A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Cammilleri, Joseph
CAMMILLERI. (Commander, 1829. f-p., 20; h-p., 21.)
Joseph Cammilleri, born 18 Aug. 1794, is sole surviving son of the late Signor Gabriel Cammilleri, who rendered such conspicuous assistance to the British under Capt. Alex. John Ball during the blockade of Malta in 1798, and suffered the consequent sacrifice to republican resentment of a large portion of his property. Commander Cammilleri is the only Maltese in the Service. This officer entered the Navy, 13 Nov. 1806, as Third-cl. Boy, under the auspices of Sir A. J. Ball, on board the Spider brig, Lieut.-Commander Wm. Sandford Oliver, in which he was present at the passage of the Dardanells in Feb. 1807. He next joined the Active, of 46 guns, Capts. Rich. Hussey Moubray and Jas. Alex. Gordon, also in the Mediterranean; became Midshipman, 7 May, 1809, of the St. Domingo 74, bearing the flag of Sir Rich. John Strachan, in which ship he received a severe contusion in the head while assisting at the bombardment of Flushing in Aug. following; and, after an attachment of a few months to the Ville de Paris 110, flag-ship of Lord Collingwood, again served with Capt. J. A. Gordon, from June, 1810, to Feb. 1815, in the Active and Seahorse frigates. While belonging to the Active he at various times, in command of her barge, captured, cut out, and destroyed 44 vessels, frequently under a destructive fire; and, on 13 March, 1811, he was present in the memorable action off Lissa, when 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 men killed and 24 wounded, a Franco-Venetian armament, whose force amounted to 284 guns and 2655 men. After the battle he mainly contributed by his exertions to the preservation of one of the prize-frigates, which had taken fire. When next attacking in the boats, 27 July, 1811, a convoy of 28 merchantmen, defended, in a creek of the island of Ragosniza, by 300 troops and 3 gun-vessels, Mr. Cammilleri personally boarded and carried one of the latter, and much to his praise;[1] and on being invested, as a reward for his officially reported gallantry, with the command of his prize, he took, after a stout resistance, five of a convoy in escort of three gun-boats, and, on a later occasion, four other vessels. On 29 Nov. in the same year he further shared in a hard-fought action of an hour and forty minutes, which, in rendering the Active captor of La Pamone, of 44 guns and 332 men, 50 of whom were killed and wounded, cost that ship a loss of 8 killed and 27 wounded, including Capt. Gordon, who lost a leg. During his servitude in the Seahorse, Mr. Cammilleri was present, in Aug. 1814, at the capture of Fort Washington and the capitulation of Alexandria; and, on the descent of the Potomac, we find him twice despatched in charge of the ship’s cutter, for the purpose of protecting the grounded Devastation from the attacks of Commodore Rodgere, one of whose fire-vessels he succeeded in drawing off. He also served on shore with the small-arm men in the expedition against Baltimore, and, on the night the army retreated, commanded the launch in an attack on the enemy’s gun-boats and batteries. On 14 Dec. following Mr. Cammilleri served with the boats of the Seahorse and of a squadron, at the capture, on Lake Borgne, of five American gun-boats under Commodore Jones, which did not surrender until the British, after a severe conflict, had been occasioned a loss of 17 men killed and 77 wounded. During the ensuing attack upon New Orleans he was again very responsibly employed on numerous detached services. On 25 Feb. 1815, Mr. Cammilleri, who had passed his examination 3 April, 1813, was advanced to the rank of Lieutenant; after which he appears to have been successively appointed – 20 Oct. 1819, to the Dover 28, bearing the flags on the Leith station of Sir Robt. Waller Otway and Sir John Poo Beresford, pending his attachment to which ship we find him cruizing, in command of her tender, the Nimble cutter, for the suppression of smuggling in the Firth of Forth – 24 Sept. 1823, to the Menai 26, Capt. Houston Stewart, fitting out at Portsmouth – 12 Dec. 1823, to the Albion 74, guard-ship at the latter port, Capt. Sir Wm. Hoste – 5 May, 1824, to the Aetna bomb, Capt. Williams Sandom, whom he accompanied, as a volunteer, in the expedition against Algiers – 5 March, 1825, to the Hyperion 42, Capt. Wm. Jas, Mingaye, employed in the Coast Blockade – and, 24 Dec. 1825, for a short time, to the Prince Regent 120, flagship at the Nore of Sir Robt. Moorsom. He was promoted to his present rank, for his services while in command of the Calypso Malta Colonial yacht, 1 Jan. 1829, and was afterwards employed as an Inspecting-Commander in the Coast Guard from 14 July, 1837, until July, 1840, and again from 8 Feb. 1841, until May, 1844. He has since been on half-pay.
Commander Cammilleri, who is Senior of 1829, married Mary, daughter of Thos. Freak, Esq., of Blackheath, co. Kent, and has issue six children.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1811, p. 2193.