A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Blake, George Charles
BLAKE. (Captain, 1838. f-p., 25; h-p., 23.)
George Charles Blake entered the Navy, 2 July, 1799, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Romulus 36, Capt. John Culverhouse, in which frigate, after attending the ensuing expedition to the Helder, he attained the rating of Midshipman, and in that capacity accompanied the force sent against Egypt in 1801, where he served with the army before Alexandria, and up the river Nile. In Nov. 1802, he joined the Culloden 74, flag-ship in the Channel of Rear-Admirals Geo. Campbell and Cuthbert Collingwood, and afterwards commanded by Capt. Barrington Dacres, under whom he assisted in chasing into the port of Corunna, after a long running fight, the French 74-gun ship Duguay Trouin, and 40-gun frigate Guerrière, 2 Sept. 1803. Between March, 1804, and April, 1805, Mr. Blake was further employed for short periods on board the Venerable 74, bearing the flag of Sir Thos. Graves, and Culloden again, Capt. B. Dacres, both in the Channel, the Salvador del Mundo, first-rate, Capt. John Dilkes, lying at Plymouth, the Seine 36, Capt. David Atkins, for passage to the West Indies, and the Theseus and Hercule 74’s, flagships of Vice-Admiral Jas. Rich. Dacres, on the Jamaica station. He then became Master’s Mate of the Stork 18, Capt. Geo. Le Geyt, and, among other valuable services performed in her tender, cut out a convoy near the Havana. He was promoted, immediately on passing his examination, to a Sub-Lieutenancy, 26 Feb. 1806, in the Peterel 18, Capt. John Lamborn, and was made Full Lieutenant into the Franchise 36, Capt. Chas. Dashwood, 7 April following. After enduring a brief attachment to the Veteran 64, Capt. Andrew Fitzherbert Evans, and Hercule 74, Capt. Barrington Dacres, Mr. Blake, on 17 Jan. 1807, was appointed to the Scorpion 18, Capts. Philip Carteret, Fras. Stanfell, Richard Harward, and Hon. John Gore. In the course of the same year he assisted at the capture, in the Channel, of three heavy French privateers, Le Bourgainville, La Glaneuse, and Le Glaneur, carrying together 42 guns and 233 men; and, in Jan. and Feb. 1810, he was the Scorpion’s Senior Lieutenant when, under Capt. Stanfell, she took the French 14-gun brig L’Oreste, beneath the batteries of Guadeloupe, and contributed to the reduction of that island. As Lieutenant, his subsequent appointments appear to have been – 7 Dec. 1810, to the Standard 64, Capt. Askew Paffard Hollis, lying at Plymouth – 13 March, 1811, to the Peacock 18, Capt. Wm. Peake, in the Channel – 14 May, 1813, as Senior, to the Rivoli 74, commanded by Capt.Graham Eden Hamond, for a short time by himself as Acting-Captain, and by Capt. Edw. Stirling Dickson, in the Mediterranean – 22 March, 1816, to the Vengeur 74, Capt. Thos. Alexander, guard-ship at Portsmouth – 18 Aug. 1818, as Senior again, to the Queen Charlotte 100, bearing the flag at the same port of his old Admiral, Sir Geo. Campbell, at whose request he obtained the appointment – and, 1 July, 1819, to the Royal George yacht, Capt. Hon. Chas. Paget. While in the Rivoli Lieut. Blake aided at the capture, 30 April, 1815, of the French 44-gun frigate Le Melpomène after a brave defence of 15 minutes; and for his services as Senior Lieutenant of the Royal George, in which vessel he had the honour of attending for several weeks on the Prince Regent, he was advanced to the rank of Commander 11 Oct. 1819. He was afterwards, in April, 1828, appointed to the Pearl 20, under Rear-Admiral Hon. C. Paget, his former Captain, whose flag he always hoisted on that officer’s proceeding to sea, and on one of those occasions he received the Marquis of Anglesey, then Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, on board. Capt. Blake continued in the Pearl three years, and was lastly, from 28 Sept. 1832, until the autumn of 1835, employed as an Inspecting Commander in the Coast Guard. He obtained Post-rank 28 June, 1838.
Capt. Blake was nominated, in March, 1841, Gentleman Usher to H.R.H. Prince Albert. He is married, and has issue four children, of whom the eldest son, Chas. Paget Blake, M.D., a surgeon, R.N. (1845), is now serving on board the Phoenix steam-sloop, commanded in the Mediterranean by Capt. J. S. A. Dennis.