A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Brenan, Alexander
BRENAN. (Lieut., 1814. f-p., 16; h-p., 27.)
Alexander Brenan was born in Dec. 1790. This officer entered the Navy, 7 Feb. 1804, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Téméraire 98, Capt. Elias Harvey, and, on 21 Oct. 1805, was a performer in the glorious scene enacted by that ship in the battle of Trafalgar. He left the Téméraire, as Midshipman, in Jan. 1806, and next, about March, 1807, joined the Tonnant 80, flag-ship of the Hon. Michael De Courcy, with whom he proceeded to the West Indies. He then removed to the St. George 98, bearing the flag in the Channel of his former Captain, Rear-Admiral E. Harvey; was much employed, on his subsequent transference to the Phoebe 36, Capt. Jas. Hillyar, on boat-service in the Gulf of Livonia, where he assisted in capturing a large number of vessels; and while attached, between the years 1810 and 1814, to the Caledonia 120, Capt. Wm. Bedford, Téméraire 98, Capt. Edwin Henry Chamberlayne, and Royal George 100, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Fras. Pickmore, frequently served on shore and in the boats in warm encounters with the batteries and troops at the defence of Cadiz and off Toulon. On 16 March in the latter year, having passed in 1811, and for some time acted as Lieutenant, he was confirmed in that rank in the Merope 16, Capts. John Chas. Gawen Roberts and Wm. Benj. Suckling, one of Napoleon Buonaparte’s escort during a portion of his passage to Elba; and, in June, 1815, he was appointed to the Albion 74, Capt. Jas. Walker, lying in the river Medway, which ship, however, he left in the following December. Lieut. Brenan was afterwards employed in the Coast Guard from 1821 until obliged, from the effects of his severe night duties, to retire under a medical certificate in 1827. While in that service he had the good fortune on different occasions to get off the shore two large ships which had been stranded on the coasts of Wicklow and Wexford; and, in acknowledgment of his exertions, was presented by the owners, for himself and his men, with two sums of 200l. each. He has since been unemployed.