Hastings Yelverton

Hastings Yelverton, born in County Kildare in 1808, became a Royal Navy admiral who commanded HMS Queen and later served as First Naval Lord. He fought pirates off Candia, protected British interests during the Portuguese Civil War, captured a Russian barque in the Crimean War, and helped suppress the Cantonal Revolution in Cartagena. As First Naval Lord he cut costs for the Disraeli ministry but also ordered the unsuccessful Ajax-class ironclads, blending pragmatism with questionable judgement.