Sir Charles Knowles, 2nd Baronet

Sir Charles Henry Knowles, Bt
Born	24 August 1754 Kingston, Jamaica
Died	28 November 1831 (1831-11-29) (aged 77)
Allegiance	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Service / branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1768–1831
Rank	Admiral
Commands	HMS Supply HMS Minorca HMS Porcupine HMS San Miguel HMS Daedalus HMS Edgar HMS Goliath HMS Britannia
Battles / wars	American Revolutionary War Battle of St. Lucia Battle of Grenada Relief of Gibraltar French Revolutionary Wars Battle of Cape St Vincent
Awards	Naval Gold Medal Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Relations	Charles Knowles (father)

Sir Charles Henry Knowles, 2nd Baronet, GCB (24 August 1754 – 28 November 1831) was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral. He was an extraordinary figure and a great tactical innovator.^[1] Highly intellectual, he authored a number of signal books and had the chance to put his ideas into practice during his naval career. Knowles was at times beset by problems with discipline aboard his ships, often due to large proportions of raw recruits and untrained seamen. This may have been a factor in his rocky relationship with his superior, Sir John Jervis, which eventually led to Knowles's retirement from active service after the Battle of Cape St Vincent, and his concentration on scholarly studies of the issues affecting the naval service.