A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Kennedy, Alexander (a)
KENNEDY. (Commander, 1809. f-p., 16; h-p., 33.)
Alexander Kennedy (a) entered the Navy, 24 Oct. 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Magnanime frigate, Capt. Hon. Mich. De Courcy, with whom he served on the Irish, Channel, and Mediterranean stations, latterly as Midshipman of the Canada 74, until April, 1800. Removing then to the Thames 32, Capts. Wm. Lukin and Aiskew Paffard Hollis, he witnessed Sir Jas. Saumarez’ action of 12 July, 1801, in the Gut of Gibraltar, and was present, in the course of the same year, at the cutting out of a gun-boat and convoy from the Bay of Estapona. The Thames being paid off in Jan. 1803, he next, in the following April, joined the Plantagenet 74, Capt. Graham Eden Hamond, under whom he assisted at the capture of Le Courier de Terre Neuve privateer of 16 guns and 60 men, and L’Atalante, a beautiful corvette of 22 guns and 120 men. In 1804 we find Mr. Kennedy sailing in the Albion 74, Capt. John Ferrier, for the East Indies, where, after an attachment of a short period to the Concorde 36, commanded by the present Sir Josiah Coghill, he was confirmed a Lieutenant, 2 April, 1806, in the Sceptre 74, Capt. Joseph Bingham; which ship, on 11 of the ensuing Nov., made a dash, with the Cornwallis 50, into St. Paul’s Bay, Ile de Bourbon, and opened a fire upon the shipping there at anchor, consisting of the Semillante French frigate, three armed ships, and 12 sail of merchantmen, the whole protected by seven batteries, mounting upwards of 100 pieces of cannon. On his return home in 1808, Lieut. Kennedy was appointed to the Captain 74, Capt. Geo. Cockburn, and ordered to the West Indies; on his arrival on which station he was invested with the acting-command, on 28 Oct. in the same year, of the Port d’Espagne sloop, in which, we understand, he contributed to the reduction of Martinique. At the period of his official promotion to the rank he now holds, which took place 2 June, 1809, our officer had charge of the St. Pierre sloop. In the course of 1810 he obtained successive command of the Pelorus, Surinam, and Forester, all on the Halifax station; where, and again in the West Indies, he served until April, 1814. He has since been unemployed. The Forester, on 5 May, 1813, assisted, in company with the Sapphire sloop, in capturing the Mary Ann American privateer of 2 guns and 30 men. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.