Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/1124

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1110
STANTON—STARK—STARMER.

nated Acting-Lieutenant of the Dolphin 44, Capts. Thos. Tudor Tucker and Dan. Tandy, and Pheasant 18, Capts. Robt. Henderson and John Palmer. Being confirmed to the Pheasant 15 Aug. in the same year, he continued to serve in that vessel as Senior Lieutenant on the South American, African, Home, and Newfoundland stations, until 31 Aug. 1814. In Jan. 1807 his Captain, Palmer, having landed with the army to assist at the siege of Monte Video, he was left in command of the sloop, and was employed in her in blockading the Spanish gun-vessels at that place. He afterwards landed with the troops under Lieut.-Colonel Dennis Pack, and aided in taking possession of Colonia del Sacramento. The Pheasant, while he was in her, made prize, 8 May, 1808, 3 Feb. 1810, and 17 June, 1811, of the French privateers Tropard of 5 guns and 62 men, le Comte de Hunebourg of 14 guns and 53 men, and Le Héros of 6 guns and 40 men; and, 12 March and 6 May, 1813, of the American letters-of-marque William Bayard of 4 guns and 30 men, and Fox of 8 guns and 29 men – the former taken in company with the Warspite 74, the latter in company with the Scylla sloop and Whiting schooner. In May and Sept. 1815, Mr. Stanley was appointed First of the Ethalion 42 and Tiber 38, Capts. Wm. Hugh Dobbie and Jas. Rich. Dacres. He served in those ships on the coast of Ireland, again at Newfoundland, and in the Channel, until paid off 18 Sept, 1818; and on 14 April, 1819, he was placed in command of the {sc|Swallow}} Revenue-cutter, of 165 tons, mounting 6 six-pounder carronades and 2 small brass guns, with a complement of 37 men and boys. In her he captured, 27 Feb. 1821, after a long chase and running fight, in which two of his people were wounded, the Idas smuggling cutter, having on board 700 tubs of spirits and about 50 bales of tobacco, the greater part whereof was thrown, during the chase, overboard, as were the guns, supposed to be nine-pounders. When the Swallow got alongside at night she found her prize abandoned by the crew, about 30 in number, 3 of whom had been killed and several wounded. Both vessels suffered severely in sails and rigging. For his conduct Mr. Stanley gained the approbation of Sir John Gore, the Commander-in-Chief, as also of the Lords of the Admiralty and the Treasury Board; and on 19 July following was advanced to the rank of Commander. He afterwards, from 28 Oct. 1833 until Feb. 1837, and from 14 Feb. 1838 until Feb. 1839, officiated, as Second-Captain, on the Mediterranean and North American stations, of the Edinburgh and Malabar 74’s, Capts. J. R. Dacres and Edw. Harvey; to the former of whom, now a Rear-Admiral, he has been, since 14 Aug. 1845, Flag-Captain in the President 50, at the Cape of Good Hope. His Post commission bears date 28 June, 1838.

Capt. Stanley is married, and has issue one son and two daughters.



STANTON. (Retired Commander, 1835. f-p., 16; h-p., 38.)

James Stanton died about the commencement of 1848, aged upwards of 80.

