A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Douglas, Pringle Home
DOUGLAS. (Commander, 1814. f-p., 20; h-p., 33.)
Pringle Home Douglas was born 18 Sept. 1784. This officer entered the Navy, 7 Jan. 1794, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Africa 64, Capt. Roddam Home, employed on the Halifax and Jamaica stations. In March, 1797, he became attached, with Capt. Home, as Midshipman, to the Caesar 80, flag-ship afterwards of Sir Jas. Saumarez, by whom, for his conduct as Master’s Mate at the battle of Algeciras, 6 July, 1801, on which occasion he received a slight wound, he was promoted, on the night of the action, to a Lieutenancy in the Audacious 74, Capt. Shuldham Peard. On next returning from Minorca, whither he had been immediately sent with despatches in ,a row-boat privateer, Mr. Douglas, then in the Sir Thomas Pasley hired brig, of 16 guns and 54 men, Lieut.-Commander Wm. Wooldridge, assisted, on 21 July, in beating off, after a close and severe contest of an hour and a quarter, a Spanish man-of-war xebec of 22 guns. We subsequently find him contributing to the capture, we believe, of the Virgen del Rosaria, carrying 10 heavy guns and 94 men — a vessel that was boarded and carried, at the close of an animated action of an hour, and of a sanguinary hand-to-hand struggle of about 15 minutes, during which the British lost 3 men killed and 8 wounded, and the enemy 21 killed and 13 wounded. Mr. Douglas, whose appointment to the Audacious was confirmed by commission dated 9 Oct. 1801, afterwards served, during the whole of the late war (except from 13 April, 1805, to 8 Aug. 1806, when he appears to have been employed in the Mediterranean under Capt. Chas. Ogle of the Unite 36), on board the Majestic, Saturn, and Royal Oak 74's, commanded on the Home station by Lord Amelius Beauclerk. While in the latter ship he officiated, in 1809, as Senior Lieutenant of the advanced division of gun-boats at Walcheren, and took part in much active boat service in Basque Roads and off L’Orient. After discharging the duties for 18 months of Flag-Lieutenant to Lord Amelius Beauclerk, who had been promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, he was advanced, on that officer striking his flag, to the rank of Commander, 28 May, 1814. He has since been on half-pay.
He married, 20 March, 1817, Miss Salisbury, and has issue a son and two daughters.