Thomas Huskisson
Encyclopedia
Thomas Huskisson was an officer in the Royal Navy
. Thomas Huskisson was half-brother of William Huskisson
, the British politician. Thomas joined the Royal Navy in 1800. He saw action at the Battle of Trafalgar
on HMS Defence
in 1805.
In early 1808 Lieutenant Huskisson commissioned the schooner . He had come out to the Jamaica station on , and once there Vice-Admiral Sir B. S. Rowley appointed him to Fleur de la Mer and put him to cruising off San Domingo. There he rescued a gentleman who had fallen afoul of Henri Christophe
. Huskisson also visited Cartagena
, where he was able to intercede and win the release of seven persons who had accompanied General Miranda’s
British-supported and unsuccessful attempted invasion of the Captaincy General of Venezuela
in 1806.
Huskisson was promoted to Commander on 19 January 1809, but did not find out about his promotion until May, at which time he transferred to command the Cruizer-class
brig-sloop . On 16 October, Pelorus and discovered a privateer
schooner
moored under the St Mary battery. Fire from Hazard and Pelorus destroyed the battery while boats from both ships boarded the privateer. Her crew had abandoned the vessel but fired from the shore where two field pieces joined them. Unable to move the prize, the British blew her up. The privateer was armed with one long 18-pounder on a pivot carriage and two swivels; the British estimated that she had had a crew of 80-100 men. The action cost the British 15 men dead and wounded, with Pelorus accounting for two dead and six wounded, one mortally. In February 1810 Pelorus participated in the capture of Guadeloupe. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Guadaloupe" to any surviving crewmen from that campaign that wished to claim it.
Huskisson was promoted Captain in 1811 and took command of the 22-gun Laurel-class
post ship
.
In June 1815 Huskisson recommissioned the frigate . On 7 July she captured the French vessels Aimable Antoinette and Marie. From 25 August 1818 to end 1820, Euryalus was in the West Indies. She served as the flagship in the Leeward Islands from November 1819 to May 1820, and then at Jamaica from June to December.
Later Huskisson became Paymaster of the Navy and a Captain at Greenwich Hospital, where he was buried.
His memoirs were published as Eyewitness to Trafalgar edited by David Beaumont Ellison. (Ellisons Editions 1984 - place of publication unknown). ISBN 0946092095.
, the commander-in-chief at Portsmouth. Admiral Milbanke assisted his entry into the Navy.
His brother John Huskisson was commissioned in 1798 into the Army and served with the 51st Regiment in Ceylon, while his other brother George Huskisson
was commissioned in the Royal Marines
.
In 1813 Thomas Huskisson married Elizabeth Wedge (1788–1873), daughter of Francis Wedge Esq of Forton, Staffordshire, and had 6 children, including William Milbanke Huskisson, of the Foreign Office and John Huskisson, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Marines
.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Thomas Huskisson was half-brother of William Huskisson
William Huskisson
William Huskisson PC was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool...
, the British politician. Thomas joined the Royal Navy in 1800. He saw action at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
on HMS Defence
HMS Defence (1763)
HMS Defence was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 31 March 1763 at Plymouth Dockyard. She was one of the most famous ships of the period, taking part in several of the most important naval battles of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars...
in 1805.
In early 1808 Lieutenant Huskisson commissioned the schooner . He had come out to the Jamaica station on , and once there Vice-Admiral Sir B. S. Rowley appointed him to Fleur de la Mer and put him to cruising off San Domingo. There he rescued a gentleman who had fallen afoul of Henri Christophe
Henri Christophe
Henri Christophe was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution, winning independence from France in 1804. On 17 February 1807, after the creation of a separate nation in the north, Christophe was elected President of the State of Haiti...
. Huskisson also visited Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
, where he was able to intercede and win the release of seven persons who had accompanied General Miranda’s
Francisco de Miranda
Sebastián Francisco de Miranda Ravelo y Rodríguez de Espinoza , commonly known as Francisco de Miranda , was a Venezuelan revolutionary...
British-supported and unsuccessful attempted invasion of the Captaincy General of Venezuela
Captaincy General of Venezuela
The Captaincy General of Venezuela was an administrative district of colonial Spain, created in 1777 to provide more autonomy for the provinces of Venezuela, previously under the jurisdiction of the Viceroyalty of New Granada and the Audiencia of Santo Domingo...
in 1806.
Huskisson was promoted to Commander on 19 January 1809, but did not find out about his promotion until May, at which time he transferred to command the Cruizer-class
Cruizer class brig-sloop
The Cruizer class was an 18-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops were the same as ship-sloops except for their rigging...
brig-sloop . On 16 October, Pelorus and discovered a privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
moored under the St Mary battery. Fire from Hazard and Pelorus destroyed the battery while boats from both ships boarded the privateer. Her crew had abandoned the vessel but fired from the shore where two field pieces joined them. Unable to move the prize, the British blew her up. The privateer was armed with one long 18-pounder on a pivot carriage and two swivels; the British estimated that she had had a crew of 80-100 men. The action cost the British 15 men dead and wounded, with Pelorus accounting for two dead and six wounded, one mortally. In February 1810 Pelorus participated in the capture of Guadeloupe. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Guadaloupe" to any surviving crewmen from that campaign that wished to claim it.
Huskisson was promoted Captain in 1811 and took command of the 22-gun Laurel-class
Laurel class post ship
The Laurel-class sailing sixth rates were a series of six post ships built to an 1805 design by Sir John Henslow. The first three were launched in 1806, two more in 1807, and the last in 1812...
post ship
Post ship
Post ship was a designation used in the Royal Navy during the Age of Sail to describe a ship of the sixth-rate that was smaller than a frigate , but by virtue of being a rated ship , had to have as its captain a post captain rather than a lieutenant or commander...
.
In June 1815 Huskisson recommissioned the frigate . On 7 July she captured the French vessels Aimable Antoinette and Marie. From 25 August 1818 to end 1820, Euryalus was in the West Indies. She served as the flagship in the Leeward Islands from November 1819 to May 1820, and then at Jamaica from June to December.
Later Huskisson became Paymaster of the Navy and a Captain at Greenwich Hospital, where he was buried.
His memoirs were published as Eyewitness to Trafalgar edited by David Beaumont Ellison. (Ellisons Editions 1984 - place of publication unknown). ISBN 0946092095.
Family history
Thomas' half-brother was William Huskisson MP, who married Emily Milbanke, the youngest daughter of Admiral Mark MilbankeMark Milbanke
Admiral Mark Milbanke was a British naval officer and colonial governor.-Military career:Born the son of Sir Ralph Milbanke Bt, Mark Milbanke graduated from the Royal Naval Academy, Portsmouth in 1740. He was made Lieutenant in 1744 and in 1746 was given command of HMS Serpent.In 1789, Milbanke...
, the commander-in-chief at Portsmouth. Admiral Milbanke assisted his entry into the Navy.
His brother John Huskisson was commissioned in 1798 into the Army and served with the 51st Regiment in Ceylon, while his other brother George Huskisson
George Huskisson
George Huskisson - half-brother of William Huskisson the MP - was commissioned in the Royal Marines until 1820, when he resigned his commission to take up his appointment as Collector of Customs at Saint Vincent in the West Indies, an appointment he held until his death 24 years later in 1844....
was commissioned in the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
.
In 1813 Thomas Huskisson married Elizabeth Wedge (1788–1873), daughter of Francis Wedge Esq of Forton, Staffordshire, and had 6 children, including William Milbanke Huskisson, of the Foreign Office and John Huskisson, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
.