John Macpherson Ferguson (August 15, 1784 - June 5, 1855) was a Scottish naval officer who served in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815) and in the years that followed. Born in Edinburgh, he joined the Navy at the age of 12 and served as a midshipman during the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen. In 1803, he was assigned to HMS Victory under Lord Nelson in the Mediterranean. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in 1804 and promoted to Captain in 1808. His career was marked by both success and setbacks: he achieved victories at sea but was shipwrecked and captured by the Danish in 1811. After being repatriated, he faced a court-martial for the loss of his ship. Nevertheless, he returned to command on several occasions throughout the rest of the decade. In 1823, he was given command of the newly refitted HMS Mersey, serving off the coast of South America from 1823 to 1827. He ultimately attained the rank of rear admiral.
