A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Gosnold, James
GOSNOLD. (Lieut., 1816. f-p., 14; h-p., 31.)
James Gosnold entered the Navy, 16 June, 1802, as Sec.-cl. Boy, on board the Cruizer 18, Capts. John Hancock and Pringle Stoddart, with whom he served, before the mast, until Jan. 1811. On 16 May following he was present in a gallant attack on a division of the enemy’s flotilla, consisting of 59 sail, passing alongshore from Flushing to Ostend, in which the above vessel had 1 man killed and 4 wounded; and indeed he appears, during that and the following year, to have been not less than 104 times in action, either with the enemy’s flotilla or land-batteries. In 1807 he further attended the expedition against Copenhagen. On leaving the Cruizer he was appointed Midshipman of the Britomart 10, Capt. Wm. B. Hunt, from which vessel, stationed in the North Sea, he removed, in Feb. 1812, to the Algerine 10, Lieut.-Commander Dan. Carpenter; under whom, on 8 Feb. 1813, he was in an action in which the British had 3 men killed and 7 or 8, including himself, wounded. The Algerine being lost off the Bahamas, 20 May, 1813, Mr. Gosnold was next appointed, as Master’s Mate, to the Alexandria store-ship, Master-Commander Josiah Oake, employed on the American coast. Since the receipt of his commission, which bears date 4 Jan. 1816, he has been on half-pay.