John Benbow (10 March 1653 – 4 November 1702) was an English officer in the Royal Navy.
He joined the navy aged 25 years, seeing action against Algerian pirates before leaving and joining the merchant navy where he traded until the Glorious Revolution of 1688, whereupon he returned to the Royal Navy and was commissioned.
Benbow fought against France during the Nine Years War (1688–97), serving on and later commanding several English vessels and taking part in the battles of Beachy Head, Barfleur and La Hogue in 1690 and 1692.
He was then involved in an incident during the Action of August 1702, where a number of his captains refused to support him while commanding a squadron of ships.
Benbow instigated the trial and later imprisonment or execution of a number of the captains involved, though he did not live to see these results.
These events contributed to his notoriety, and led to several references to him in subsequent popular culture.