Admiral Sir Charles Howe Fremantle (1800-1869)
The city of Fremantle in Western Australia is named after this British naval officer.
City of Fremantle port
The city of Fremantle in Western Australia is named after this British naval officer.
Charles Fremantle entered the Royal Navy aged just 12, and spent the rest of his life in the service.
He was made a Captain at 28, and his first command was to sail the frigate HMS Challenger to western Australia, and claim it for Britain. Fremantle arrived at the Swan River in April 1829 and took possession of the coast for King George IV.
The new governor, Captain Stirling, and first settlers arrived a few weeks later, and established the Swan River Colony (now the city of Perth). Stirling also founded a port at the mouth of the river, which he named Fremantle in Charles’s honour.
Admiral Sir Charles Fremantle grave
Fremantle spend several years exploring the ports of the Indian Ocean as far as Sri Lanka and China, reporting on what he saw. He visited Kowloon and, on his recommendation, the British established a settlement in Hong Kong in 1841.
He eventually returned to Britain via Australia in 1833, stopping off at the port bearing his name on the way.
HMS Challenger
Fremantle captained several more ships during his long career, between long stretches ashore. As a Rear Admiral, he was appointed Flag Officer at Balaklava, during the Crimean War, where he successfully managed transport, supplies and, eventually, the evacuation of the British army at the end of the war in 1856.
Fremantle refused to retire, so remained on the active list until his death in 1868.
