A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Dick, Thomas
DICK. (Captain, 1814. f-p., 19; h-p., 35.)
Thomas Dick entered the Navy, 21 Jan. 1793, as Midshipman, on board L’Aigle frigate, Capt. John Nicholson Inglefield; and, after assisting at the reduction of Corsica, removed, in June, 1794, to the Bedford 74, Capts. Robt. Mann and Davidge Gould, under the latter of whom we find him present in Hotham’s actions of 14 March and 13 July, 1795. In Sept. following he rejoined Captain, then Rear-Admiral, Mann, on board the Windsor Castle 98, also in the Mediterranean, where he continued until Dec. 1796; from which period he afterwards served, until 1799, in the Nassau 64, and Monarch 74, flag-ships in the North Sea of Vice-Admiral Rich. Onslow; under whom, in the Monarch, he bore a part in the battle off Camperdown, 11 Oct. 1797. On 11 March, 1799, Mr. Dick was promoted to a Lieutenancy in the Nemesis 98, Capt. Thos. Baker; subsequently to which he joined, 11 Oct. following, the Melpomene 44 Capt. Sir Chas. Hamilton, and witnessed the capture, 5 April, 1800, of the island of Goree. While on the African station, he assumed command, on the night of 3 Jan. 1801, of five boats, manned with 97 volunteers [errata 1] , for the purpose of surprising a corvette of 18 guns, and an armed schooner, anchored within the bar off Senegal. After a desperate struggle of 20 minutes, in which 11 men were killed, 18 wounded, and two boats sunk, Lieut. Dick and his party gallantly carried the corvette, Le Sénégal, which they eventually destroyed under a heavy fire of grape and musketry from the batteries.[1] With intermissions, the subject of this sketch continued to serve under Sir Chas. Hamilton in the Illustrious 74, Téméraire 98, and Tonnant 80, on the Channel and Cadiz stations, until July, 1810. On being promoted to the rank of Commander 21 Oct. following, he joined the Thisbe 28, bearing the flag of the same officer, and afterwards of the Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge, in the River Thames, where he remained until posted 7 June, 1814. He accepted the Retirement 1 Oct. 1846.
Capt. Dick married, 20 June, 1820, Miss Katherine Martyr. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1801, p. 253.