A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Coffin, Henry Edward
COFFIN. (Captain, 1841. f-p., 22; h-p., 20.)
Henry Edward Coffin entered the Navy, 1 Oct. 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on borad the Puissant 74, Capt. John Irvine, guard-ship at Spithead; was successively transferred, in the course of the following year, to the Atlas and Colossus 74’s, Capts. Sam. Pym and Jas. Nicoll Morris, and Malta 84, Capt. Edw. Buller; and on joining, in Jan. 1807, the Tigre 80, Capt. Benj. Hallowell, attended the expedition to Egypt, and witnessed, as Midshipman, the destruction of the French line-of-battle ships Robuste and Lion, off Cape Cette. After a further servitude of three years on board the Bombay 74, Capt. Wm. Cuming, and Minorca 18, Capt. Ralph Randolph Wormeley, he returned, in April, 1813, to the Malta, then flag-ship of his former Captain, Hallowell, and was for some time very actively employed commanding a gun-boat in co-operation with the patriots on the south coast of Spain. On his arrival in England as Acting-Lieutenant of the Sphynx 10, Capt. Thos. Colby, Mr. Coffin was officially promoted by commission dated 20 July, 1814; after which he served, from June, 1815, to Dec. 1818, on board the Cossack 22, Capt. Hon. Robt. Rodney, Driver 16, Capt. Lord Algernon Percy, and Saracen 16, Capt. John Gore, on the Home and North American stations. His next appointments appear to have been, 11 Aug. 1824, and 1 March, 1826, to the Atholl 28, Capt. Jas. Arthur Murray, and Ganges 84, Capt. Sam. Hood Inglefield, . employed off the coast of Africa and at Rio de Janeiro, whence he returned home on the receipt of his second promotal commission, 19 Sept. 1829. He subsequently commanded the Trinculo 16, on the Lisbon station, from 26 Dec. 1836, until the spring of 1841; and on 23 Nov. following was promoted to his present rank. He has not since been afloat.
Capt. Coffin married, 10 Nov. 1829, Charlotte, youngest daughter of the late Wm. Curry, Esq., of Southampton.