Wikipedia article of the day for September 13, 2026

The Wikipedia article of the day for September 13, 2026 is Thomas Hardy (Royal Navy officer, died 1732).
Thomas Hardy (13 September 1666 – 16 August 1732) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. In 1702, he was given command of HMS Pembroke and fought at the Battle of Cádiz and the Battle of Vigo Bay, where he was knighted for his services. In 1707, Hardy was sent as escort to a convoy sailing for Lisbon where he met the squadron of René Duguay-Trouin. Hardy became first captain to John Leake in the Mediterranean in 1708, assisting in the transport of Elisabeth Christine to Spain for her marriage to Archduke Charles, and participating in the capture of Cagliari and the assault on Minorca. He was promoted to rear-admiral and given command of a squadron to blockade Dunkirk. After briefly serving as commander-in-chief, the Nore, Thames and Medway, Hardy commanded a squadron off Ushant where he failed to intercept the squadrons of Duguay-Trouin and Jean-Baptiste du Casse. In 1715, he was second-in-command of the Baltic Fleet sent to serve in the Great Northern War, but he was dismissed in 1716.