BENBOW, JOHN (1653-1702), English admiral, the son of a tanner in Shrewsbury, went to sea when very young, and served in the navy On the accession of William III. he re-entered the navy as a lieutenant and was rapidly promoted. After taking part in the bombardment of St. Malo (1693), and superintending the blockade of Dunkirk (1696), he sailed in 1698 for the West Indies, where he compelled the Spaniards to restore two vessels belonging to the Scottish colonists at Darien (see PATERSON, WILLIAM) which they had seized. On his return he was appointed vice-admiral, and was frequently consulted by the king. In 1701 he was sent again to the West Indies as commander in-chief. On Aug. 19 1702, when cruising with a squadron of seven ships, he sighted, and chased four French vessels com manded by M. du Casse near Santa Marta. Admiral Benbow's captains were mutinous, and he was left unsupported in his flag ship the "Breda." His right leg was shattered by a chain-shot, despite which he remained on the quarter-deck till morning, when the flagrant disobedience of the captains under him, and the disabled condition of his ship, forced him reluctantly to abandon the chase. After his return to Jamaica, where his subordinates were tried by court-martial, he died of his wounds on Nov. 4, 1702. A great deal of legendary matter has collected round his name, and the facts of his life are obscure.