A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Bowerbank, John
BOWERBANK. (Lieut., 1812. f-p., 11; h-p., 32.)
John Bowerbank entered the Navy, 21 March, 1804, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Latona 38, Capt. Thos. Le Marchant Gosselin, employed off Brest. On removing, as Midshipman, With the same officer, to the Audacious 74, he accompanied Lieut.-General Sir John Moore to Portugal, and appears to have been very actively engaged in re-embarking the troops after the battle of Corunna. He next, in April, 1809, joined the Melpomene 38, Capts. Fred. Warren and Peter Parker, under the former of whom we find him, during a dark night of the ensuing May, contributing to the repulse, after a destructive conflict of many hours, of 20 Danish gun-boats, whose fire occasioned the British ship a loss of 5 men killed and 29 wounded. From Oct. in the same year until his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, 30 June, 1812, Mr. Bowerbank next served, off Flushing, in the river Thames, and on the Baltic station, in the Isis armée en flûte, Capt. Woodley Losack, Belvidera 38, Capt. Rich. Byron, and Victory 100, flag-ship of Sir Jas. Saumarez. He then joined the Plantagenet 74 Capt Robt. Lloyd, from which ship, after serving on the North American and West India stations, he removed to the Bellerophon 74, Capt. Fred. Lewis Maitland, in time to witness the surrender of Napoleon Buonaparte. He went on half-pay 13 Sept. 1815, and has not since been employed.