Water Guard. He accepted his present rank 9 April, 1847.
RYE. (Rear-Admiral, 1846. f-p., 25; h-p., 44.)
Peter Rye entered the Navy, in June, 1778, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Winchelsea 32, Capt. Chas. Saxon. In April, 1779, on his return from escorting convoy to Jamaica, he joined the Conquestador 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Robt. Roddam at the Nore; and while serving, for upwards of three years, in the Jason 32, Capt. Jas. Pigott, he assisted in beating off, at one time, a French frigate, a ship, and a sloop, between the Nore and Great Yarmouth, and was present, about 1782, in a stiff action fought in the Bay of St. Jago. Between Oct. in the latter year and 1786 he was employed on the American, West India, and Portsmouth stations, in the Thorn 16, Capt. Wm. Lechmere, Hermione 32, Capt. Wm. Stone, Champion 20, Capt. Thos. Sotheby, and Triumph 74, flag-ship of Sir Sam. Hood. In 1790 he joined the Victory 100, bearing the flag in the Channel of Lord Bridport; and on 16 March, 1791, he was made Lieutenant into the Gorgon 44, Capt. John Parker. Being next, 22 Jan. 1793, appointed to the Crescent of 42 guns and 257 men, Capt. Jas. Saumarez, he distinguished himself in that ship, and was wounded in the head, at the capture, 20 Oct. ensuing, of the French frigate La Réunion of 36 guns and 320 men, 120 of whom were either killed or wounded, with scarcely any casualty of the British.[1] In Dec. of the same year he accompanied an expedition under Earl Moira and Rear-Admiral M‘Bride to the coast of Normandy and Brittany; and on 8 June, 1794, we find him in action with an enemy’s squadron of very superior force, from which the Crescent escaped by the most bold and masterly manoeuvres. When with Sir Jas. Saumarez (who had been Knighted for the capture of La Réunion) in the Orion 74, Mr. Rye fought in Lord Bridport’s action 23 June, 1795. He afterwards had charge, for about 12 months, of the Earl Spencer cutter of 14 guns, employed on particular service; and on 1 Jan. 1801 he was presented with a second promotal commission. During the period which elapsed between the date last mentioned and the peace of Amiens he cruized with success in the Rambler 14, on the Jersey station. He subsequently commanded the Providence hired armed brig, on the Baltic and Cork stations, from April, 1804, until promoted to Post rank 12 Aug. 1812; and the and Porpoise, from April, 1813, until Oct. 1814. In the Providence he afforded protection to several convoys, and made prize, 11 April, 1805, of the Dutch schooner L’Honneur of 12 guns, carrying 1000 stand of arms, besides taking, on another occasion, a ship of 700 tons. He also beat off five Danish gun-boats while becalmed off Jutland. In the Ceylon he was sent to Gottenborg to superintend the departure of convoys; and in the Porpoise he was employed on particular service of an important character. He accepted his present rank 1 Oct. 1846.
Rear-Admiral Rye, from 18 July, 1837, until the period of his last promotion, was on the out-pension of Greenwich Hospital. He is married, and has issue. Agent – Joseph Woodhead.
RYMER. (Lieutenant, 1825.)
David Rymer died in 1846.
This officer entered the Navy 27 Sept. 1810; passed his examination in 1817; was advanced to the rank of Lieutenant 29 July, 1825; obtained charge, 30 Oct. 1833, of a station in the Coast Guard; removed, 15 June, 1838, to the command (which he held for five years) of the Mermaid Revenue-vessel; and from 22 June, 1843, until the period of his death, was again employed in the Coast Guard.
RYVES, C.B. (Capt., 1830. f-p., 17; h-p., 26.)
