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A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Hodder, Michael

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1751839A Naval Biographical Dictionary — Hodder, MichaelWilliam Richard O'Byrne

HODDER. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 10; h-p., 30.)

Michael Hodder – born at Fountainstown, co. Cork, the seat of his father – is brother of Lieut. Peter Hodder, R.N.

This officer entered the Navy, 14 March, 1807, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Daedalus 32, Capt. Fred. Warren, whom he accompanied with convoy to the West Indies. He then proceeded to Bermuda in the Laura, Lieut.-Commander Robt. Yates, and on his arrival at that place he took a passage home in the Prince George 98, Capt. Geo. Losack. From Sept. in the same year until Dec. 1813 he was employed, in the capacity of Midshipman, chiefly on the Home and Baltic stations, in the Alexandria 32, Capts. Nathaniel Day Cochrane, John Quilham, and Robt. Cathcart. During that period, besides being at the blockade of many ports on the coast of Holland, he served in a boat at the cutting out of a Dutch guard-vessel from the river Elbe, was present at the capture of two armed vessels and of a convoy of 27 sail in a calm at sea, came frequently into contact with the enemy’s gun-boats, and was concerned in the cutting out on different occasions of at least 150 vessels, many of them well armed. In most cases Mr. Hodder had the personal command of a boat. On the return of the Alexandria from Greenland, where she had arrived just in time to prevent the British whalers from falling into the hands of the American Commodore Rodgers, he. rejoined Capt. Cochrane on borad the Orontes 36, and went with him in protection of a large convoy to the West Indies. On the Orontes being recommissioned by the same Captain in the spring of 1815, Mr. Hodder, whose promotion to the rank of Lieutenant took place on 18 Feb. in that year, was again appointed to her. Continuing on her books until paid off in March, 1817, he was first employed in forwarding troops to Flanders, next in bringing the wounded and prisoners over after the battle of Waterloo, then in carrying out an Austrian commissioner to St. Helena for the security of Buonaparte, and finally in the suppression of the slave-trade at Madagascar. Since the date last named the Lieutenant has not held any official occupation.