This officer entered the Navy, 1 July, 1793, as a Volunteer, on board the Queen Charlotte 100, Capt. Sir Andw. Snape Douglas, successive flag-ship of Admirals Lord Howe, Sir Roger Curtis, Lord Keith, Sir Chas. Thompson, and Sir Jas. Hawkins Whitshed; the last-mentioned of whom he followed as Master’s Mate, in June and Oct. 1799, into the Barfleur and Téméraire 98’s. During the six years he continued in the Queen Charlotte he was employed chiefly on the Home station, took part in the actions of 28 and 29 May and 1 June, 1794, and was present in 1797 at the mutiny at Spithead. His zealous exertions on the latter occasion were conspicuous in the extreme and nearly cost him his life. In the Barfleur he made a voyage to the Mediterranean; and in the Téméraire[1] (attached to the Channel fleet) he was confirmed a Lieutenant, after having acted in that capacity, 5 Oct. 1802. His last appointments were – 2 Nov. 1802, to the Lynx sloop, Capt. John Willoughby Marshall, employed in the North Sea and on the coast of France – 7 Feb. 1804, for rather more than a year, to the Vesuvius bomb, Capts. Robt. O’Brien and Jas. Lillicrap, also on the Home station – and, in Oct. 1805, to the Belliqueux 64, Capt. Hon. Geo. Byng, afterwards Viscount Torrington. While in the latter ship, of which he became Senior Lieutenant, he commanded a party of seamen on shore at the reduction of the Cape of Good Hope in Jan. 1806; he likewise contributed, 27 Nov. following, to the capture and destruction of a Dutch frigate, seven brigs of war, and about 20 armed and other merchant-vessels lying in Batavia Roads; and he was present at the occupation of the island of Rodriguez. He invalided home in Nov. 1809, and was placed on the list of Retired Commanders 18 April, 1835.

He married in early life, and has left an only daughter, Charlotte Howe Stanton, so named from the circumstance of her having been born on board the Queen Charlotte.



STARK. (Lieut., 1814. f-p., 21; h-p., 20.)

Peter Stark is nephew of Capt. John Aitkin Blow, R.N. His father was a Captain in the Army.

This officer entered the Navy, in July, 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Ajax 74, Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood, and, on the destruction of that ship by fire off the island of Tenedos 14 Feb. 1807, was received on board the Endymion 40, Capt. Hon. Thos. Bladen Capel, with whom he was in consequence present at the passage of the Dardanells. He had the misfortune, 27 Sept. 1807, to be taken prisoner – but, escaping in Dec. 1810, he was again, in the ensuing April, placed under the orders of Capt. Blackwood in the Warspite 74, on the Mediterranean station. He next, in Sept. 1813, joined, as a Supernumerary, the Medway 74, flag-ship of Sir Rich. Bickerton at Portsmouth; from the following Nov. until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 6 July, 1814, he served in the same capacity at the Cape of Good Hope in the Laurel 38 and Semiramis 36, Capts. Hon. Granville Leveson Proby and Chas. Richardson; and between Aug. in the latter year and May, 1816, he was employed, on the Home station, in the Spitfire sloop, Capt. Jas. Robt. Dalton, Grampus 50, Capt. Fras. Augustus Collier, Larne 20, Capt. Abraham Lowe, and Glasgow 60, Capt. Hon. Anthony Maitland. From 19 Jan. 1827 until the close of 1838 he held an appointment in the Coast Guard.

He is now Emigration Agent at Belfast.



STARMER. (Commander, 1842.)

Charles Starmer entered the Navy, 19 Sept. 1818, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Northumberland 78, Capt. Sir Michael Seymour, lying at Sheerness; and was afterwards employed as Midshipman on the Newfoundland, African, and Home stations, in the Grasshopper 18, Capt. David Buchan, Esk 20, Capt. Wm. Jardine Purchas, and Melville 74, Capt. Henry Hill. In 1829, in the course of which year he passed his examination, he joined the Atholl 28, Capts. Alex. Gordon and Wm. Webb, with whom he again, until Feb. 1832, served on the coast of Africa. He next, in Jan. 1833, joined the Spartiate 76, fitting for the flag of Sir M. Seymour, Commander-in-Chief in South America, whence he returned in Sept. 1835; and on 2 May, 1837, at which period he had been for upwards of 12 months employed in the Lightning steam-vessel on the north coast of Spain, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. His succeeding appointments were – 13 July, 1837, to the Rhadamanthus steamer, Capt. Arthur Wakefleld, in the Mediterranean – 15 May, 1841, as Senior, after seven months of half-pay, to the Pelican 16, Capt. Chas. Geo. Elers Napier, on the East India station – and 20 Jan. 1842, to the Blonde 42, Capt. Thos. Bourchier. Uniting in the latter ship in the operations on the coast of China,

  1. Flag-ship for some time of Rear-Admiral Geo. Campbell.