George Frederick Ryves, born 25 Sept. 1792, is eldest son of the late Rear-Admiral Geo. Fred. Ryves,[2] of Shroton House, co. Dorset, by his first wife, Catherine Elizabeth, third daughter of the Hon. Jas. Everard Arundell, of Ashcombe, co. Wilts, and aunt of the present Lord Arundell, of Wardour. He is half-brother of Lieut. Herbert Thos. Ryves, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 8 Sept. 1804, as a Volunteer, on board the Merlin sloop, Capt. Edw. Pelham Brenton, with whom, after serving off Havre, he removed, early in 1805, to the Amaranthe 18, on the Leith station. He next, in Jan. 1808, joined the Medusa 32, Capt. Hon. Duncombe Pleydell Bouverie, employed in the Bay of Biscay; and on 24 Nov. 1810 he was made Lieutenant into the Alfred 74, Capt. Joshua Rowley Watson. Previously to following that officer, in April, 1811, into the Implacable 74, he appears to have landed with the naval brigade on the north coast of Spain, and to have served with the flotilla at the defence of Cadiz. He left the Implacable in Nov. 1812; and was subsequently appointed – 2 Feb. and 15 Dec. 1813, to the Pomone 38 and Magicienne 36, Capts. Philip Carteret and Hon. Wm. Gordon, both on the Lisbon station – 10 Sept. 1814, to the Clorinde 38, Capt. Sam. Geo. Pechell, under whom we find him in attendance upon the unfortunate consort of George IV. during her visit to the Mediterranean in 1815-16 – 24 Dec. 1818, as First, to the Morgiana 18, Capts. Chas. Borough Strong and Wm. Finlaison, fitting for the coast of Africa, whence he invalided at the commencement of 1821 – 16 May, 1822, in a similar capacity, to the Alligator 28, Capt. Thos. Alexander, whom he accompanied to the East Indies – and 8 April, 1823, to the acting-command, on that station, of the Sophie 18, to which vessel he was confirmed 22 Oct. in the same year. During the war in Ava, where he remained until his health, in April, 1825, obliged him to return to England, Capt. Ryves, one of the chief performers in the scenes that occurred, rendered himself famous by the brilliancy and importance of his services.[3] He was in consequence nominated a C.B. 26 Dec. 1826; and advanced to Post-rank 22 July, 1830. He has since been on half-pay.
He married, 27 June, 1827, Charity, third daughter of Thos. Theobald, Esq., of Grays, co. Essex, by whom he has issue. Agents – Goode and Lawrence.
RYVES. (Lieutenant, 1841.)
Herbert Thomas Ryves is son of the late Rear-Admiral Geo. Fred. Ryves, by his second wife, Emma, daughter of Rich. Robt. Graham, Esq.; and half-brother of Capt. Geo. Fred. Ryves, R.N. One of his own brothers, Walter Robert, in the Royal Navy, was drowned; and two others, Edw. Augustus and Wm. Henry, also in the Royal Navy, died at sea.
This officer entered the Navy 17 July, 1824; and passed his examination 1 Dec. 1830. While serving in China as Acting-Lieutenant in the H.E.I.Co.’s war-steamer Phlegethon, Lieut.-Commander Jas. Johnstone M‘Cleverty, he took command, 15 March, 1842, of the boats of that vessel, and, in unison with those of the Cornwallis 72 and Blonde 42, destroyed five large flat-bottomed boats, each armed with an 18-pounder carronade, together with 14 boats fitted as a fire-raft, and a mandarin house, filled with powder and military stores. In the course of the same day he again served in the boats
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1793, p. 938.
- ↑ Rear-Admiral Ryves was born 8 Sept. 1758. Entering the Navy 15 Feb. 1774, he attained, in 1779, the rank of Lieutenant, and in Oct. 1795 was advanced to that of Commander. After serving in that capacity in the Bulldog sloop, and on shore, in a conspicuous manner at the reduction of Ste. Lucie, in 1796, he was made Post, 29 May, 1798, into the Medea frigate. He afterwards commanded the Agincourt 64, Gibraltar 80, and Africa 64. In the Agincourt he accompanied the expedition to Egypt in 1801, and in the following year was sent, with a small squadron under his orders, to take possession of Corfu. He died 20 May, 1826.
- ↑ For an account of the Burmese war, and of the part taken by Capt. Ryves in it, see “Narrative of the Naval Operations in Ava,” by Lieut. John Marshall, R.N.
