officer of the fifth-rate HMS Ethalion in October 1808 and took part in the capture of the French island of Martinique in February 1809 and of the French archipelago of Îles des Saintes in April 1809. He went on to command of the fifth-rate HMS Surprise on the North American Station in August 1812 and saw action capturing the American ship Decatur in January 1813, taking part in the burning of Washington in August 1814 and the attack on Baltimore in September 1814 and being deployed in operations off the coast of Georgia during the War of 1812. After that, he became commanding officer of the fifth-rate HMS Forte in June 1820. Colonial governor When Newfoundland became an official Crown colony in 1825, Cochrane was appointed as its first governor. At the time, military officers were appointed to direct colonies that did not yet have representative government. He directed the construction of Government House, located between Fort William and Fort Townshend, which has since been designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. He split the colony into three judicial districts over each of which he placed a chief justice and two puisne judges and reinvigorated the poor relief system by building roads. Although Cochrane had opposed the introduction of representative government to the colony, a new constitution was granted in 1832 and he was appointed as the first civil governor. He became involved in various conflicts while governor, especially with reformers in the new legislature and with the Roman Catholic bishop, Michael Fleming. In 1834, the colonial office recalled Cochrane, who had become unpopular. When he left, he and his daughter were pelted with filth on their way down to the wharf. Later career Cochrane was elected Member of Parliament for Ipswich in July 1839. He went on to be second-in-command of the East Indies and China Station in July 1841 during the First Opium War and, having been promoted to rear admiral on 23 November 1841, he became Commander-in-chief of that station, with his flag in the third-rate HMS Agincourt in 1844. He took part in anti-piracy operations around north-west Borneo including the destruction of the forts at Brunei in July 1846. He was promoted to vice admiral on 14 January 1850 and became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in 1852. Promoted to full admiral on 31 January 1856, he was appointed Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom on 16 May 1863