Editing Sir John Acton, 6th Baronet (section)

===Service in Tuscany===
He served under his uncle in the navy of the [[Grand Duchy of Tuscany]]. In 1773, while serving as Captain of the Tuscan frigate ''Austria'', he destroyed several vessels in the [[Gulf of Tunis]]. While cruising off [[Tetouan]] he was informed that two Algerine xebecs and five [[Salé Rovers]] were about to enter the Mediterranean. On 14 October he observed off [[Cape Spartel]], two vessels making for the straits; one hove to under the Cape, apparently awaiting her consort with whom she was exchanging signals, but a thick fog concealed her for three hours: when it cleared off she was nearly within gun-shot, the [[Salé]] flag flying, a signal up, and everything ready for action. Acton immediately ran her within half musket-shot and poured in a fire of all arms; she struck her colours and was taken after a feeble resistance without aid from her consort. She mounted 24 guns, and the remains of her crew, amounting to 80 prisoners, were sent to the ''Austria''.

After securing this prize Acton gave chase to the second frigate and ran her ashore near [[Algiers]], but in waiting for a favourable moment to complete his work another [[Salé]] frigate and two xebecs bore down on him. After a short chase the frigate was driven ashore by the ''Austria'' and destroyed with two broadsides. Acton then chased one xebec off the port of [[Larache]] and opened fire, but under cover of the batteries she got safely in. The second frigate was also of 24 guns, the xebecs of 23 and 16 guns each, but the second escaped while the other was engaged with Acton. He afterwards discovered that they formed one squadron, and had left [[Larache]] to capture the ''Austria'', but not a single Tuscan seaman was killed or wounded throughout the campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GJhSAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA170 |title=Florentine History, vol 6 |date=1847 |page=170 |author=Henry Edward Napier |access-date=29 May 2021}}</ref>

In 1775 he commanded the Tuscan frigates in the Spanish-Tuscan [[Invasion of Algiers (1775)|Invasion of Algiers]] along with Irish general [[Alejandro O'Reilly]].<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Acton, Sir John Francis Edward, Bart.|volume=1|pages=160-161}}</ref> Concerning the calamitous disembarkation in which the Spanish were drawn into a trap by the feigned retreat of the Algerines, the travel writer [[Henry Swinburne]] wrote that the Spaniards would have been "broken and slaughtered to a man ... had not Mr. Acton, the Tuscan commander, cut his cables and let his ships drive in to shore just as the enemy was coming on us full gallop. The incessant fire of his great guns, loaded with grape-shot, not only stop't them in their career but obliged them to retire with great loss."<ref>Travels through Spain, in the years 1775 and 1776, Volume 1, Pages 61–62, By [[Henry Swinburne]], Published 1787</ref>