A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Fegen, Richard
FEGEN. (Commander, 1828. f-p., 29; h-p., 24.)
Richard Fegen entered the Navy, in March, 1794, as Midshipman, on board the London packet, Lieut.-Commander Jas. Fegen; removed, in 1798, to the Galatea 32, Capt. Hon. Geo. Byng; and on joining the Tamar 38, Capt. Thos. Western, assisted, in 1799, at the reduction of the Dutch colony of Surinam, and the capture, after a close action of 10 minutes, of the French 28-gun frigate Républicaine. Removing, next, to the Dromedary store-ship, Capt. Bridges Watkinson Taylor, he served in the boats at the destruction of a ship under the batteries of Guadeloupe, and the capture of a schooner-of-war; and, on 10 Aug. 1800, he was wrecked in the Bocca, near the island of Trinidad. Until March, 1806, Mr. Fegen was afterwards employed, on the West India and Home stations, in the Leviathan 74, bearing the flag of Sir John Duckworth, Magnanime 44, Capt. Taylor, and Locust, Milbrook, and Cracker gun-brigs, Lieut.-Commanders John Lake, Mauritius Adolphus Newton De Starck, and John Leach. After a further servitude of eight months as Sub-Lieutenant in the Sprightly, Lieut.Commander Jas. Gordon, he obtained a full Lieutenancy, 8 Nov. 1806, in the Hermes sloop, Capt. Edw. Reynolds Sibly, under whom, in the year following, he attended the expedition to Monte Video. In the course of 1808 Mr. Fegen further joined the Sceptre 74, Capt. Joseph Bingham, and Eijderin, Capt. Pengelly; and, then assuming command of the Fanny cutter, he co-operated in the attack upon Flushing in Aug. 1809. During the remainder of the war he served (principally on the Home station, although for some time in the West Indies) in command of the scp, and on board the Favourite, Capt. Benj. Clements, Gannet, Capt. Jas. Stevenson, Kangaroo, Capt. Lloyd, and Prince, flag-ship of Sir Rich. Bickerton. His subsequent appointments were – 14 June, 1819, and 23 Nov. 1822, to the Tigre and Lapwing Revenue-cutters, in which he made some valuable captures – 28 Nov. 1822, to the Preventive Water-Guard Service – and, 19 Dec. 1826, to the command of the Pincher 5, on the Jamaica station. Since his attainment of the rank he now holds, 9 Feb. 1828, Commander Fegen has been on half-pay.
He married, 13 May, 1831, Miss Banks, of Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, and has issue.