A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Dathan, James Hartley
DATHAN. (Retired Commander, 1841. f-p., 25; h-p., 43.)
James Hartley Dathan is son of an old officer in the army, who, after 36 years of service, was taken prisoner with General Matthews at Hyderabad, and never heard of more. This officer entered the Navy, 1 Nov. 1779, as Captain’s Servant, on borad the Berwick 74, Capt. Hon. Keith Stewart, in which ship he sailed for the West Indies. In Aug. 1780, he removed to the Sultan 74, Capt. Alex. Gardner, flag-ship subsequently of Sir Edw. Hughes, Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies, where he appears to have been wounded while participating in five sanguinary actions fought, between 17 Feb. 1782, and 20 June, 1783, with the French fleet under M. de Suffrein. After an interval of five years he re-embarked, 29 May, 1790, on board the Salisbury 50, Capt. Wm. Domett, bearing the flag at Newfoundland of Vice-Admiral Milbanke. In 1793 he proceeded to the Mediterranean in the Diadem 64, Capt. Andrew Sutherland; and on there joining, as Midshipman, the Berwick 74, he was present in that vessel, under Capt. Adam Littlejohn, who was killed, when she was taken, after a brave defence, by the French fleet, 7 March, 1795. On 14 of the same month he chanced, as a prisoner in the enemy’s ship Languedoc to be an eye-witness of Vice-Admiral Hotham’s first partial action. Being restored to liberty in the following Aug., Mr. Dathan immediately joined the Ça Ira 80, Capt. Chas. Dudley Pater, which ship was accidentally burnt, in St. Fiorenza Bay, 11 April, 1796. Mr. Dathan, who on that occasion only saved himself by jumping naked overboard, next became Master’s Mate of the Surprise 32, Capts. Ralph Willett Miller, Chas. Stewart, and Edw. Hamilton, on the Newfoundland station; and, on 2 July, 1798, was promoted to a Lieutenancy in the Hazard, of 24 or 26 guns, Capts. Wm. Butterfield and Rich. John Neve. On 12 Aug. following he assisted, and acquitted himself much to the satisfaction of his Captain, at the capture, off the coast of Ireland, of Le Neptune French national ship, of 20 guns, having on borad 270 troops, which did not surrender until after an obstinate conflict of an hour and fifty minutes, in which the enemy had upwards of 20 men killed and wounded, and the British only 6 men wounded.[1] This prize, with all the prisoners, Mr. Dathan, aided by 20 of the Hazard,’s crew, conducted into Cork; which place, however, in consequence of her shattered state, he was eight days in reaching. The Hazard, being paid off in June, 1802, he was lastly, from Aug. 1803, to July, 1810, and from Sept. 1811, until Aug. 1814, employed in the Impress service at North Shields, and also in London. He accepted his present rank 12 Oct. 1841.
Commander Dathan, whose wounds have nearly deprived him of sight, was admitted, 29 April, 1833, to the out-pension of Greenwich Hospital. He is married, and has issue eight children. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1798, p. 814.