A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Drake, William Edmond
DRAKE. (Retired Commander, 1841. f-p., 22; h-p., 34.)
William Edmond Drake entered the Navy, 22 June, 1791, as Captain’s Servant, on board the London 90, Capt. Geo. Blagden Westcott, bearing the flag in the Channel of Rear-Admiral Sam. Cranston Goodall, whom, after a servitude of 18 mouths in the Tisiphone sloop, Capt. Anthony Hunt, he rejoined as Midshipman, in June, 1793, on board the Princess Royal 98. While in that ship he appears to have been warmly engaged with the enemy during the ensuing occupation of Toulon; after which he co-operated in the reduction of Corsica, and was present in Hotham’s actions of 14 March and 13 July, 1795. On the paying off of the Princess Royal in the autumn of 1796, Mr. Drake joined the Royal George 100, bearing the flag of Lord Bridport, in which he beheld the great mutiny at Spithead. He was promoted to a Lieutenancy, 14 Nov. 1797, in La Légère sloop, Capt. Cornelius Quinton, on the West India station, whence he returned with convoy, in 1799, on board the Valiant 74, Capt. John Cochet. Until the peace, we next find him serving, principally on the Home station, in the Ruby 64, and Resolution 74, both commanded by Capt. Alan Hyde Gardner. He was subsequently appointed – 4 June, 1803, again to the Ruby 64, then flag-ship in the North Sea of Rear-Admiral Edw. Thornbrough – 6 Sept. 1804, to the command of the Albion cutter, off the coast of France – 8 Oct. 1807, to the charge of a Signal station on the island of Jersey – 19 Nov. 1808, to the Diomede 50, as Flag-Lieutenant, off Guernsey, to Rear-Admiral d’Auvergne, Prince de Bouillon, whom he successively accompanied into the Albacore sloop and Phoenix frigate – and, 5 March, 1810, to the command of the Sandwich hired lugger, on the same station, where he captured, 15 June, 1812, Le Courageux French privateer, of 2 guns and 24 men. This officer, who left the Sandwich in March, 1814, and has not since been afloat, became a Retired Commander on the Junior List 15 Dec. 1830 – and on the Senior, 16 Feb. 1841.