Royal Naval Biography/Losack, George
GEORGE LOSACK, Esq
Vice-Admiral of the Red.
This officer commanded the Termagant sloop, on the Leeward Island station, at the conclusion of the American war; and was promoted to the rank of Post-Captain, Nov. 22, 1790.
On the 12th April, 1796, he sailed for the Cape of Good Hope, in the Jupiter of 50 guns, and was present at the capture of the Dutch fleet in Saldanha Bay, in the month of Aug. following[1].
Early in 1799, on the demise of Sir Hugh C. Christian, Captain Losack succeeded to the command of the squadron on that station, and continued to act as Commodore until the arrival of the late Sir Roger Curtis, who for a short time hoisted his flag in the Jupiter; and that ship being in a very leaky state, he determined, instead of sending her to the East Indies, where her repairs would have cost an immense sum, to make the experiment whether it was not possible to refit her at the Cape; she was accordingly hove down and put in perfect repair in Simon’s Bay; thus was accomplished an object of considerable importance to the Navy, and which reflected high credit on all those concerned. The Cape of Good Hope had never before been used, either by the Dutch or British, as a place to repair at, nor was it supposed that a large ship could be hove down there.
The colony being restored to the Batavian government by the treaty of Amiens, Sir Roger Curtis, after its evacuation, returned to England in the Diomede, accompanied by the Jupiter, and some other ships of war. On entering the Channel he heard of the renewal of hostilities from an American, and soon after the squadron captured a French ship from the Mauritius, with a valuable cargo.
Captain Losack afterwards commanded the Prince George, of 98 guns, in the Channel fleet. He was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral, April 24, 1808; and became a Vice-Admiral, 4th Dec. 1813.
Our officer was married on board the Jupiter, when on the Cape station, and has had several children.