howe. He commissioned the 12-gun gun vessel in June 1797 but left her a year later. He then further distinguished himself in October 1798 in at the
battle of Donegal, which resulted in the destruction of a French invasion fleet headed for
Ireland. He was promoted to
commander on 11 August 1800 and took command of the
bomb vessel . At the first
battle of Copenhagen his expertise caused terrible damage to the Danish fleet. Next, he participated in Nelson's bold but disastrous
attack on the French invasion force in
Boulogne shortly afterwards, commanding the division of gun-boats, and gaining his
commanding officer's attention and respect. Conn received promotion to
post-captain on 29 August 1802 and took command of . His nine-year-old son Henry joined him on
Culloden. Conn then transferred to the French prize and joined Nelson in the
Mediterranean at Nelson's request. In 1805 Conn was given temporary command of the
first rate flagship and his old ship
Royal Sovereign whilst their commanders were on leave; his performance further contributed to his reputation as a reliable and steady officer. On 10 October he returned the
Royal Sovereign to
Admiral Collingwood and took command of the fast new
second rate . Eleven days later Conn and his crew were thrown into battle as the Franco-Spanish fleet attempted to break out of
Cádiz. Situated halfway down Collingwood's division, Conn struggled to reach the action, only getting there around the time Nelson was mortally wounded in the northern division. Making up for the delay,
Dreadnought tangled with the , rescuing the battered , killing the Spanish captain
Cosmé Damián Churruca and forcing his ship to surrender. Charging on from this victory, the
Dreadnought engaged the Spanish flagship , mortally wounding the Spanish admiral
Gravina, but being unable to defeat the enemy, which succeeded in escaping back to Cádiz. Conn even managed to rescue his prize, the
San Juan Nepomuceno being one of only four captured enemy ships to survive the storm. Following the battle, in which
Dreadnought suffered 33 casualties, Conn continued in service taking over the massive 112 gun and then the 120 gun as
flag captain before moving as a
commodore to the
West Indies in in 1810. Admiral's rank and the honours which came with it were surely not far away when tragedy struck on 4 May when during the chase of a small French ship near
Bermuda, Conn became over-eager, slipped and fell overboard.
Swiftsure was halted and a search was conducted, but Conn had drowned before help arrived. His death was mourned in Britain and especially in the Navy where he was a popular and respected figure. Sir
John Borlase Warren, an old commander and friend, expressed regret at the death of "so deserving an officer as Captain Conn." == References ==