A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Fletcher, William
FLETCHER. (Capt., 1829. f-p., 19; h-p., 25.)
William Fletcher died at the close of 1846.
This officer entered the Navy, 31 Aug. 1803, as Midshipman, on board the Impérieuse 40, Capt. Hon. Henry Hotham, with whom he served the whole of his time in the same ship, and in the Révolutionnaire 44, and Defiance 74. During that period he took part, in the Révolutionnaire, in Sir Richard Strachan’s action, 4 Nov. 1805; and on Feb. 1809, was present at the destruction of three frigates under the batteries of Sable d’Olonne, where the Defiance, besides being much cut up in her masts and rigging, sustained a loss of 2 men killed and 25 wounded. On 31 Oct. in the latter year he obtained a Lieutenancy in the Sophie 18, Capt. Nich. Lockyer, under whom he continued to serve, in the Channel, until 23 April, 1811, when he rejoined Capt. Hotham in the Northumberland 74, in which ship he subsequently assisted, in company with the Growler gun-brig, at the gallant destruction, 22 May, 1812, near L’Orient, of the French 40-gun frigates L’Arienne and L’Andromaque, and 16-gun brig Mamelouck; whose united fire, conjointly with that of a heavy battery, killed 5, and, including himself, wounded 28 of the Northumberland’s people.[1] As Lieutenant, Mr. Fletcher was afterwards appointed – 14 Jan. 1813, to the Elephant 74, Capt. Fras. Wm. Austen, in the Baltic – 21 Jan. 1814, to the Superb 74, Capt. Hon. Chas. Paget, flag-ship afterwards on the American and French coasts of Hon. Sir H. Hotham, by whom he was intrusted with the despatches announcing the surrender of Buonaparte – 31 April, 1816, to the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth – and, 17 July, 1820, to the Royal George yacht, Capt. Hon. C. Paget. Attaining the rank of Commander, 30 Nov. 1820, he next served for some time in the Coast Guard, and on 8 Dec. 1827, and 18 Jan. 1828, was successively appointed to the Terror bomb, and William and Mary yacht – in the latter of which vessels he served, as Second Captain, under the late Sir John Chambers White. From the date of his last promotion, which took place 4 March, 1829, he remained on half-pay.
Capt. Fletcher married, in 1826, Elizabeth, second daughter of John Luscombe Luscombe, Esq., of Coombe Royal, co. Devon, and niece of Sir Wm. Knighton, Bart., and of Admirals Hawker, Boyles, Osborne, and Sir Michael Seymour, Bart.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1812, p. 999.