A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Bowen, Richard
BOWEN. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 10; h-p., 31.)
Richard Bowen entered the Navy, in June, 1806, as A.B., on board the Glatton 50, Capts. Thos. Seccombe, Henry Hope, and Geo. Miller Bligh, employed in the Mediterranean, on which station he removed, as Midshipman, in Sept. 1809, to the Active, of 46 guns, Capt. Jas. Alex. Gordon. While belonging to that frigate he took part, 13 March, 1811, in the brilliant action off Lissa, where a British squadron, carrying in the whole 156 guns and 879 men, completely routed, after a conflict of six hours, and a loss to the Active of 4 killed and 24 wounded, a Franco-Venetian armament, whose force amounted to 284 guns and 2655 men; and on 29 Nov. in the same year he further shared in a hard-fought action of an hour and 40 minutes which, in rendering the Active captor of La Pomone, of 44 guns and 332 men, occasioned her a loss of 8 killed and 27 wounded. From June to Nov. 1812, Mr. Bowen next served in the Namur 74, Capt. Chas. John Austen, and Seahorse 38, comtnanded by Capt. Gordon. He then joined the Sceptre and Albion 74’s, bearing each the flag of Rear-Admiral Geo. Cockburn, and was for 20 months very actively employed on the coast of North America. After acting for nearly five months as Lieutenant of the Ruby 64, Capt. Andrew Fitzherbert Evans, Mr. Bowen was conflrined to that ship by commission dated 13 April, 1815. He returned home from Bermuda on board the Buffalo in March, 1816, and has not since been afloat.