Rear-Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth, K.B. (1748-1817) first arrived in the Leeward Islands region of the Caribbean in June of 1800, serving as Commander-in-Chief of the British naval forces deployed there. During March and April of 1801 he orchestrated the defeat of the Swedish and Danish forces stationed on St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew Islands. As reward for this he was knighted into the Order of the Bath on June 6, 1801, after which he returned to England.

With the renewal of conflict with France Duckworth returned to the Caribbean as Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Jamaica and the Bahamas. Shortly after his arrival he defeated the French naval squadron under Admiral Rocheambeau off the coast of Santo Domingo. A promotion to Vice-Admiral in April of 1804 followed, after which he returned again to England to face courts-martial charges that where later dropped.

1806 found Duckworth once again back in the Caribbean and facing his old adversary the French. The highlight of his career wan his defeat of the French Admiral Leissegues, which dealt a terrible blow to French aspirations in the region and played a major part in their eventual withdrawal from the Caribbean. On his return to England he was granted a pension and his naval feats acknowledged with a wealth of honors, including the Sword of Honor of the City of London.

In 1810 Duckworth was promoted to full Admiral and sent to Canada as Commander-in-Chief of the British naval forces in the Newfoundland and adjacent regions.