A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Downes, Henry
DOWNES. (Commander, 1829. f-p., 14; h-p., 28.)
Henry Downes entered the Navy, 6 April, 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board L’Aimable 32, Capt. Wm. Bolton. In Oct. following he accompanied the same officer, as Midshipman, into the Fisgard 38, commanded afterwards by Capt. Fras. Mason; during the six years of his attachment to which frigate, he served at the reduction of Curaçoa, in Jan. 1807, attended, as Master’s Mate, the expedition to the Walcheren in Aug. 1809, commanded a boat at the destruction of a privateer in the Baltic in 1810, and assisted at the cutting out of a ship from Rostock in 1811. From Nov. in the latter year, until Dec. 1813, Mr. Downes was next successively employed on board the Thisbe 28, flag-ship off Deptford of Sir Chas. Hamilton – the Mulgrave 74, Capt. Thos. Jas. Maling – the Daedalus 38, Capt. Murray Maxwell, under whom he was wrecked, near Ceylon, 2 July, 1813 – and the Minden 74, flag-ship of Sir Sam. Hood. He was then appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Africaine 38, Capt. Hon. Edw. Rodney, in which ship, after visiting the Persian Gulf and the China Sea, he returned to England in Feb. 1816. Having attained the rank of Lieutenant 1 June, 1814, he next, on 5 Dec. 1826, joined, in that capacity, the Sybille 48, bearing the broad pendant on the coast of Africa of Commodore Fras. Aug. Collier. For his conduct when afterwards in command of the Black Joke tender – an account of whose dashing achievements will be found under the head of Capt. Edw. Harris Butterfield – he was ultimately advanced to his present rank, 2 May, 1829.[1] He has not, however, been since employed.
A splendid vase of polished “Heart of Oak,” with appropriate ornaments in silver gilt, we understand, was presented to this officer as “a tribute of admiration and respect from Commodore Collier for his gallant conduct when in command of H.M. tender Black Joke.” Commander Downes is an Hon. Director of the United Service Institution.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1829. p. 710.