Admiral Brown
William Brown was born in Foxford, Co. Mayo on 22nd June, 1777. He emigrated to America with his family when he was still a child, where became a cabin-boy on a boat. Very little is known about his life when he was young, but Brown soon went on to serve in the British Navy, and eventually found his home in Argentina.
Map of South America
In 1814, Brown battled with a Spanish Fleet of ships at the River Plate in Argentina. The Spanish were defeated and this helped Argentina to become an independent country. He won many great sea victories for Argentina e.g. in the Independence War, the Argentina-Brazil War and the Guerra Grande in Uruguay.
Brown is known as the father of the Argentinean Navy, and the people of Argentina today still see him as a national hero. He died in 1857.